The Witness for the Prosecution
Encyclopedia
"The Witness for the Prosecution" is a famous short story
by Agatha Christie
, initially published as Traitor Hands in Flynn's Weekly edition of January 31, 1925. In 1933 the story was published for the first time in the collection The Hound of Death
that appeared only in the United Kingdom
. The American
audience had to wait until 1948 when it was included in the collection The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories
.
In a much-celebrated plot twist
, it turns out that Romaine was in fact working to free her husband all along. By first giving the prosecution its strongest evidence
and then arranging for new evidence to come to light that discredits her testimony, it is more likely that Leonard will be acquitted than if she was simply a defense witness. It is then revealed that Leonard actually did kill Emily.
The play was also made into a film in 1957 starring Charles Laughton
and Marlene Dietrich
.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
, initially published as Traitor Hands in Flynn's Weekly edition of January 31, 1925. In 1933 the story was published for the first time in the collection The Hound of Death
The Hound of Death
The Hound of Death and Other Stories is a collection of twelve short stories by Agatha Christie first published in the United Kingdom in October 1933...
that appeared only in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
audience had to wait until 1948 when it was included in the collection The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories
The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories
The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1948. The first edition retailed at $2.50...
.
Plot
Leonard Vole is arrested for the murder of his elderly friend Emily French, a woman who depended on his advice in managing her money. Because Emily made him her principal heir, not aware that he was a married man, things look bad for Leonard's defense. But the final blow comes when his wife, Romaine, agrees to testify, not in Leonard's defense, but as a witness for the prosecution.In a much-celebrated plot twist
Plot twist
A plot twist is a change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot of a film, television series, video game, novel, comic or other fictional work. It is a common practice in narration used to keep the interest of an audience, usually surprising them with a revelation...
, it turns out that Romaine was in fact working to free her husband all along. By first giving the prosecution its strongest evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
and then arranging for new evidence to come to light that discredits her testimony, it is more likely that Leonard will be acquitted than if she was simply a defense witness. It is then revealed that Leonard actually did kill Emily.
Plot alteration
The original story ended abruptly with the major twist, Mrs. Vole's revelation that her husband was indeed guilty. Over time, Agatha Christie grew dissatisfied with this ending (one of the few Christie endings in which a murderer escapes punishment), and, in her subsequent rewriting of the story as a play, added a mistress for Leonard, who appears at the end of the play. The mistress and Leonard are about to leave Romaine to be arrested for perjury, when Romaine grabs a knife and kills Leonard.The play was also made into a film in 1957 starring Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
and Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
.
Publishing History
- 1925 Flynn's Weekly January 31 - as Traitor Hands
- 1933 The Hound of DeathThe Hound of DeathThe Hound of Death and Other Stories is a collection of twelve short stories by Agatha Christie first published in the United Kingdom in October 1933...
- 1948 The Witness for the Prosecution and Other StoriesThe Witness for the Prosecution and Other StoriesThe Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1948. The first edition retailed at $2.50...
- 2000 The Mousetrap, & Other Plays
Film adaptation
- 1957 Witness for the Prosecution
TV Adaptation
- 1949 Witness for the Prosecution
- 1982 Witness for the Prosecution
- 2008 The Boston LegalBoston LegalBoston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...
episode "True Love" is a loose adaptation of the plot.
Play
- 1953 Witness for the ProsecutionWitness for the Prosecution (play)Witness for the Prosecution is a play adapted by Agatha Christie based upon her short story titled "The Witness for the Prosecution". The play opened in London on October 28, 1953 at the Winter Garden Theatre...
- 2002 Witness for the Prosecution (Russian: Свидетель обвинения)
- 2005 Khara Sangaycha Tar (MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
) - 2011 Witness for the Prosecution (Japan)