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Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, is based on actual events that occurred when Glaspell worked as a reporter and covered the murder trial in Indianola, Iowa. She wrote twenty-six articles over sixteen months covering the case until Hossack’s conviction. She found herself feeling sympathetic for the accused, in spite of the grisly nature of the crime. Later, Glaspell and her husband, George Cook, along with some friends, founded the Provincetown Players group in 1916. After Cook presents summertime series of plays, he suggests Glaspell should write a one-act for the company, a new play to end the season as her memory of the Hossack’s trial which is inspired by Trifles. Therefore, it is safe to say that. However, for the tragedy, the book Trifles would not have come to exist. The question is, what is hamartia, what is hubris? How have they been adapted as a genre by contemporary writers, and how do they drive the plot in Trifles?

What is Hamartia?

Hamartia is a tragic flaw, a mistake, an error or a character flaw of a protagonist. It is a word most famously used in poetics which is usually translated as a mistake or error in judgment. In modern discussions of tragedy, it has often been described as a hero’s “tragic flaw.” ‘The word hamartia originates in the notion of missing the mark and covers a broad spectrum that includes ignorant, mistaken, or accidental wrongdoing, as well as deliberate iniquity, error, or sin. It is often described as a tragic flaw, especially in discussing Greek tragedy’ (hyde 318). Tragedy often works best as the protagonist chooses something that will lead to tragedy or unhappiness’. (Dawe 89). This is certainly the case with Oedipus and, arguably, the case with Hamlet. Consequently, several interpretations have been associated with it, such as in the New Testament where hamartia is the Greek word translated to mean sin. According to Stinton, bible translators may similarly acquire this inference. Moreover, a notable interpretation of hamartia is a “moral error” (Stinton 221).

However, Dawe states that hamartia may at times be attributed to mean “to not sin (Dawe 91). The main character in this case does not respond as it is a sinful act, but for hamartia to be realized, negative outcome must be accrued.

What is Hubris?

Hubris according to the Greeks was a tendency that demeaned a person so as to satisfy the ego of the abuser. This term was frequently used in sexual instances and shame shown on the carrier of the act. In Greek literature, it usually refers to infractions by mortals against other mortals.

Today, hubris means a person who is proud and arrogant, and may be seen even in knowledgeable people. Punishment was issued to anybody accused of hubris (Fisher 72). The proverb “pride goes before a fall” (from the biblical Book of Proverbs16:18) generalizes today’s use of hubris. Similarly, is referred to as “pride that blinds”, as it often causes one accused of it to act in foolish ways that belie common sense (Kershaw 21).

How do contemporary writers adapt Hamartia and Hubris in their writing?

Some contemporary writers who adapted hamartia as a literary style or genre; Sophocles employs it in his book “Oedipus Rex”. The book shows Oedipus being ignorant of his parentage leading him to kill his father (Hyde 322). Sophocles again employs it in a Greek tragedy, the “Antigone”. The true hamartia or “error” in this tragedy rests on Creon’s own ignorance. Creon believes his actions as being justified in the interests of the city. This occurs when he orders his men to properly bury Ploynices before releasing Antigone which can be identified as the mistake or error that led to her death. Although she has been presented with the decree from her Uncle not to bury her brother and her obsession with her dead family ties initially gets her in trouble, Creon’s causes the hamartia which led to the death of Antigone. Shakespeare also employs it in his book ‘Hamlet’. Antigone, Haemon, Tiresias, the chorus and Creon himself recognize that he is in fact mistaken. (Dawe 113).

Hubris as employed by contemporary writers are often found in fiction, most famously in’ Paradise Lost’, a John Milton’s depiction of the biblical Lucifer. Mary Shelley also employs it in the book ‘Frankenstein’ as Victor manifests hubris in his attempt to become a great scientist by causing life through technological means, but eventually regrets this previous desire. In ‘Marlowe’s’ play, Doctor