Mrs. Dalloway Timeline

Peter goes to Clarissa’s house for an unexpected visit upon return from India. She is caught of guard by this visit and is in the middle of mending a dress for the party.

Peter is reminded of when Clarissa rejects his offer of marriage and has still not gotten over that traumatizing event. He looks around her home and observes its elegance, making him feel inferior to her current lifestyle.

Peter admits to Clarissa that he has fallen in love with the wife of a Major in the Indian army (Daisy). Overcome by a surge of old emotions Peter breaks down and begins to cry.

Clarissa's daughter enters the room, after greeting her Peter abruptly leaves.

Walking through the streets Peter analyzes his life choices and begins to feel young for the first time in years. He walks towards Trafalgar Square, then heads to Regent’s Park.

Peter arrives at Regents park and finds a nice bench next to a nurse and a young child. He promptly falls asleep. During his nap he has flashbacks to his past interactions and emotions with Clarissa and how they had an unspoken way of communication. He then has another flashback to when Clarissa first met Richard and when Peter and Clarissa ended things.

Peter awakes from his nap to see a rather strange man beckoning him to come over. This was Septimus mistaking Peter as his deceased war friend Evans.

Peter begins to question his relationship with Daisy. Whether or not he truly loves her and is willing to make her make the sacrifice of leaving her family for him.

On his way to dinner in his hotel, Peter notices an ambulance pass by him. He then begins to begins to analyze English society and its civilization.

Peter enters his hotel room with the mail that he picked up from the front desk. He finds a letter from Clarissa saying how lovely it was to see him early that day. The timing of the letter meant that she had written and mailed the letter immediately after he left her house.

Peter eats dinner at his hotel before going to Clarissa's party. Here he sees the Morris family whom he admires for not being preoccupied by bourgeois affairs.

Peter arrives to Clarissa's party. He finds his old friend Sally Seton and they reconnect and reminisce on their younger years. Peter becomes anxious to speak with Clarissa, but she is too preoccupied with being "the perfect hostess".

Most of the party guests have already left but Peter has not,waiting for a chance to speak with Clarissa. Peter asks himself "what is it that fills me with extraordinary excitement?" Clarissa enters the room and he realizes that she is the answer.

Crossing the street with his wife Rezia, Septimus hears the car backfire, becomes confused by the congestion. He begins to feel tension within the crowd, and believes that he is the one responsible for blocking the way.

Rezia fears for Septimus, as he recently threatened to kill himself. She also feels embarrassed to be with him due to his being shell shocked, he often acts weird, even though doctors say nothing is wrong with him.

Rezia points out the plane to Septimus, who, in his shell shocked state, believes that it is specifically signaling him. He is unable to understand the signal, but is enveloped by it's sheer beauty.

As the plane goes by, Rezia places her hand on Septimus' knee. this in turn, sparks a whole new set of sensations for Septimus to feel. He understands that it is Rezia who is holding him down in reality, keeping him from being overwhelmed; from going mad. He resolves that he will not go mad, but this is quickly tested by a flood of sensations, and sounds; "the birth of a new Religion".

Rezia moves to the fountain, leaving Septimus by himself. For a moment Septimus sees visions of his dead friend, Evans, beckoning to him.

Rezia returns to Septimus, when he notices she is not wearing her wedding ring. She states that her hand is too thin to wear it now, bu he takes it as a sign that their marriage is over and that he is free at last from the world around him. He begins to have more visions, brought about by his new found freedom, and sees Peter Walsh walking towards him, mistaking him for his dead friend Evans.

Rezia takes Septimus to visit Sir William Bradshaw, a doctor. On their way there, Septimus's recalls his past, explaining how he had moved to London and started a life. Of how he had been one of the first to volunteer to fight in the war, of how he had met Evans, and of how he had watched Evans die. Instead of feeling sorrow, though, Septimus “congratulated himself upon feeling very little and very reasonably.” (Woolf, 86) Septimus later describes an inability to feel and experienced sudden pangs of fear; the only thing that could comfort him was his soon to be wife Rezia. Five years passed, and their marriage seemed to be falling apart, with Rezia wishing for children, and Septimus slowly declining, becoming more and more unable to feel anything.

Septimus goes to meet with Sir William Bradshaw, who in turn prescribes bed-rest and isolation for Septimus at one of his homes in the country. Septimus trues to convey his "great message", but is unable, and the couple leaves dissatisfied.

Rezia, working at the table at home, thinks of how different Septimus had become, always seeing visions and having her write down all of his revelations. Septimus, across the room on the sofa, seems to hear the world calling out to him, "Fear no more." (Woolf, 140) With this he gains a bit of clarity; the world stops moving, and the objects in the room are real and do not speak to him. He begins to have a normal conversation with Rezia, who is overjoyed to have the "Old Septimus" back. As the evening paper arrives, Septimus lays down and happily falls asleep.

Septimus wakes up in terror, and finds himself alone in the room. He broods on the fact that he is alone, and contemplates the meaning of it. He calls out for Evans, but Rezia enters instead. They talk, which leads to Septimus questioning what power Bradshaw and Holmes have over him. After a moment Septimus asks Rezia to fetch his writings and revelations, and burn. Rezia, who refused to burn all of them, ties up some of the papers up with a ribbon for safe keeping.

During their conversation, Rezia hears a commotion downstairs. She goes down, revealing that it is Dr. Holmes. She refuses to let him see Septimus, but Holmes manages to bypass her. Septimus, hearing this, tries to find a way to escape Holmes' and Bradshaw's power. He looks around for some such way, and finally sees the window. Septimus then flings himself down from the window, killing himself. This can be seen as the only avenue that he could take to run from the oppression that he felt from Holmes and Bradshaw.