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Joahnna Vergara
Professor Lynda Haas
Writing 39B
21 May 2014
To Love or Not to Love
Tall, mysterious, intelligent, eccentricthose are among many words used to describe
the notorious Sherlock Holmes. However, the description romantic rarely crosses the mind
when thinking of Holmes. This idea plays along with the convention of the detective genre that
the detectives purpose is to solve mysteries, not to develop romantic attachments. In his writings
of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, literary scholar Leroy Panek states
that, Doyle makes Holmes an instrument for detectionHe fills his cranial attic only with those
things which help him solve crimes (82). Holmes interests lie solely in solving crimes. This
characteristic of the detective prove true throughout Conan Doyles stories of Sherlock Holmes,
especially in the short story, A Scandal in Bohemia, in which the well-known Irene Adler
makes her first appearance. However, modern day texts choose to depict Sherlock Holmes in
different ways in order to adjust to todays culture. On one hand, the Sherlock BBC series
chooses to adhere more closely to this classic detective convention in the episode A Scandal in
Belgravia, the modern day twist on A Scandal in Bohemia. On the other hand, the film
Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie portrays Sherlocks romantic interests quite the
opposite in order to play the emotions and interests of todays audience. In this film, Irene Adler
and Sherlock Holmes are constantly filmed together throughout Holmes case to reveal the
secrets to Lord Blackwoods black magic. Sherlocks words and actions emphasize his
feelings towards Irene Adler. Although classic conventions of the detective genre convey that the
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detective possesses no emotional attachments, modern-day texts incorporate their own
interpretations of Sherlock Holmes relationships in order to take advantage of the interests of
their audience.
When Conan Doyle first introduced Sherlock Holmes, he made sure to establish Holmes
as a mathematically accurate crime-solving machine (Panek 82). Throughout Doyles first
novels and short stories, Sherlock had no evident romantic relations or connections. For example,
in A Scandal in Bohemia, Holmes meets a worthy adversaryIrene Adler, the woman who
outsmarted Sherlock by discovering and foiling his plans. The short story begins with John
Watson as the narrator who contemplates on Sherlocks ability to feel deep emotions as he says,
It was not that he [Sherlock] felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and
that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I
take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover
he would have placed himself in a false position (Doyle). Even in his early works, Doyle
compares Sherlock Holmes to a machine through his narrator. At the end of the short story,
Sherlock requests the picture of the clever Irene Adler as his form of payment. The reader may
see this as a hint at Sherlocks emotional attachment to the only woman of dubious and
questionable memory (Doyle). However, looking back to the beginning of the short story,
Conan Doyle makes it clear to his audience that Sherlock possesses no romantic interest for Irene
Adler. This tactic played out well for Conan Doyle because his readers during the Victorian era
still remained interested in the character, and the Sherlock Holmes stories still continued to
blossom and gain popularity during that time.
Over a century later, Sherlock Holmes was brought back with large scale popularity
through his lead appearance in Londons BBC television series, Sherlock. In the first episode of
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the second season of the series, A Scandal in Belgravia, Irene Adler plays a devious woman
working under Sherlocks arch nemesisJim Moriarty. Throughout the episode, Adler utilizes
her cunning wit and seductiveness to manipulate Sherlock Holmes into giving her the
information she wants. In contemplating whether Sherlock feels any emotional attachment to
Irene Adler or if he is even capable of such emotion, critic Tirdad Derakhshani from the
Philadelphia Inquirer states that Its clear Holmes isnt quite at home when it comes to feelings,
desires, primal urgesHolmes is a maladjusted recluse who doesnt understand human
interactions (Derakhshani). Derakhshani believes that there is a possibility that Holmes is even
slightly attracted to Adler, but Holmes actions prove difficult to decipher. At one point, Adler
reaches out towards Sherlocks hand, and Sherlock appears to respond by grabbing her hand as
well, hinting that Sherlock has feelings for Adler. However, when the episode is near its end and
Irene Adler believes she has won, Sherlock begs to differ. He rises from his chair telling Adler
that she did not completely succeed and tells her, Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the
losing side (Sherlock). This change of levels in the scene convey a shift in dominance. Prior to
Holmes assertion that Irene Adler did not succeed, Adler had been sitting upon a desk, putting
her above Sherlock Holmes who was sitting in a regular armchair. However, once Holmes rises
from his seat, the audience feels that Holmes is now the dominant character of the scene. Yet at
the same time, both characters faces are still filmed at a low angle, causing both characters to
appear powerful. It is also filmed using reverse shots to concentrate on each speaker and their
facial expressions during the conversation. Adler attempts to argue against Sherlocks
assumptions, but as Sherlock prepares to say his winning line, the dramatic music score in the
background becomes louder and Sherlock whispers, Because I took your pulse (Sherlock). The
growing background music increases the intensity of the scene as well as Sherlocks growing
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dominance as he provides concrete evidence against Adlers statements. The scene continues
with a flashback to the moment that Adler attempted to seduce Sherlock which helps to reinforce
Sherlocks statement that Adlers pupils were dilated in the moment. The music escalates when
Sherlock reveals that he has cracked the secret code on Adlers phone signaling his defeat over
Adler. Throughout the whole scene, Sherlocks goal is not to please Adler, but to defeat her. His
obsession with solving problems eliminates his desire to have any emotional attachments. While
Sherlocks emotions towards Irene Adler may be interpreted this way in the BBC series, it may
also be argued that Sherlocks motive lies in impressing Adler. This allows the modern audience
to interpret Sherlocks character in a way that pleases their interests.
Contrary to Sherlocks questionable motives in the Sherlock BBC series, Sherlock
Holmes character appears to be more defined in the Sherlock Holmes film directed by Guy
Ritchie. As Sherlock Holmes gathers clues to discover the secret behind Lord Blackwoods
black magic, Irene Adler makes multiple appearances. Movie critic Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times comments that, Irene Alder [was]said to be the only woman to ever touch
Holmes heart (Ebert). This becomes evident throughout the film as the two seem to play
each other. At the end of the film when Sherlock has defeated Lord Blackwood, there is a scene
where Sherlock handcuffs Irene Adler and the two sit next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, on
an unfinished bridge, staring out into the city view. The audience gets a view of their backs, and
the background shows the vast city on a cloudy day, creating a somewhat sentimental mood as
Sherlock gets ready to leave Adler on the bridge. Soft lighting is used on their faces to create a
relaxed feeling throughout the scene. There is little to know background music in the majority of
this scene. This creates an effect that draws a lot of attention to their words creating a more
dramatic effect. Sherlock asks what Adler's weakness was that Moriarty took advantage of, and
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rather than replying, Adler looks Holmes into the eyes making it clear that her attraction to
Sherlock was her weakness. The silence in the background emphasizes her actions. Although
Holmes handcuffs Adler and leaves her on the bridge, when Adler tells Sherlock that he'll miss
her, Sherlock replies with, "Sadly, yes," and caresses Adler's face and gives her a kiss on the
forehead before leaving. The film tactics used in this scene create an environment that
emphasizes the relationship between Adler and Holmes. Although Holmes does not display his
emotions in a way that society would consider normal, his different attitude towards Adler
proves that he has an attachment to her that he does not hold with other females. Sherlock admits
that he will miss Adler, an emotion that Holmes normally does not express. The kiss on the
forehead is yet another sign that Sherlock feels romantic emotion towards Irene Adler. Adler did
no great favor for Sherlock Holmes, yet Sherlock still esteems her highly. The twist of the
classical convention of Sherlocks romantic interest is utilized to satisfy the interests of the
modern-day audience, who enjoys some form of romance with the main character. Because
Sherlock is depicted as more of a superhero in this film, it is proper that the hero has a love
interest.
In order to please todays audience, modern-day texts give a twist to Sherlock Holmes
love life. Rather than depicting him as a machine, they give Holmes more human emotion,
specifically with the famous Irene Adler. This is done to attract the attention of the audience and
give them something to root for: the detective hero romancing with his female counterpart.
Conan Doyle also eventually found himself drawing Sherlock out of the world of machines and
closer to the human world. Panek states that, In the later stories, Holmes freely quotes literature
from Shakespeare to Carlyle, and in his retirement he settles down not only to bee-keeping but
also to the study of philosophyDoyle wrote Holmes out of the world of machines and toward
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the world of human beings (82). Genre conventions are often twisted in some way or another in
attempt to please the targeted audience. It is because of this desired effect that we see the
emotionless detective transform into a more human-like character capable of sentiment in
todays portrayals of the great Sherlock Holmes.



















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Works Cited
Derakhshani, Tirdad. Holmes return in BBCs Sherlock series anything but elementary.
Philadelphia Inquirer. Web. <http://articles.philly.com/2012-05-
07/news/31598277_1_holmes-and-moriarty-irene-adler-mark-gatiss>. 21 May 2014.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 1: A Scandal in Bohemia. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1892. Web. <http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/32/the-adventures-of-
sherlock-holmes/345/adventure-1-a-scandal-in-bohemia/>. 21 May 2014.
Ebert, Roger. Sherlock Holmes: Movie Review. Chicago Sun-Times. Web.
<http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sherlock-holmes-2009>. 21 May 2014.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State
University Popular Press, 1987. Print.