The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts

"The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts" by W. Somerset Maugham is a theatrical play written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the tumultuous relationships within a family, particularly focusing on Arnold Champion-Cheney and the return of his estranged mother, Lady Kitty. As the characters navigate their interactions, unresolved feelings and past scandals come to light, revealing a complex web of emotions and societal expectations." The opening of the play introduces us to Arnold in the grand drawing-room of Aston-Adey, his family's estate, as he anxiously awaits the arrival of his mother, Lady Kitty, who had left the family decades prior in scandalous circumstances. Arnold's new wife, Elizabeth, and other guests, including friends and servants, display a mix of humor and tension regarding the impending reunion. As they discuss Lady Kitty and her past decisions, it becomes clear that Arnold harbors deep resentment toward his mother for the turmoil her departure caused in his life. The conversations hint at underlying complexities and feelings about love, loyalty, and the challenges of familial ties, setting the stage for the dramatic developments to come as the characters confront the ramifications of the past. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Somerset Maugham was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, and became a full-time writer. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories.