Write an essay in which you compare and contrast the play 

Oedipus Rex

by Sophocles with the 

play 

Trifles 

by Susan Glaspell. You should focus on 3 or more of the following elements in your 

essay: theme, character, setting, dialogue, stage directions, plot, and structure. Please consider 1 

or more of the following questions in your essay

1.How is 

Oedipus Rex 

an example of ancient Greek drama, and how is 

Trifles

an example 

of modern drama? Ancient Greek drama is often characterized by a ritualistic tone. The 

presence of a chorus is an example of this tone.



2.Is Susan Glaspell’s 

Trifles

an example of a feminist play? In a feminist story or play, the 

female characters typically struggle to assert their rights in a society dominated by men. 



3.The title character in Sophocles’ play 

Oedipus Rex

is often referred to as a tragic hero.  A 

tragic hero or heroine begins the play as a well-loved person of stature, but that stature 

disappears, because of a tragic set of circumstances that (a) is foretold, (b) is inevitable, 

and (c) is brought about by the hero’s or heroine’s own actions. Compare and contrast 

Oedipus, Creon, or another character from 

Oedipus Rex 

with Minnie Foster or another 

character from 

Trifles.

Is Minnie a tragic heroine?  Is Minnie’s tragic circumstance (being 

arrested for and possibly convicted of murder after killing her husband) foretold, 

inevitable, and brought about by her own actions, like Oedipus’s circumstance?