Read this excerpt from the play Trifles, and choose a line of dialogue to "unpack." Analyze how the stage directions, props, and setting impact what’s being said. Also analyze how the personalities of the two women affect how they say their lines. Enter the excerpt you chose and your analysis in the table. NEVERMIND I FOUND THE ANSWERRR in case anyone else needs it here it is:
MRS PETERS: (in a whisper) When I was a girl—my kitten—there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes—and before I could get there—(covers her face an instant) If they hadn't held me back I would have—(catches herself, looks upstairs where steps are heard, falters weakly)—hurt him.
When Mrs. Peters recalls the incident from her childhood, she covers her face momentarily because the recollection is painful to her. Her memory of the incident still haunts her.
Her strong feelings about the incident explain why she speaks in broken sentences.
At one point, she stops mid-sentence and looks up to make sure that the men are upstairs. This is probably because she doesn’t want them to hear her admit that she wanted to hurt the boy.
MRS HALE: His neck. Choked the life out of him. (Her hand goes out and rests on the bird-cage.)
Mrs. Hale's actions make the audience wonder if her words refer to Mr. Wright or to the bird.