The Sign of Four

Revision

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Relationships

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Character Map

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Why are these characters important to the novella?

Sherlock Holmes Dr Watson

Mary Morstan Inspector Jones Jonathan Small Tonga

The Plot

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1. Miss Mary Morstan arrives and asks for help with a mystery.

2. Holmes and Watson accompany her to Thaddeus Sholto's house and

learn about the Agra treasure.

3. Bartholomew Sholto is found dead at Pondicherry Lodge.

4. Holmes investigates the clues and calls the police. Athelney Jones

arrests Thaddeus Sholto. Holmes sends Watson to borrow Toby, the

dog.

5. Holmes employs the Baker Street Irregulars as spies and eventually puts

on a disguise to track down the Aurora launch.

6. Watson, Holmes and Inspector Jones pursue the villains along the River

Thames and catch up with them. The treasure chest is empty.

7. Jonathan Small is arrested and confesses his whole story. Watson and

Mary Morstan are engaged to be married.

Women

What were Victorian women

expected to do with their lives?

How were Victorian men and

women treated differently?

Victorian

Crime

What types of crime were common

in Victorian London?

How did the Jack the Ripper case

affect Victorians attitudes of the

police force?

Why were Victorians interested in

the crime genre?

Key Contexts

The Writer: Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh. He trained

to be a doctor, and then divided his time between medicine and writing.

While a medical student, Conan Doyle was deeply impressed by the skill of

his professor, Dr Joseph Bell, in observing the most minute detail regarding a

patient’s condition. This master of diagnostic deduction became the model for Conan Doyle’s literary creation, Sherlock Holmes.

Contexts present in the play: What are the following and who represents them in the play?

The British Empire

What was the British Empire?

Why is The British Empire

important to the novella?

How are India and England

presented in the story?

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Setting: Victorian London

Why was Victorian London the perfect

setting for a crime novel, such as The Sign

of Four?

The early Victorian period saw London’s population and housing start to boom. Because Victorian London was such a labyrinth, and because it was constantly

expanding, people could get lost in their own city. London became so large that it

created a secret side to itself.

No one in the capital could ever know all of London through and through and

there would always be secret places because of its constant expansion.

It is said that London could be mapped, but it could never be fully imagined or

experienced.

This made it the perfect setting for Victorian gothic/detective literature.

How does the setting help to

emphasise that Sherlock Holmes is

very intelligent and knowledgeable,

whilst showing Watson to be

uncertain? Think about their journey

through London!

The air pollution in London, caused by the Industrial Revolution, meant

that the streets were often foggy. How does this add to the atmosphere

of the novella?

How do the darkness and fog help to create the perfect crime setting?

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Sherlock Holmes

Why would he appeal to a

Victorian reader?

“That is why I have chosen my own particular profession,—or rather created

it, for I am the only one in the world.”

If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Sherlock Holmes?

Holmes’ actions What do we learn about him?

He takes drugs at the start and

end of the story.

When he investigates, he gets

down on his hands and knees,

crawls around the room, and

carefully examines every detail.

He tells Inspector Jones that he

can take the credit for solving the

case; Holmes does not need

recognition.

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Dr John Watson

How does he offer a different

perspective from Holmes?

“Count the cost!”

If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Dr Watson?

Watson’s actions What do we learn about him?

Watson chooses to write

stories based on how Holmes

solves his cases.

Watson shies away from

showing Mary that he is

attracted to her because he

thinks he is not worthy of her.

Watson jumps to conclusions

about the case – i.e. he

assumes the footprint was left

by a child.

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Mary Morstan

Why did Conan Doyle include

the romantic side-plot?

“no friends whom I could appeal to”

If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Mary Morstan?

Mary’s actions What do we learn about her (and Victorian women)?

Mary goes to Holmes and

Watson to ask for help in

finding her father.

Mary wears white clothing

throughout the story.

Mary waits at home for the

crime to be solved, and for

Watson to come and tell her

what happened.

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Jonathan Small

We do not meet him until chapter 10

– how does Conan Doyle manage to

make us fear him?

“‘Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who have never earned

it? Look how I have earned it!”

If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Jonathan Small?

Small’s’ actions What do we learn about him?

As soon as he escaped prison,

chased Major Sholto to

England and waited to hear

about the treasure.

He used Tonga to help him

break into Bartholomew

Sholto’s house so he could

steal the treasure back.

When chased, he scattered the

Agra treasure into the Thames

so it would be harder to

recover.

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Structure of the Novella

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What happens? Specific effect on the reader?

1.

Ca

taly

st2

. C

lue

s3

.

Co

mp

lica

tio

ns

4.

Cli

ma

x5

. R

eso

luti

on

Analysing Structure: For each of the 4 sections, explain the effect on the reader.

Themes: Crime

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To tackle the rise of crime in the growing towns and

cities of Victorian Britain the police force were

introduced to uphold the law and protect the law

abiding.

However the public perception of the police was

rather low, especially following the Ripper killings.

The inability of the police to catch Jack the Ripper and

their bumbled investigations are reflected in Doyle's

portrayal of police inspectors in the book.

A real newspaper article written in 1888

about the Whitechapel Murders stated:

So far the police have satisfied themselves,

but as to getting a clue to her murderer,

they express little hope.

The police have no theory with respect to

the matter, expect that a gang of ruffians

exists in the neighbourhood.

What does this language reveal about the

incapability of the Victorian police?

We don’t even meet the criminal (Jonathan Small) until chapter 10. Most of the story

focuses around fear of the unknown criminal.

Find and explain 3 quotes about the criminal

before we meet him – how does Conan Doyle

create a sense of mystery in the story?

Themes: Fear of the UnknownAs well as fear of the unknown criminal, Conan Doyle also emphasises fear in the story by

introducing an antagonist whose culture and identity is largely unknown to (and not

understood by) the Victorian reader.

Tonga the “savage”: At the end, Jonathan Small is given the opportunity to tell us his story,

which creates some sympathy as we find out he was forced into helping to steal the treasure

in the first place. However, Tonga is killed before being captured – how does this add to the

fear of the unknown?

Quote/information

about Tonga

What does the it suggest?

How does it help to build fear?

Holmes reads a extract

from a book about the

pygmies from the

Andaman Islands. It says

they are “cannibals” and “savages”.

Jonathan Small describes

how Tonga had shot and

killed Bartholomew with

a poison dart, despite it

not being part of their

plan to steal back the

Agra treasure.

When Holmes and

Watson catch up to Tonga

and Jonathan Small on

the boat, Watson

describes Tonga as having

features of “bestiality and

cruelty” and a mouth that

“chattered at us with half

animal fury”.

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Themes: DualityDuality is when characters have two sides to them. In The Sign of Four, however, we see duality

of personalities through contrasting characters (such as Holmes and Watson).

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Holmes has a scientific

mind. He focuses on logic

and clear reasoning.

Find 3 quotes which show

him doing this.

Sherlock Holmes Dr John Watson

Dr Watson has a more

romantic side to his

personality and enjoys

forming personal

relationships.

Find 3 quotes which show

him doing this.

How does Holmes’ personality help him to be a

great detective?

How does Watson’s personality help him to be a

great writer and assistant to

Holmes?

Holmes and Watson are very different characters.

How do they complement each other? How did

Conan Doyle use Watson to help the reader?

Key Quotes: Sherlock HolmesAnnotate each quote:

1. What does it suggest about the

character?

2. Why does the character say the

quote?

3. How does the character feel?

4. Zoom in on at least 2 words

(underlined).

5. Add technique for those words.

6. Link to themes.

7. Include context.

Ch8: “I am not tired. I have a curious constitution. I never remember feeling tired by

work, though idleness exhausts me completely.

Ch2: “A client is to me a mere unit,—a factor in a problem

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Key Quotes: Dr WatsonAnnotate each quote:

1. What does it suggest about the

character?

2. Why does the character say the

quote?

3. How does the character feel?

4. Zoom in on at least 2 words

(underlined).

5. Add technique for those words.

6. Link to themes.

7. Include context.

Ch7: “I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results’

Ch3: “a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city… I lost my bearings and knew nothing’

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Key Quotes: Mary MorstanAnnotate each quote:

1. What does it suggest about the

character?

2. Why does the character say the

quote?

3. How does the character feel?

4. Zoom in on at least 2 words

(underlined).

5. Add technique for those words.

6. Link to themes.

7. Include context.

Ch4: “Miss Morstan sat down, and

her face grew white to the lips”

Ch2: “no friends whom I could appeal to”

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Key Quotes: Jonathan SmallAnnotate each quote:

1. What does it suggest about the

character?

2. Why does the character say the

quote?

3. How does the character feel?

4. Zoom in on at least 2 words

(underlined).

5. Add technique for those words.

6. Link to themes.

7. Include context.

Ch12: “Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who have never

earned it? Look how I have earned it”

Ch5: “the wooden-legged man”

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