The Collected Plays (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of SuezBy William Somerset Maugham
Length22h 15m
About this audiobook
The Collected Plays gathers William Somerset Maugham's major dramatic works, revealing the theatrical intelligence that made him one of the most successful playwrights of the Edwardian and interwar stage. These plays combine polished dialogue, deft construction, social irony, and a coolly observant treatment of desire, marriage, hypocrisy, and respectability. Positioned between the well-made play tradition and the sharper modern comedy of manners, Maugham's drama exposes the tensions beneath bourgeois surfaces while retaining the elegance and economy of popular theatre. Maugham's career uniquely equipped him for such work. Trained as a physician, widely travelled, and attentive to human frailty, he brought to the stage the same clinical precision and cosmopolitan skepticism that mark his fiction. Before achieving enduring fame as a novelist and short-story writer, he was a dominant presence in London theatre, and his dramatic success shaped his understanding of plot, revelation, and character under pressure. This collection is recommended for readers interested in modern British drama, literary craftsmanship, and the social worlds that preceded and followed the First World War. It offers both theatrical pleasure and a lucid anatomy of human compromise.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★★ 4.6 (21)
Includes Amazon
GenreLiterary Classics
Length22 hrs 15 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 10, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Enriched Edition. A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of Suez
21THE FOURTH ACT
2Introduction
22The Circle
3Author Biography
23THE FIRST ACT
4Historical Context
24THE SECOND ACT
5Synopsis (Selection)
25THE THIRD ACT
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6The Collected Plays: A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of Suez
26Caesar's Wife
7A Man of Honour
27ACT I
8GENERAL PREFACE
28ACT II
9THE FIRST ACT
29ACT III
10THE SECOND ACT
30East of Suez
11THE THIRD ACT
31SCENE I
12THE FOURTH ACT
32SCENE II
13Lady Frederick
33SCENE III
14THE FIRST ACT
34SCENE IV
15THE SECOND ACT
35SCENE V
16THIRD ACT
36SCENE VI
17The Explorer
37SCENE VII
18THE FIRST ACT
38Analysis
19THE SECOND ACT
39Reflection
20THE THIRD ACT
40Memorable Quotes
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