51-602: Macavity the Mystery Cat , also called the Hidden Paw , is a fictional character and the main antagonist of T. S. Eliot 's 1939 poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats . He also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 musical Cats , which is based on Eliot's book. Macavity is a cunning criminal and con artist; he possesses mystical powers and is the antagonist of the musical. T. S. Eliot
102-498: A pas de deux with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball). His costume is ginger and white, and specifically includes a simple make-up design that the actor transforms into the elaborate Macavity make-up, and then re-applies after the featured scene. Admetus/Plato is also often recognisable as one of the tallest cast members, as the fight scene between Macavity and Munkustrap requires him to be able to lift other male dancers. In
153-490: A Treaty's gone astray,/ And the admirality loses some plans and drawings by the way". Macavity's "powers of levitation would make a fakir stare", as he "breaks the law of gravity ". Macavity is the only real villain in the musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber . He kidnaps Old Deuteronomy , the Jellicle leader, and attempts to abduct Demeter , one of two cats who sing about him. Lloyd Webber noted that "Macavity...
204-452: A bandaged hand. At the breakfast table, he pretends to have found nothing, but then arranges for Mrs. Hudson to serve Phelps the treaty on his breakfast plate. Phelps is overjoyed to have it back, nearly fainting with relief. Holmes had realized Joseph Harrison was responsible; the sickroom was formerly his bedroom, and only someone in the house could have known when no nurse would be on guard. Joseph had come to Percy's office to ask if Percy
255-476: A blue right eye, and he wears a purple collar. His owner and true name are unknown. Antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist . The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – antagonistēs , "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, rival," which is derived from anti- ("against") and agonizesthai ("to contend for
306-558: A character named Macavity the Cat ( polish Kot Makawity), a criminal mastermind who loses a chess duel with animal detective Kajetan Chrumps and is then persuaded to become Chrumps' assistant. In the 1976 movie Logan's Run , Peter Ustinov 's character says, "You're full of secrets as Macavity" and then quotes from the poem. Gillian Robert's schoolteacher detective Amanda Pepper has an elderly male companion cat whose métier seems to be relaxation. The following books by Roberts feature Macavity
357-433: A knife. Phelps immediately roused the household, but the burglar got away. Unbeknownst to Phelps or Joseph, Holmes orders Annie to stay in the sickroom until bedtime, and to lock the door behind her when she leaves. He then arranges that Phelps and Watson should go to London. Watson takes Phelps back to 221B Baker Street , but neither can understand Holmes' actions. The next morning, Holmes arrives with disheveled clothes and
408-438: A letter to Dr. Watson , a former schoolfellow of his. Phelps indicates something has caused him a nine-week attack of brain fever ; now that he has recovered, he begs Watson to bring Holmes to his aid. Holmes views the letter, and deduces that it was dictated to, and written by, a woman. He accompanies Watson to Briarbrae, Phelps' house. There, they are greeted by Joseph Harrison, the brother of Phelps' fiancée Annie (the author of
459-411: A new cat modeled on the late Professor Moriarty, but he doesn't seem very popular; too sophisticated perhaps." The name "Macavity" is thus a pun on "Moriarty". The word 'cavity' also implies a hole or void or absence of something, and Macavity is described in the poem as being "not there" at the time or location of any crime. Beginning: Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw - For he's
510-526: A prize"). The antagonist is commonly positioned against the protagonist and their world order. While narratives often portray the protagonist as a hero and the antagonist as a villain , like Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter , the antagonist does not always appear as the villain. In some narratives, like Light Yagami and L in Death Note , the protagonist is a villain and
561-414: A sensuous manner, suggesting he is more familiar to them. The Macavity number develops from a bluesy duet into a big female ensemble routine. Macavity is typically depicted as a cat with a chaotic array of red, orange, white, and sharp black stripes. He is often portrayed with very long claws and wild dark hair. The role of Macavity is usually played by the same actor as Plato (a chorus cat who notably does
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#1732791583728612-428: A snake". The poem also says: "His brow is deeply lined in thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed." Once again, this description is a close parallel to that of Professor Moriarty: His appearance was quite familiar to me. He is extremely tall and thin, his forehead domes out in a white curve, and his two eyes are deeply sunken in his head...his face protrudes forward and
663-585: Is based on the story. In the episode, Holmes and Watson try to take back a stolen picture which was entered in an art competition. The theme of the competition is tadpoles because "Tadpole" was the nickname of Sir Percy Phelps, founder of Beeton School. "The Naval Treaty" was adapted by Edith Meiser as an episode of the American radio series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Richard Gordon as Sherlock Holmes and Leigh Lovell as Dr. Watson. The episode aired on 19 January 1931. Another episode adapted from
714-512: Is forever oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. The poem accuses Macavity of misbehaviour that would be within the capabilities of an ordinary cat, such as stealing milk, but also holds him responsible for major crimes. He is referred to as a "fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity" and has been suspected of stifling Pekes , vandalism , theft, cheating at cards, espionage and controlling an organised crime ring with Mungojerrie , Rumpleteazer and Griddlebone among
765-440: Is not always a person or people. In some cases, an antagonist may be a force, such as a tidal wave that destroys a city; a storm that causes havoc; or even a certain area's conditions that are the root cause of a problem. An antagonist may or may not create obstacles for the protagonist. Societal norms or other rules may also be antagonists. An antagonist is used as a plot device, to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for
816-660: Is obviously a take-off on Moriarty." The character was originally played by Richard Pettyfer in the original West End production, Kenneth Ard in the Broadway production, Bryn Walters in the Cats 1998 film adaptation , and Idris Elba in the 2019 film adaptation of the musical . Within the storyline of the musical, Macavity makes several attempts to scare the tribe. This culminates in his abduction of Old Deuteronomy, after which two queen cats, Bombalurina and Demeter, sing about him. He then returns disguised as Old Deuteronomy, but
867-806: Is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes . It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in October and November 1893, and in Harper's Weekly in the United States on 14 and 21 October 1893. Doyle ranked "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" 19th in a list of his 19 favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. Percy Phelps, a young Foreign Office employee from Woking , sends
918-526: Is the longest of the short stories published in The Strand Magazine before Sherlock Holmes's "death" in " The Final Problem ". As such, it was originally published in two parts. This story contains the first reference to " The Adventure of the Second Stain ", which would not be published until around 11 years later, however, Watson's account of the event in The Naval Treaty differs from
969-419: Is unmasked by Demeter. Munkustrap and Alonzo come to her defense and, in a dramatic cat fight, battle him. Confronted and surrounded by other tribe members, he manages to escape. As seen in the film production and most stage performances, he appears to be capable of performing some form of hypnosis. When Demeter and Bombalurina (a flirty queen cat who is close friends with Demeter) sing about him, they do so in
1020-556: The BBC Home Service in 1952, as part of the 1952–1969 radio series starring Carleton Hobbs as Holmes and Norman Shelley as Watson. The production was adapted by Felix Felton . Another dramatisation, which was also adapted by Felton and starred Hobbs and Shelley with a different supporting cast, aired in 1957 on the Home Service. A different radio version of "The Naval Treaty" adapted by Michael Hardwick aired on
1071-588: The BBC Light Programme in 1960, with Hobbs and Shelley again playing Holmes and Watson respectively. An adaptation of the story aired on BBC radio in 1978, starring Barry Foster as Holmes and David Buck as Watson. The story was adapted as an episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater titled "The Naval Treaty". The episode, which featured Gordon Gould as Sherlock Holmes and Bernard Grant as Dr. Watson, first aired in April 1982. "The Naval Treaty"
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#17327915837281122-593: The 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature , Mary Liddell of The Guardian said: "Pinter has become the Macavity of English letters". Macavity is the name given by several bus drivers from the West Midlands , England to a white odd-eyed cat which, since January 2007, has been observed to regularly use the local bus service on its own. Macavity's fur is reported to be completely white, he has a green left eye and
1173-574: The Exchequer , was likened to Macavity by Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House, David Heath , who labelled Brown "the Macavity of the Cabinet" when talking about tax credits during Business Questions on 23 June 2005. Lord Turnbull echoed this two years later, opining that "the chancellor has a Macavity quality. He is not there when there is dirty work to be done." After Harold Pinter received
1224-476: The Napoleon of Crime! The poem "Macavity the Mystery Cat" is the best known of Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats , the only book Eliot wrote for a younger audience. The poem is considered particularly suitable reading for 11- and 12-year-olds. Although originally published as part of a collection of poems, "Macavity the Mystery Cat" was published as a standalone book by Faber and Faber in 2015. In
1275-578: The Rye , almost every character other than the protagonist may be an antagonist. Another example of this occurring is through Javert in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables , in which Javert displays no malicious intent, but instead represents the rigid and inflexible application of the law, even when it leads to moral and ethical dilemmas. An aspect or trait of the protagonist may be considered an antagonist, such as morality or indecisiveness. An antagonist
1326-674: The US in Harper's Weekly (under the title "The Naval Treaty" ) on 14 and 21 October 1893. It was also published in the US edition of the Strand one month after its UK publication. The story was published with eight illustrations by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine in October 1893, and with seven illustrations by Paget in November 1893. In Harper's Weekly , "The Naval Treaty" was published with two illustrations by W. H. Hyde in
1377-466: The actual story. In 1889, four years before the story was published, Britain enacted its first Official Secrets legislation. This was prompted by the case of Charles Thomas Marvin , a copying clerk at the Foreign Office who had in reality a position very similar to that of Phelps in the story; he was employed to make a copy of a secret treaty with Russia, and promptly disclosed its contents to
1428-406: The antagonist is an opposing hero. Antagonists are conventionally presented as making moral choices less savory than those of protagonists. This condition is often used by an author to create conflict within a story. This is merely a convention, however. An example in which this is reversed can be seen in the character Macduff from Macbeth , who is arguably morally correct in his desire to fight
1479-479: The building was empty except for Tangey, the commissionaire , and his wife, who did the charring . Phelps then copied the papers as quickly as he could but it soon became apparent the task would take most of the night. Phelps rang the bell for some coffee. Mrs. Tangey took the order to her husband; much later, Phelps came downstairs to investigate why he had not received his coffee, and found Tangey had fallen asleep. The bell to Phelps' office rang; realizing someone
1530-640: The cat: Claire and Present Danger (2003), Helen Hath No Fury (2001), Adam and Evil (1999), The Bluest Blood (1998), The Mummer's Curse (1996), How I Spent My Summer Vacation (1995), In the Dead of Summer (1995), With Friends Like These… (1993), I'd Rather Be in Philadelphia (1992), Philly Stakes (1989), Caught Dead in Philadelphia (1987). In 1995, New Jersey punk band Gimp released an album called Smiles for Macavity . Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown , when still Chancellor of
1581-752: The film Cats (2019), Macavity is played by Idris Elba . This version had a major role as a deranged villain with the intent of getting to the Heaviside Layer by any means. Throughout the film, he kidnapped all the other contestants so that he would be made the Jellicle choice by default. Mystery Readers International presents the Macavity Awards annually in several categories, including Best Mystery Novel, Best First Mystery Novel, Best Bio/Critical Mystery Work, Best Mystery Short Story. Polish author Maciej Wojtyszko 's children's books feature
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1632-672: The first part of the story, and with two other illustrations by Hyde in the second part. It was included in the short story collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes , which was published in December 1893 in the UK and February 1894 in the US. One of the short films in the Sherlock Holmes Éclair film series (1912) was based on the story. In the short film, titled The Stolen Papers , Georges Tréville played Sherlock Holmes and Mr Moyse played Dr. Watson. Another short film based on
1683-443: The hero from achieving his desire but is competing with the hero for the same goal. According to John Truby, "It is only by competing for the same goal that the hero and the opponent are forced to come into direct conflict and to do so again and again throughout the story." The Adventure of the Naval Treaty " The Adventure of the Naval Treaty ", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ,
1734-468: The letter). Joseph shows them in to see Phelps, who is still recovering from his long illness and being nursed by Annie. Phelps lays the case before Holmes. Two months earlier, his uncle and superior in the Foreign Office, Lord Holdhurst, had ordered him to copy an important naval treaty between England and Italy . The treaty was to be kept secret, for many foreign governments would want to read it. Phelps told no one of this assignment, and waited until
1785-570: The master criminal who can defy the Law. He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair: For when they reach the scene of crime – Macavity's not there! End: And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known (I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone) Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time Just controls their operations:
1836-544: The members. Holmes in Doyle's narrative describes Moriarty as "the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city." Webster and Starr assumed that Eliot referred to the cases of Mr. Joseph Harrison ( The Adventure of the Naval Treaty ) and Herr Hugo Oberstein ( The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans ) when he wrote in the poem – "And when the Foreign Office finds
1887-724: The poem, Macavity is a master criminal who is too clever to leave any evidence of his guilt. His nicknames include: the Mystery Cat, the Hidden Paw, and the Napoleon of Crime. Similarly, Sherlock Holmes describes Moriarty as "the Napoleon of Crime" in The Adventure of the Final Problem and a "Napoleon gone wrong" in The Valley of Fear . According to the poem, even when the Secret Service decides that Macavity
1938-490: The press. Marvin was arrested, but was released after it was found that he had committed no offence known to English law; the Official Secrets legislation was aimed at creating such an offence for future cases. The Marvin case got considerable public attention, and Conan Doyle likely knew of it. "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" was published in the UK in The Strand Magazine in October and November 1893, and in
1989-431: The protagonist. Though not every story requires an antagonist, it often is used in plays to increase the level of drama. In tragedies, antagonists are often the cause of the protagonist's main problem, or lead a group of characters against the protagonist; in comedies, they are usually responsible for involving the protagonist in comedic situations. Author John Truby argues that a true opponent not only wants to prevent
2040-431: The room so Joseph could not get at the treaty during the daytime. After she left, Joseph broke in and retrieved the treaty, but Holmes ambushed him, and boxed him for the papers. Winning the fight, Holmes allowed Joseph to flee, though he wired particulars to Inspector Forbes. Percy wonders if Joseph meant to kill him with the knife; Holmes does not know, but says he would not trust such a selfish man to show mercy. This
2091-609: The story aired in August 1936 (with Gordon as Holmes and Harry West as Watson). Meiser also adapted the story as a 1940 episode of the American radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. The story was also adapted as an episode titled "The Case of the Stolen Naval Treaty" that aired in 1947 (with John Stanley as Holmes and Alfred Shirley as Watson). A radio dramatisation of "The Naval Treaty" aired on
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2142-596: The story was released in 1922 as part of the Sherlock Holmes Stoll film series , with Eille Norwood as Sherlock Holmes and Hubert Willis as Dr. Watson. The story was adapted for the 1968 BBC series with Peter Cushing . The episode is now lost. The story was adapted as the 1984 episode " The Naval Treaty " from the first series of the Granada TV series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , which stars Jeremy Brett . " The Great Game " (2010),
2193-620: The third episode of the television series Sherlock , uses "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" and " The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans " as inspiration, as both deal with the theft of government papers related to the navy. "Art in the Blood" (2014), the 23rd episode of Elementary , is inspired by the story. "The Adventure of the One Hundred Tadpoles", a 2015 episode of the NHK puppetry television series Sherlock Holmes ,
2244-461: The treaty yet, which seems odd since nine weeks have passed. Holmes also discovers that Annie and Joseph were never meant to be long-term guests; they had come down for a few days' visit when the tragedy occurred, but had stayed so Annie could nurse her fiancée. Returning to Briarbrae the next day, Holmes learns that Phelps dispensed with the hired nurse the evening before. Later that same evening, someone tried to break into Phelps' sickroom window with
2295-419: The tyrant Macbeth , the protagonist. Examples from television include J.R. Ewing ( Larry Hagman ) from Dallas and Alexis Colby ( Joan Collins ) from Dynasty . Both became breakout characters used as a device to increase their shows' ratings. Characters may be antagonists without being evil – they may simply be injudicious and unlikeable for the audience. In some stories, such as The Catcher in
2346-524: Was a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the character of Macavity is a literary allusion to Professor Moriarty , the criminal mastermind in the Sherlock series. Evidence that Macavity was based on Moriarty was first presented by H.T. Webster and H.W. Starr in 1954, and later rediscovered by Katharine Loesch. In a letter to Frank Morley , Eliot wrote, "I have done
2397-466: Was behind a loss, they are unable to apprehend him, as "he's a mile away", "...[or] engaged in doing complicated long division sums". Doyle wrote that Moriarty "is never caught" as at the moment of the crime he is probably "working out problems on a blackboard ten miles away" ( The Adventure of the Final Problem ). Macavity is described as being a ginger cat who is very tall and thin with sunken eyes, and "sways his head from side to side with movements like
2448-488: Was best suited for a sickroom, Joseph had been forced out of it by the doctor. Percy has remained there and nursed by Annie by day and a hired nurse by night. Holmes starts the investigation at the Foreign Office, interviewing both Lord Holdhurst and Inspector Forbes. He learns that the Tangeys, and a clerk named Charles Gorot, were suspected and then cleared. Lord Holdhurst informs him that no foreign government has received
2499-402: Was coming home, rung the bell, then found the treaty. As Joseph had some stock exchange debts to pay, he stole the treaty, intending to sell it, and hid it under the floorboards of his bedroom. However, Percy's breakdown and the two nurses had kept Joseph from getting at the treaty for weeks. The first chance he had, Joseph had tried, and failed, to steal the treaty back. Holmes had kept Annie in
2550-443: Was dramatised for BBC Radio 4 in 1992 by David Ashton as part of the 1989–1998 radio series starring Clive Merrison as Holmes and Michael Williams as Watson. It featured Patrick Malahide as Percy Phelps, Brett Usher as Lord Holdhurst, Norman Jones as Mr Tangey, and Petra Markham as Miss Tangey. A 2014 episode of The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , a series on the American radio show Imagination Theatre ,
2601-421: Was in the room, Phelps dashed back upstairs and found the naval treaty gone. There were no hiding places, and no one could have passed Phelps on the front stair, so the thief must have come and gone by the back stair. Phelps, a constable , and Inspector Forbes of Scotland Yard frantically searched for the thief without success. Phelps had a nervous breakdown, and was escorted back to Briarbrae. As Joseph's bedroom
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