English 102 Essay 2 Assignment: “Feminism and Hubris”
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:

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.

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.

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?
The final draft of your essay should be 5 to 7 double-spaced pages (and 1,200 to 1,500
words) in length, plus a works cited page. Your essay should have a
title
as well as a
thesis
statement.
You must support each of your claims with quotations from the play(s) you choose to
write about. After answering the above questions as part of the prewriting process, develop a
Thesis Statement. Please consult the sample essay on drama in our literature book (in the chapter
entitled “Writing about Plays”) for help on formatting in-text citations for plays (such as
Oedipus
Rex
) that are divided into acts and scenes. Please study the sample works cited page below.
Relax and have fun with this assignment!
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan.
Trifles.
Literature: A Portable Anthology.
Ed. Janet E. Gardner, et al.
4th ed.
Bedford, 2016. pp. 909-920.
Sophocles.
Oedipus Rex.
Literature: A Portable Anthology.
Ed. Janet E. Gardner, et al.
4th ed.
Bedford, 2016. pp. 707-750.