Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts

"Penelope: A Comedy in Three Acts" by W. Somerset Maugham is a play written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the main character, Penelope, a young married woman who has recently discovered her husband's infidelity and is contemplating divorce. The narrative explores themes of love, fidelity, and the complexities of relationships, particularly through Penelope's interactions with her family and social circle. The opening of the play sets the stage in Dr. O’Farrell’s drawing-room, where various guests, including family and friends, arrive, each with their own confusion and misunderstandings stemming from a series of telegrams sent by Penelope. As they await her arrival, the characters discuss her impending scandal involving the rumor of a royal guest, the Archduchess Anastasia. However, Penelope enters unexpectedly, revealing that she orchestrated this gathering to address her desire to divorce her husband, Dickie, due to his questionable loyalties to another woman. This engaging introduction establishes not only the comedic tone of the play but also the intricate dynamics between Penelope and those around her as she navigates her emotional turmoil. (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.