Skip to main content

What is some verbal irony in Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"?

There is plenty of verbal irony in the encounter between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Grimesby Roylott right after Roylott's stepdaughter Helen Stoner has departed for home. Roylott tries to intimidate Holmes into telling him why Helen came to Baker Street and what she told him. Holmes is characteristically fearless and frigidly polite. His replies to Roylott are ironic because he is saying the opposite of what he is thinking. For example:


“I am Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran.”




“Indeed, Doctor,” said Holmes blandly. “Pray take a seat.”




“I will do nothing of the kind. My stepdaughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?”




“It is a little cold for the time of the year,” said Holmes.




“What has she been saying to you?” screamed the old man furiously.




“But I have heard that the crocuses promise well,” continued my companion imperturbably.



The author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, probably had a special purpose for having some of Holmes' ironic replies deal with the cold weather. The reader is going to wonder why the poisonous snake would stay on the bed and not try to escape when it found itself free of Dr. Roylott's control. The answer is that the snake comes from a tropical climate. It would be more likely to seek warmth than to try to escape from the room, especially when the weather is so cold. Julia Stoner was killed almost exactly two years earlier, when the weather would have been equally cold.


Holmes' dialogue is frequently ironic. That is one of his characteristics. He is being ironic at the very end of the tale when he tells his friend Watson:



"In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience.”



He is really glad that Dr. Roylott was killed by his own snake after the detective angered it and drove it back up the bell-rope and through the ventilator. That eliminates him as a threat to Helen and rids the world of a dangerous madman. Roylott's death will not weigh on Holmes' conscience at all. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Martel's Life of Pi, how does writing a diary help Pi Patel build on his leadership skills?

At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can... At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can do this by writing down events, problems and solutions, and reflections to look back on when confronted with repeated problems. It can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why did Tybalt attack and kill Mercutio instead of Romeo, who he had originally been targeting?

Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio... Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio and Benvolio, Mercutio responds "And but one word with one of us?/ Couple it w...
Post a Comment
Read more