“Trifles” Timeline

An illustrated timeline of the writing of Trifles: A One-Act Play by Susan Glaspell. This timeline situates the playwright and the play’s writing within the context of the life and times of Margaret Hossack, the real-life Iowa farmwoman whose murder trial, covered by Glaspell as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News, inspired her to write the play. The timeline can be a valuable resource for instructors teaching the play.

Download the illustrated timeline.

Research undertaken by dramaturg, playwright and performer Milbre Burch in 2010.