Murder without mayhem in "Oedipus Rex" and "Trifles" Both the dramas "Trifles" and "Oedipus Rex" deal with murders that are committed off stage of close family members, in one case that of a husband, in the other that of a father. Although both Mrs. Wright and Oedipus are guilty of their crimes, however in the first act of "Trifles," gradually it becomes clear as small details are revealed that something was amiss in the relationship of the Wrights, and that Mrs. Wright had just grievances against the man who suppressed her soul, indeed against all men. The men do not understand this, nor of the limited nature of Mrs. Wright's life. For instance, Mrs. Peters says of Mrs. Wright, "she worried about that...

She said the fire'd go out and her jars would break. The Sheriff scoffs: "Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worrin' about her preserves." (Lines 78-79) This interchange shows how Mrs. Wright's contribution to the household as a cook was ignored, by her husband and now by men of his ilk.
In contrast, "Oedipus Rex" begins with an epic scene, as the tragic protagonist promises the "people of Thebes" that he will discover the cause of the plague, the murderer in their midst of the previous king Laius. He vows to punish the killer, but then the murder is revealed to be his self. He blinds himself as a result. Ironically, this murderer turns out to be Oedipus…