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Written when Coward was only 19, The Rat Trap is the story of the marriage of a novelist and a playwright - Sheila and Keld. The play explores how professional jealousy threatens to destroy their relationship forever. Can a 'normal marriage' comprise two creative spirits, or will one have to bend to 'dull domesticity' - and will it inevitably be the woman who abandons her work? We follow Sheila's struggle to reconcile marriage and career, and Keld's attempt to balance popular success with the pressures of monogamy. Full of Coward's usual wit and merciless banter, The Rat Trap is a moving - and startlingly resonant - exploration of the timeless struggles of marriage.