# The Magician — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham.

- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/i.md): Arthur Burdon arrives in Paris ostensibly for surgical study but primarily to see his fiancée Margaret Dauncey. He dines with his old friend Dr. Porhoët, who reflects on Arthur's practical, unimaginative nature and his d
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/ii.md): Margaret Dauncey and Susie Boyd await Arthur Burdon's visit to their Paris flat. Susie reflects on her own life and her affection for Margaret, while Arthur and Margaret's romantic history is revealed: Arthur was her gua
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/iii.md): At the Chien Noir, Susie introduces Arthur to the bohemian circle, including the bitter painter O'Brien, the irregular couple Rouge and Madame Rouge, and the aesthetic Meyer with Madame Meyer. Oliver Haddo arrives, insul
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/iv.md): The group attends a fair at the Lion de Belfort, where Oliver Haddo joins them uninvited. After a silhouette-cutting, they visit a snake-charmer's booth. Haddo demonstrates his power by causing a horse to tremble and lat
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/v.md): Arthur, Margaret, and Susie visit Dr. Porhoët on the Île Saint Louis. Beforehand, Arthur and Margaret tour the Louvre, where Arthur is moved by a statue resembling Margaret. At Dr. Porhoët's apartment, he shows his exten
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/vi.md): Arthur receives a long letter from Frank Hurrell detailing Oliver Haddo's past at Oxford and during a later expedition with Burkhardt. The letter paints Haddo as a brilliant, charismatic, but deeply unscrupulous and dang
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/vii.md): On the day of the tea party, Oliver Haddo sends Margaret an enormous quantity of chrysanthemums, transforming her studio. Arthur Burdon arrives and is dismayed he did not think to bring flowers. Susie Boyd and Dr. Porhoë
- [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/viii.md): Susie suspects Haddo's sincerity after his humiliation by Arthur, but Arthur dismisses her concerns. Margaret and Arthur plan their marriage. Haddo feigns a heart attack to gain entry to Margaret's studio, where he perfo
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/ix.md): Margaret, disturbed by Haddo's hypnotic influence, struggles with an overwhelming compulsion to visit him. She yields to the temptation, agrees to marry him, and later experiences a moment of joy with Arthur at a dinner,
- [X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/x.md): Arthur Burdon learns of Margaret Dauncey's marriage to Oliver Haddo and struggles to comprehend her betrayal. Susie Boyd and Dr. Porhoët join him in the studio, where they discuss the possibility that Haddo used supernat
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xi.md): Susie Boyd visits London and observes the dramatic changes in Arthur Burdon, who is visibly suffering from Margaret's marriage to Oliver Haddo. She also learns of the Haddos' scandalous life in Monte Carlo, including rum
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xii.md): Margaret's health improves but she becomes increasingly agitated as her divorce trial approaches. She reveals to Arthur the extent of Haddo's psychological and possibly supernatural hold over her, confessing that she bot
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xiii.md): Arthur Burdon, tormented by a growing sense of foreboding about Margaret's safety, returns to Paris and convinces Susie Boyd and Dr. Porhoët to accompany him to England. He recounts his visit to Venning, where he learned
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xiv.md): Arthur Burdon confronts Oliver Haddo about Margaret's death, accusing him of murder. Haddo mocks him and dismisses the accusation. Arthur then visits Dr. Richardson, the local physician who attended Margaret, but the doc
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xv.md): Arthur, Dr. Porhoët, and Susie prepare for a necromantic ritual to summon Margaret's spirit. After a day of fasting and tension, they go to Skene at night. Dr. Porhoët performs the invocation, causing supernatural phenom
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xvi.md): Arthur remains in Venning, consumed by hatred and a desire for vengeance against Oliver Haddo. Susie and Dr. Porhoët try to persuade him to leave, but he is resolute. During a tense, stormy night, Haddo mysteriously ente

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