Elizabeth Cheney (played by Eleanor Boardman) is a protagonist in The Circle.
Elizabeth is Arnold Cheney's wife and faces a choice between remaining in her marriage and leaving with her lover, Teddy Luton. She invites Catherine and Hughie to visit so she can learn how their decades-long relationship has fared. Their enduring affection encourages her to seek happiness with Teddy, but Arnold secretly intervenes and forces her back to the house. Lord Clive Cheney (played by Alec B. Francis) appears in The Circle.
Clive is Arnold's elderly father and the former husband of Catherine, who left him decades earlier for Hughie. He returns unexpectedly from a hunting trip while Catherine and Hughie are visiting, yet greets their arrival without apparent anger. He advises Arnold not to act impulsively and later laughs with Hughie, unaware that Elizabeth has been brought back. Young Lady Catherine (played by Joan Crawford) appears in The Circle.
Young Lady Catherine is the earlier-life version of Catherine, who decides in the 1890s to leave her husband, Clive, and their son, Arnold, for her lover, Hughie. The story intercuts images of Catherine and Hughie driving toward the house, connecting their youthful elopement with the later marital dilemma faced by Elizabeth.
The Circle (1925) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Elizabeth Cheney
(played by Eleanor Boardman) — protagonist
Elizabeth is Arnold Cheney's wife and faces a choice between remaining in her marriage and leaving with her lover, Teddy Luton. She invites Catherine and Hughie to visit so she can learn how their dec...
Lord Clive Cheney
(played by Alec B. Francis) — supporting
Clive is Arnold's elderly father and the former husband of Catherine, who left him decades earlier for Hughie. He returns unexpectedly from a hunting trip while Catherine and Hughie are visiting, yet...
Young Lady Catherine
(played by Joan Crawford) — supporting
Young Lady Catherine is the earlier-life version of Catherine, who decides in the 1890s to leave her husband, Clive, and their son, Arnold, for her lover, Hughie. The story intercuts images of Catheri...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Lord Clive Cheney → Elizabeth Cheney
(Family Father-In-Law)
Lord Clive Cheney is identified as the father of Elizabeth Cheney's husband and discusses the threatened marriage with his son.
Young Lady Catherine → Elizabeth Cheney
(Family Mother-In-Law)
Young Lady Catherine is identified as the mother of Elizabeth Cheney's husband, and Elizabeth invites her to the house for advice about love and marri...
Young Lady Catherine → Lord Clive Cheney
(Family Former Spouses)
The plot states that Young Lady Catherine left her husband, Lord Clive Cheney, in the 1890s to follow her lover.
Story Analysis
A romantic dilemma repeats across generations, but domestic control produces an ironic reversal of the expected escape.
