Symbolism
What is the significance of the keys and letters, and at what points in the story do they appear?
Key: Power, access, and the unraveling of Tony’s plan
Purse/mat/raincoat/
Letter: passion, guilt
In handbag --> stolen --> planted on Lesgate's body
What object is used to kill Lesgate?
Scissors
What careers does each character have?
Margot:
Tony:
Max:
Lesgate:
Margot: inherited her money from her late aunt, who had inherited it from her late husband — and he, in turn, had received it from his first wife (p.19).
Tony: Retired tennis player, sells sports equipment (p.18)
Lesgate: Deals in property (p.18)
Max: Television writer (p.12)
How did Tony get Lesgate to come to his flat, and what lies did he use to trick him?
1.Uses a False Name – Calls himself Fisher to hide his identity.
2. Pretends Interest in Lesgate’s Car – Claims he is interested in buying Lesgate’s American car, even though he isn’t; this is a ruse to lure him.
3. Creates Urgency – Says he is going to Liverpool tomorrow and must meet tonight.
4. Claims He Can’t Travel – Says he has twisted his knee and cannot come to Lesgate. (p.14)
Blackmail and Incentives – Eventually blackmails Lesgate by threatening to expose his criminal past, offers a financial reward, and gives him brandy to lower his inhibitions.
Where does the play take place? Name the city and the main setting.
Wendices' flat in London
What is one symbolic object that could represent Lesgate? Explain why.
Pipe: deception (constantly undergoing changes to fit in and deceive others)
Car: Dishonesty & opportunism
Scarf: Moral weakness (weapon, murder for $)
Money: Greed and desperation
What is Tony’s main motivation for planning Margot’s murder?
Greed (Inheritance)
What are some crimes Lesgate committed in the past? Name at least two.
-As an honorary treasurer, Lesgate stole nearly £100 in ticket money (p.17).
-Changed his name several times: Swann → Adams → Wilson. (p.23)
-Ran a private club, “Kettle of the Fish,” which was closed down because of drugs (p.22). Middle-aged woman (Miss. Wallace) dead due to an overdose of cocaine (p.25)
-Owed money to his landlady.
-Tried to overcharge Mrs. Van Dorn’s asking price for her car so he could pocket some of the money without her knowing.
Provide one example of foreshadowing in the play.
Foreshadowing: a warning or indication of (a future event)
Discussion of the Perfect Crime (p.32)
Margot asks Max if he believes in a perfect crime, and Max says he could plan one but would inevitably make a mistake.
Foreshadows: Tony’s belief in a perfect crime and how a small error (the key mix-up) will lead to his downfall.
Identify one example of irony in Dial M for Murder and explain what type of irony it is.
Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something that the characters do not.
The audience is aware of Tony’s murder plot, but Margot and Max are unaware.
Situational Irony: The outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected.
-Max tries to devise a fake confession for Tony to protect Margot, but it accidentally describes the real crime Tony committed.
-Margot, who was supposed to be murdered by Lesgate, ends up on trial for murder herself.
What is one symbolic item that could represent Max Halliday? Explain why.
Love letters: Love for Margot
Hat: Methodical thinking
Quote: "I've got three old hats marked: Who kills who, How, and Why" p.7
What are two reasons Lesgate agrees to kill Margot?
1. Blackmail: Fingerprints on love letter from Max (works with missing purse + ransom note narrative)
Knows about Lesgate's past (stealing + owing money, name changes..)
2. Reward: One thousand pounds in cash
What actions does Tony take after Margot is convicted and sentenced to death, and what do these actions reveal about his character?
-Tries to sell Margot’s love letters to Pendleton, demanding more money than Pendleton has offered.
-Plans to leave the city the day after tomorrow (p.59).
Selfish --> Exploits private information, lack of morality
How did Tony plan for Lesgate to get into the flat and kill Margot?
Enter the building by the street door (left unlocked).
Find the flat key hidden under the stair carpet (on the fifth step).
Go straight to the window and hide behind the curtain.
Wait for Tony’s phone call — Margot will get up to answer.
Attack while she’s on the phone using a casual weapon (so the attack appears unpremeditated).
Give a soft whistle to signify that the murder is done.
Open Lesgate’s suitcase, tip clothes out, and place Tony’s trophies inside to stage the scene as a robbery gone wrong; close the lid but do not snap the locks (leave in a hurry).
Unlock the window to make it look as if he entered through the window rather than using a key.
Return the flat key to its hiding place under the stair carpet.
What techniques does the play use to create suspense?
-Single Setting / Confined Space
Mostly takes place in the Wendices’ flat = feeling trapped
-Timing/ Twists
-Dialogue
-Dramatic Irony
The audience knows Tony is scheming, so his dialogue creates tension because even ordinary conversations may hide danger.
Example:
Tony: “Murder on the centre court… How about it, Max? Will you provide me with the perfect murder? (…) How do you start to write a detective story?”
Max: “I usually put myself in the criminal’s shoes. I keep asking myself, ‘What do I do next?’” (p.32)
What is one symbolic object that could represent Margot Wendice? Explain why.
Purse: Wealth/ Status
Scissors: Self-defence / shift in power
What was Tony like before he discovered Margot’s affair with Max? + How did he find out about the affair?
Selfish --> Focused on tennis
Margot wanted Tony to quit playing and didn’t want him participating in a court tournament. However, she receives a phone call and suddenly encourages him to play after all. Tony packs up his car, parks two streets away, then walks back and follows her taxi in another cab (p.20). He sees Margot and Max through a window in Chelsea, making spaghetti together.
Who is the playwright of Dial M for Murder?
Frederick Knott
What was Tony’s alibi for Margot’s murder?
1.Tony is at a stag party (tennis farewell dinner) at the Grendon Hotel with Max (p.13).
2.Tony plans to call his boss from the hotel around the time of the murder, acting as if nothing has happened, and then return to the party (p.27). (AFFIRMS that he was out of the house)
3.Tony and Max will return to the flat for a nightcap, at which point they would discover Margot dead together. (p.28)
Identify a theme explored in the play and explain how it is demonstrated through the characters, events, or objects.
Appearance vs. Reality
Deception
Betrayal
What are two symbolic objects that could represent Tony Wendice? Explain why.
Trophies: His pride, competitiveness, and desire to win at all costs
Handkerchief:Manipulation, Control
Key: Control and power — but also the flaw that leads to his exposure.
Attache Case: Greed, manipulation
Brandy Bottle: Deceit
Did Tony believe in love before he met Margot?
No, Tony always intended to marry for money. He even nearly married a “tubby Boston deb with five million dollars,” but she ended up marrying the heir to a chain of grocery stores (p.18).
Tony’s plan almost goes wrong before it has even started. Why, and what suggestions does he make to Margot that night?
Problem 1: Margot wants to go to a movie instead of staying home for the typical Saturday night theater. If she leaves, Tony’s murder plan would fail because she wouldn't be home + no key to take.
Tony’s Strategies to Keep Her Home:
Instills doubt about the movie: Asks if she can really get into a movie on Saturday night (p.33).
Suggests alternative activities: Encourages her to write to Peggy or work on press clippings (p.34).
Guilt-trips her: Hints that he and Max will stay home since “it’s quite obvious” she doesn’t want them going out, making her feel responsible.
Problem 2: Margot is out of paste for the clippings and plans to go to Mrs. Lucas, her neighbor, to borrow some.
Tony convinces Max to make the paste for her, ensuring she stays put (p.34)
What mistakes does Tony make that ultimately lead to him getting caught?
1. Attache case: a briefcase that Tony claims to have misplaced in a taxi (p.65), but which is later found to contain the money he had planned to pay the blackmailer, Charles Swann, for murdering his wife, Margot. The case becomes crucial to the police investigation, especially for Chief Inspector Hubbard, as it contains the evidence needed to expose Tony's murder plot.
2. Mixes up the keys:
When Tony can't get into his apartment with the wrong key, he goes back to the station to get his wife's handbag from the police, hoping the key inside will work. However, when that also fails, he checks under the stairs, finds the hidden key, and uses it to open the door, which reveals to Hubbard and Mark that he knew about the hidden key all along.
What is the initial incident that sets the story in motion, and who is responsible?
Handbag Missing: Margot notices her handbag is missing while waiting on the platform at the train station.
Handbag Found two weeks later, but the love letter inside is gone.
Ransom Note Instructions:
Draw £50 in £5 notes.
Exchange them for £1 notes.
If the police are alerted, they will show the letter to her husband, Tony.
Second Note: Two days later, another note instructs her to tie the money in a package and mail it; the letter would be returned by post.
Outcome: Margot mails the money but never receives the letter back.
Follow-up: She visits the forwarding service (Little Shop) and is told they never heard of a man by that name, and the parcel remains there unopened.
Later, we learn that Tony has done this.