# Oliver Haddo — The Magician character guide > Oliver Haddo in The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Haddo, Mr. Haddo **First appearance:** 0001-ii ## Snapshot A vast, theatrical magician who quotes the occult as easily as others quote poetry, he treats other people's desires as instruments and their certainties as toys. ## Who they are Oliver Haddo is a mountainous, ostentatiously dressed man who arrives at the Chien Noir declaiming in execrable French and treating the room as his stage. Once a beautiful and unpopular Oxford undergraduate, he has grown fat, bald, and grandiose, cultivating a reputation for occult learning that most take as performance. He is vain, cruel, and unnervingly patient, and his interest in Margaret and in Arthur's complacent happiness is the engine that turns a Paris idyll into something far darker. ## Relationships ### [Margaret Dauncey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/margaret_dauncey) _psychological_ Margaret becomes the object of Oliver Haddo's obsessive manipulation and dark influence, leading to her victimization. ### [Arthur Burdon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/arthur_burdon) _rivalry_ Arthur and Oliver are bitter enemies, with Arthur opposing Oliver's sinister influence over Margaret. ### [Susie Boyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/susie_boyd) _psychological_ Oliver Haddo views Susie with contempt and attempts to manipulate or undermine her, creating a tense dynamic. ### [Dr. Porhoët](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/dr_porhoet) _rivalry_ Dr. Porhoët is suspicious of Oliver Haddo's dark practices and opposes him, though their conflict is largely intellectual. ### [Burkhardt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/burkhardt) _social_ Burkhardt is an acquaintance of Oliver Haddo, likely involved in occult circles. ### [Clayson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/clayson) _social_ Clayson is an associate of Oliver Haddo, connected through shared interests or activities. ### [Marie Porhoët](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/marie_porhoet) _social_ Marie Porhoët is a relative of Dr. Porhoët and has limited social interaction with Oliver Haddo. ### [Frank Hurrell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/frank_hurrell) _social_ Frank and Oliver are acquaintances, with Frank likely wary of Oliver's character. ### [Arthur Burdon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/arthur_burdon) _rivalry_ Arthur and Oliver are bitter enemies, with Arthur opposing Oliver's sinister influence over Margaret. ### [Margaret Dauncey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/margaret_dauncey) _psychological_ Margaret becomes the object of Oliver Haddo's obsessive manipulation and dark influence, leading to her victimization. ### [Arthur Burdon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/arthur_burdon) _rivalry_ Arthur and Oliver are bitter enemies, with Arthur opposing Oliver's sinister influence over Margaret. ### [Susie Boyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/susie_boyd) _psychological_ Oliver Haddo views Susie with contempt and attempts to manipulate or undermine her, creating a tense dynamic. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/i) A stout, showily dressed man interested in the occult; introduced as a fellow student at the Arsenal library. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/iii) Arrives late, insults patrons to secure a seat, orders a bizarre meal, and boasts of lion hunting and noble birth. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/iv) Demonstrates occult abilities, including causing a horse to tremble and handling a poisonous viper, to the group's dismay. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/v) Present at Dr. Porhoët's, discusses Eliphas Levi and the raising of Apollonius of Tyana's spirit. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/vi) Subject of Frank Hurrell's letter; described as charismatic, cruel, unscrupulous, and mysterious. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/vii) Sends masses of chrysanthemums; kicks Margaret's dog after being bitten; offers a disconcerting apology; later delivers a fervent speech about alchemy and homunculi. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/viii) Haddo feigns a heart attack to enter Margaret's studio, performs a hypnotic ritual, and subjects her to disturbing visions. He leaves his address before departing mysteriously. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/ix) Exerts hypnotic control over Margaret, calmly expecting her visit and arranging their marriage. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/x) Married Margaret; sent a mocking telegram to Dr. Porhoët; suspected of using supernatural influence or revenge to force the marriage. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xi) Continues his scandalous behavior in Monte Carlo, involved in occult practices and orgies; grows more corpulent and alarming in appearance. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xii) Visits Arthur to threaten a counter-petition; later sends a taunting message after Margaret returns to him. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xiii) Haddo is described as a local magnate with eccentric and reclusive behavior, including sending all servants away at night and being feared by locals for his supposed magical influence. He is the source of Arthur's anxiety about Margaret. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xiv) Mocks Arthur's accusations and refuses to allow him entry to Skene. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/chapters/xvi) The antagonist who intrudes and is strangled by Arthur; his dead body is later found in his laboratory among monstrous creations. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters/oliver_haddo - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_magician_se/characters