"The mousetrap" di Agatha Christie

Materie:	Appunti
Categoria:	Lingue
Voto:	1.5 (2)
Download:	167
Data:	14.02.2001
Numero di pagine:	4
Formato di file:	.doc (Microsoft Word)

The Mousetrap, by Agatha Christie. Dal testo "Il Palchetto Stage".

Description of the characters as they appear in the first act. (AT MONKSWELL MANOR)

MOLLIE RALSTON
Tall, pretty, in her twenties. First experience in running a guesthouse. She tries to do her best to please her guests.

GILES RALSTON
Arrogant, attractive, in his twenties.

THE GUESTS

CHRISTOPHER WREN
A wild looking neurotic young man, whit an almost childish manner. He likes the house. He says he is an architect. Childish (page 16). He adores cooking. He helps Mollie to cook.

MRS BOYLE
Large, imposing and in a bed temper.
She complains. She thinks the house is not in perfect condition, there are worms in the furniture. She says that Christopher is "a peculiar young man. Unbalanced mentally", page 23. She often criticises Christopher (page 28). She also mistrusts Mr Paravicini.

MISS CASEWELL
Young woman of a manly type, a long dark coat, light scarf and a hat. Page 25: she lives abroad. She has some business to do in London.

MR PARAVICINI
Foreign, dark, elderly, with a flamboyant moustache. Little bag. His Rolls Royce overturned. When the police rings, he drops the poker. Page 39: he may be older. He makes up, rouge and powdered. He says he plays the market (70), but later he is discovered to be a counterfeiter, actually (at the and of the play).

MAJOR MATCALF.
Page 15. He is a soldier in his manner. Comprehensive, tolerant. He praises lunch, very comfortable beds. When the police rings, he stands paralysed. On page 38 he reveals that Mrs Boyle was one of the magistrates on court.

DETECTIVE SERGEANT TROTTER
A young, cheerful cockney. He arrives skiing. A skiing policeman. Covered with snow and looking terribly hearty. Trotter investigates if any of the guests had any associations with the happening at LANGRIDGE FARM about eleven years before.

THE LONGRIDGE FARM CASE (page 33)
The woman who was called MRS MAUREEN LYON but her real name was MAUREEN STANNING. He husband was a farmer, JOHN STANNING. They lived at Longridge Farm, not far from the guesthouse. Three children, two boys and a girl, were brought before the court as in need of care and protection. A home was found for them at Mr and Mrs Stanning's. but one of the children died as a result of criminal neglect and persistent ill treatment. Mr Stanning was put into prison and he died there. Mrs Stanning served her sentence and was duly released. But she was found strangled at 24 Culver Street. A notebook was picked up near the scene of the crime. In it there are two adresses. One was 24 Culver Street, and the other was Monkswell Manor. Below thw two adresses it was written "Three blind mice" and on the dead woman's body there was a paper with "this is the first" written on it.
Of the three children, the youngest, a boy of eleven, died. The girl was adopted by someone and the police did not find where she is. The eldest boy would be now 22 years old.
Deserted from the army, he has not been heard of since. According to the army psychologist, he was defininitely schizophrenic. Page 35.

What happens in the first act (from page 7 to page 44. Two scenens).

Page 38. We know that Mrs Boyle was one of the magistrates on the bench at the time. Mr and Mrs Ralston know nothing about their guests and Detective Trotter creeps doubts about their integrity and reliability. Mollie says that nobody can get there until the snow melts (page 42), Trotter suspect the murderer can already be there: all the guests arrived at the hotel some hours after the murder of Mrs Stanning. TO INSINUATE, TO HINT, TO CLAIM…Except Mr Paravicini who arrived unexpected and without booking a room before. The telephone wire may have been cut off. There is an extension in Giles's bedroom and he goes there to try it up of Trotter.
Meanwhile Trotter traces the wire to the window. Opens it and jumps out. It is dark.
Mrs Boyle enters, shuts the window and begins to read a magazine. She switches on the radio.
Page 44. Someone enters, music of "Three blind mice" is whistled. The light is switched off. She asks questions. She knows the person who has got into.
Mollie enters and she turns on the light, speaking about the reason of darkness.
When the light is on again, she sees Mrs Boyle strangled, lyin on the floor. Screams.

Act 2.
REVELATIONS.
Trotter investigates. He asks where the five people were at the moment of the murder. They all have an expalatin. There are two staircases. Everyone was alone and everyone is under suspicion. He must find evidence. Page 51.
The father of the three children of the case was an Army Sargeant (page 52). No information where he is. "If is son is mentally unstable, the father may be unstable too", page 52.
Gile suspect Christopher Wren (page 50)…"an abnormal young man, 23 of age".
Mollie says that the murderer may be older like major Metcalf (page 53) or Mr Paravicini (he might be disguised) or Miss Casewell (she could be the sister), but she looks a bit old. Also Giles can be the murderer: he hasn't got any parents (page 55). He went to London. Giles's newspaper was sold in London at 3.30 p.m.

Page 43: what the murdere looks like: medium eight, indeterminate build, darkish overcoast, soft felt hat, face hidden by a scarf. There are three darkish overcoast hanging up in the hall al Monkswell manor and three lightish felt hats. Page 33: central information.

NEW DISCOVERIES.
PAGE 57-DIALOGUE BETWEEN Christopher and Mollie.
Christopher Wren is nit his name.
Mollie keeps a horrible secret (when she was young). She hates Trotter, because he makes you think things about people an eventually you and to doubt even the people you love.
Mollie too went to London (a but ticket inside her glove, page 62).
Giles confesses to have been in London.
Page 64: Trotter's skis have disappeared: nobody knows where they are.
Trotter's speech p. 68: one of you is a killer. The killer is enjoying this. He's enjoying himself a good deal.
Mr Paravicini: who is he, really? Page 70: he is vague.
Miss Casewell: she is vague too. She left England when she was 13. She had another name, but she has forgotten. She avoids telling the truth.
Christopher Wren intervenes to stopo the hard questioning. Trotter assembles everybody, because he wants to repeat the action of MRS BOYLE MURDER. He will enact the part of Mrs Boyle.