''Three Act Tragedy'' is a work of
detective fiction
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
by British writer
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
, first published in the United States by
Dodd, Mead and Company
Dodd, Mead and Company was one of the pioneer publishing houses of the United States, based in New York City. Under several names, the firm operated from 1839 until 1990.
History Origins
In 1839, Moses Woodruff Dodd (1813–1899) and John S. Ta ...
in 1934 under the title ''Murder in Three Acts''
[''American Tribute to Agatha Christie''](_blank)
/ref> and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club
Collins Crime Club was an imprint of British book publishers William Collins, Sons and ran from 6 May 1930 to April 1994. Throughout its 64 years the club issued a total of 2,012in "The Hooded Gunman -- An Illustrated History of Collins Crime ...
in January 1935 under Christie's original title.[Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon, ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First Editions'' (Dragonby Press, ed. of March 1999), p. 15] The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...
and sixpence (7/6) (approximately and approximately respectively).
The book features Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...
, supported by his friend Mr Satterthwaite, and is the one book in which Satterthwaite collaborates with Poirot. Satterthwaite previously appeared in the stories featuring Harley Quin, in particular those collected in ''The Mysterious Mr Quin
''The Mysterious Mr Quin'' is a short story collection by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins, Sons, William Collins & Sons on 14 April 1930 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same yea ...
'' (1930). The novel was adapted for television twice, first in 1986 as ''Murder in Three Acts
''Murder in Three Acts'' is a 1986 British-American made-for-television mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson, it co-starred J ...
'', and again in 2010 as ''Three Act Tragedy''.
Plot summary
Renowned stage actor Sir Charles Cartwright hosts a dinner party at his home in Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. His guests include: Hercule Poirot; psychiatrist Sir Bartholomew Strange; Hermione "Egg" Lytton Gore and her mother; Captain Dacres and his wife Cynthia; the playwright Muriel Wills; Egg's friend Oliver Manders; Mr Satterthwaite; and Reverend Babbington and his wife. When the Reverend Babbington suddenly dies after sipping one of the cocktails being served, Cartwright believes it was murder, though Strange finds no poison in his glass. Some time later, Poirot is in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
and hears news from Satterthwaite and Cartwright that Strange died from nicotine
Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...
poisoning after drinking a glass of port wine
Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi- ...
, despite there being no trace in the glass. With the exception of the three men, Strange's guests are the same ones who attended Cartwright's party. Both Satterthwaite and Cartwright return to England to investigate the murders. They learn that prior to the party, Strange had sent his usual butler away for two months, and that he exhibited strange behaviour as if expecting something. A temporary replacement he hired named Ellis has since disappeared, with Satterthwaite and Cartwright finding drafted blackmail letters from Ellis in his room. Babbington's body is soon exhumed, showing he too died from nicotine poisoning.
Cartwright, Satterthwaite and Egg partner to investigate the deaths, joined by Poirot as a consultant. Each guest has a possible motive or suspicious circumstances surrounding Strange's death, but no connection to Babbington. When Wills is interviewed, she recalls noticing Manders apparently drop a newspaper cutting on nicotine, and that Ellis had a birthmark on one hand; she later disappears. Poirot stages a party where he demonstrates how the poisoned glasses were substituted by the murderer while everyone's attention was on the victim. He then receives a telegram from Mrs De Rushbridger, a patient at Strange's Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
sanatorium, who arrived on the day Strange died. Poirot and Satterthwaite go to meet her, but find that she has in turn been murdered. Learning that Cartwright's servant, Miss Milray, is hastily heading to Cornwall, Poirot follows her to find out why.
Upon his return, Poirot assembles Cartwright, Satterthwaite and Egg, eventually denouncing Cartwright as the killer. Cartwright wants to marry Egg, but already has a wife who resides in a lunatic asylum. As he cannot divorce her under British law, he decided to conceal this knowledge by murdering Dr Strange, his oldest friend and the only one who knew about the marriage. After his party, Cartwright convinced Strange to let him assume the role of his butler as a joke, and then poisoned him during his party and planted the nicotine cutting on Manders after tricking him into being at Strange's home. He falsified Ellis's blackmail letters, then travelled to Monte Carlo the day after to establish his alibi. The first murder was a dress rehearsal for the second to test whether the glass could be switched unseen, and the victim was selected at random. The only safe guests were Cartwright; Strange, who disliked cocktails; and Egg, to whom Cartwright gave a safe glass. Mrs De Rushbridger was used by Cartwright as a red herring to distract from Strange's behavior towards "Ellis", and he killed her to divert suspicion and prevent her revealing her ignorance of the case.
Poirot reveals that the nicotine came from rose spray distilled by Cartwright at an old tower near his Cornwall residence; the equipment was found by him when Miss Milray went to destroy it. His suspicions about Cartwright were based on several facts; Cartwright was the most likely to have poisoned the cocktail, his passport book shows his return to England to play Ellis, Miss Milray's actions were motivated by a secret love for her employer, Miss Wills noted Cartwright's similarity to Ellis and was spirited away by Poirot to protect her, and the telegram supposedly from Mrs De Rushbridger was addressed to Poirot when she knew nothing of his involvement. Cartwright flees, but Poirot says that he will "choose his exit" of public trial or suicide.
(In certain American editions, Poirot tells Cartwright that doctors and policemen are awaiting him in the next room. Cartwright, unable to believe someone as important as himself has failed, tries to prove Poirot a liar and is arrested when he opens the door.)
The shocked Egg is picked up by Manders, whom she initially cared for before Cartwright appeared. In the aftermath, Satterthwaite remarks how terrible it was that anyone, himself included, could have drunk the poisoned cocktail. Poirot remarks there was an even more terrible possibility: "It might have been me."
Characters
* Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...
- Renowned Belgian detective. A friend of Sir Charles, involved in investigating the case after the murder of Dr Strange.
* Sir Charles Cartwright - Well-known stage actor, and Poirot's assistant in his investigations; his role has similar traits to that of Dr Sheppard in ''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in June 1926 in the United Kingdom by William Collins, Sons and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company. It is the third no ...
'' who was both the narrator and the murderer.
* Mr Satterthwaite - A sociable and observant man. Assists in initially investigating the case on Poirot's behalf.
* Reverend Babbington - First victim of the case. A local vicar in Cornwall, murdered during a cocktail party organised by Sir Charles. Initially believed to have died of natural causes.
* Dr Bartholomew Strange - Second victim of the case. Nerve specialist and long time friend of Sir Charles, and head of a sanitarium near his home in Yorkshire.
* Mrs De Rushbridger - Third victim of the case. Patient at Strange’s sanatorium, recently arrived on the day Dr Strange is murdered.
* Hermione Lytton Gore - An attractive, young, single woman, known by the nickname of "Egg". The love interest of Sir Charles, and one of his guests at his cocktail party.
* Lady Mary Lytton Gore - Mother of Hermione, and a guest at Sir Charles' cocktail party. She seeks a suitable husband for her daughter, and currently faces difficult financial circumstances.
* Captain Dacres - A gambler, and a guest at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Cynthia Dacres - Wife of Captain Dacres. A successful dressmaker, and a guest at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Angela Sutcliffe - A well-known actress, and a guest at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Mrs Babbington - Reverend Babbington's wife. One of the guests at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Muriel Wills - A playwright, also known as Anthony Astor. One of the guests at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Oliver Manders - A young financier, who is in love with Hermione. One of the guests at Sir Charles' cocktail party.
* Miss Milray - Long-time servant to Sir Charles. She is secretly in love with him.
* Ellis - Mysterious new butler at the home of Dr Strange. Disappears shortly after his employer's death; later revealed to have been Cartwright in disguise.
Literary significance and reception
The ''Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'' of 31 January 1935 admitted that "Very few readers will guess the murderer before Hercule Poirot reveals the secret", but complained that the motive of the murderer "injures an otherwise very good story".
Isaac Anderson in ''The New York Times Book Review
''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
'' of 7 October 1934, said that the motive was "most unusual, if not positively unique in the annals of crime. Since this is an Agatha Christie novel featuring Hercule Poirot as its leading character, it is quite unnecessary to say that it makes uncommonly good reading".
In ''The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
s issue of 6 January 1935, "Torquemada" (Edward Powys Mathers
Edward Powys Mathers (28 August 1892 – 3 February 1939) was an English translator and poet, and also a pioneer of compiling advanced cryptic crosswords. Powys Mathers was born in Forest Hill, London, the son of Edward Peter Mathers, newsp ...
) said, "Her gift is pure genius, of leading the reader by the nose in a zigzag course up the garden and dropping the lead just when she wishes him to scamper to the kill. ''Three Act Tragedy'' is not among this author's best detective stories; but to say that it heads her second best is praise enough. The technique of misleadership is, as usual, superb; but, when all comes out, some of the minor threads of motive do not quite convince. Mrs Christie has, quite apart from her special gift, steadily improved and matured as a writer, from the-strange-affair-of-style to this charming and sophisticated piece of prose".
Milward Kennedy
Milward Rodon Kennedy Burge (21 June 1894 – 20 January 1968) was an English civil servant, journalist, crime writer and literary critic. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He served with British Military Inte ...
in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' (29 January 1935) opened his review with, "The year has opened most satisfactorily. Mrs Christie's ''Three Act Tragedy'' is up to her best level"; he summarised the set-up of the plot but then added, "A weak (but perhaps inevitable point) is the disappearance of a butler; the reader, that is to say, is given rather too broad a hint. But the mechanics of the story are ingenious and plausible, the characters (as always with Mrs Christie) are life-like and lively. Poirot does not take the stage very often, but when he does he is in great form."
Robert Barnard
Robert Barnard (23 November 1936 – 19 September 2013) was an English crime writer, critic and lecturer. In addition to over 40 books published under his own name, he also published four books under the pseudonym Bernard Bastable.
Life and work ...
commented much later that the " rategy of deception here is one that by this date ought to have been familiar to Christie's readers. This is perhaps not one of the best examples of the trick, because few of the characters other than the murderer are well individualised. The social mix here is more artistic and sophisticated than is usual in Christie."
References in other works
* Colonel Johnson alludes to the events of this story in part 3, section V of ''Hercule Poirot's Christmas
''Hercule Poirot's Christmas'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 19 December 1938 (although the first edition is copyright dated 1939). It retailed at seven ...
''.
* Poirot refers to the events of this novel in ''The A.B.C. Murders
''The A.B.C. Murders'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer kn ...
'' (1936) when he and Arthur Hastings
Captain Arthur J. M. Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character created by Agatha Christie as the companion-chronicler and best friend of the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. He is first introduced in Christie's 1920 novel '' The Mysterious Af ...
reunite after not seeing each other for several years. Poirot is telling Hastings about his experiences since retiring. He relates that he was almost "exterminated" himself recently by a murderer who was "not so much enterprising as careless".
References to other stories
* In Act 3 Chapter 5 Poirot says that once he had a failure in his professional career that happened in Belgium, hinting at the story The Chocolate Box. In Act 2, Chapter 1 Poirot makes a hint to ''The Mysterious Affair at Styles
''The Mysterious Affair at Styles'' is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United ...
'' while talking to Satterthwaite.
* In the end of Act 2 Chapter 3, Satterthwaite tells Sir Charles Cartwright that it is not the first time that he is investigating crimes. He is just starting to tell about the events of the story At the "Bells and Motley" when Sir Charles interrupts him and starts to tell his own story.
* In Act 2, Chapter 1, Sir Charles Cartwright discusses reserving a compartment on the "Blue Train" in order to travel from France to England. This is the titular train from another Poirot mystery, ''The Mystery of the Blue Train'', published in 1928.
Publication history
* 1934, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), Hardback, 279 pp
* 1935, Collins Crime Club (London), January 1935, Hardback, 256 pp
* 1945, Avon Books
Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reach ...
(New York), Paperback, (Avon number 61), 230 pp
* 1957, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
), Paperback, 192 pp
* 1961, Popular Library
Popular Library was a New York paperback book company established in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, who at the time were major pulp magazine and newspaper publishers. The company's logo of a pine tree was a tribute to Pines, and another ...
(New York), Paperback, 175 pp
* 1964, Pan Books, Paperback (Pan number X275), 203 pp
* 1972, Greenway edition of collected works (William Collins), Hardcover, 253 pp,
* 1973, Greenway edition of collected works (Dodd Mead), Hardcover, 253 pp
* 1975, Ulverscroft Large Print Edition, Hardcover, 351 pp,
* 2006, Poirot Facsimile Edition (Facsimile of 1935 UK First Edition), HarperCollins, 6 November 2006, Hardback
Two recent audiobook versions have been released.
*2003, BBC Audiobooks released an unabridged reading by Andrew Sachs.
*2012, HarperAudio released an unabridged reading by Hugh Fraser.
The novel's true first publication was the serialisation in the ''Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' in six instalments from 9 June (Volume 206, Number 50) to 14 July 1934 (Volume 207, Number 2) under the title ''Murder in Three Acts'', with illustrations by John La Gatta. This novel is one of two to differ significantly in American editions (the other being ''The Moving Finger
''The Moving Finger'' is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the USA by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK e ...
''), both hardcover and paperback. The American edition of ''Three Act Tragedy'' changes the motive of the killer, but not so significantly as to require adjustment in other chapters of the novel.
In 1935 the novel became Christie's first title to sell 10,000 copies in its first year.
Adaptations
Television
A 1986 television film was made under the title ''Murder in Three Acts
''Murder in Three Acts'' is a 1986 British-American made-for-television mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson, it co-starred J ...
'', starring Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
and Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...
, which relocated the action to Acapulco, replaced the character of Satterthwaite with Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
, and made Charles Cartwright an American movie star.
An adaptation starring David Suchet
Sir David Courtney Suchet''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work on British stage and television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppenh ...
for ''Agatha Christie's Poirot
''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...
'' was released as the first episode of Season 12 in 2010, with Martin Shaw
Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition as Doyle in ITV (TV network), ITV crime-action television drama series ''The Professionals (TV series), The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable ...
as Sir Charles Cartwright, Art Malik
Athar ul-Haque Malik (born 13 November 1952), known professionally as Art Malik, is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant Ivory tel ...
as Sir Bartholomew Strange, Kimberley Nixon
Kimberley Nixon (born 24 September 1985) is a Welsh actor, actress. Nixon is known for her role as Sophy Hutton in the BBC One period drama ''Cranford (TV series), Cranford'', and appearances in various films such as ''Wild Child (film), Wild C ...
as Egg Lytton Gore, and Tom Wisdom
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
as Oliver Manders. Ashley Pearce, who previously directed ''Appointment with Death
''Appointment with Death'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retai ...
'' and ''Mrs McGinty's Dead
''Mrs McGinty's Dead'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 March the same year.Chris Peers, Ralph ...
'' for the ITV series, also directed this. The adaptation omitted the character of Satterthwaite and changed a number of details but was generally faithful to the plot of the novel.
The novel was also adapted as a 2018 episode of the French television series ''Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie
is a French (comedic Police procedural, police crime drama) television program consisting of two series based loosely on Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie's works of detective fiction, first broadcast on France 2 on 9 January 2009 in television ...
''.
Radio
A radio production was made for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
in 2002, starring John Moffatt as Poirot, Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane is an English actor.
Biography
Cochrane was born in Brighton, East Sussex. He was educated at Cranleigh School. He has had many television and radio roles including Oliver Sterling in the Radio 4 soap opera ''The Archers'', ...
as Sir Charles, George Cole as Satterthwaite, Beth Chalmers as Hermione Lytton Gore (Egg), the heroine, and Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison (born 15 September 1945) is a British actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He is best known for his long running BBC Radio portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, having played the part in all 64 ...
as Sir Bartholomew.
The production was broadcast across five weekly episodes on BBC Radio 4 and stays predominantly faithful to the novel, with only very subtle changes being made. Sir Charles travels to the South of France in order to get away from Egg, after initially believing she was in love with Oliver Manders, following a goodnight kiss between the two characters. At the end of the story, once Poirot has revealed the motive and the proof of the first wife, Sir Charles storms out of the room, in order to "choose his exit". It is implied he chooses the quicker option of suicide. A shaken and emotional Egg is then taken home by Manders, leaving Poirot and Satterthwaite to contemplate that they could have been the victims to the poison cocktail, at Sir Charles' party.
References
External links
''Three Act Tragedy'' at the official Agatha Christie website
''Three Act Tragedy''
at new official Agatha Christie website
*
*
{{Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot novels
1934 British novels
Works originally published in The Saturday Evening Post
Novels first published in serial form
Dodd, Mead & Co. books
British novels adapted into films
British novels adapted into television shows
Novels about actors
Novels set in Cornwall
Novels set in Monaco
Novels set in Yorkshire