The action of Murder in the Cathedral occurs in and around Canterbury Cathedral;
Part One takes place on December 2, 1170, the day that Archbishop Thomas Becket returned to England and twenty-seven days before his murder by four knights of King Henry II. When the play begins, a Chorus comprised of the Women of Canterbury huddle outside the cathedral, certain that something is about to happen but unable to articulate any details: “Some presage of an act / Which our eyes are compelled to witness, has forced our feet / Towards the cathedral.
When the Parson declares rather carelessly 'Anyone who murdered Colonel Prothero would be doing the world at large a service!', he does not realise his words will come back to haunt him. From several potential murderers, Miss Marple must find the real killer.
At the start of this play, the court room is full for today's trial. Two young men, Simon Clark and Dan Smith, stand up. The clerk asks, 'Are you guilty of the murder of Mary Jones?' 'Not guilty!' they reply. But perhaps they are guilty. The police found the murder weapon in their stolen car, and there was blood on Simon's face. If the court finds them guilty, they will go to prison for a very long time. Can the lawyers find out the truth, by asking the right questions? Everyone in court wants to know who murdered Mary Jones, especially her mother, and her boyfriend, Jim. You can help to find the answer, too
!["The Murder at the Vicarage" by Agatha Christie [UNABRIDGED]](http://englishtips.org/uploads/posts/2012-10/1351424718_1248132343_51rbef18bpl.jpg "\"The Murder at the Vicarage\" by Agatha Christie [UNABRIDGED]")
