The Speckled Band
SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May, 22 1859 in
the United Kingdom and died July, 7 1930.
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and
physician, most noted for his fictional stories
about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are
generally considered milestones in the field of
crime fiction
NARRATOR
• The Speckled Band is narrated in the first person,
narrative style.
• It is written in the point of view of Doctor Watson
SETTING
• The setting, initially, is in London. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson
live on Baker Street in London. Helen Stoner travelled into London to
see them.
• The actual crime was in Surry, England at Stoke Moran.
SUBJECT
• Helen Stoner visits Holmes and Watson to seek their
advice on her sister’s murder.
• After hearing her story about her soon to be wed sister
being murdered, they go with Helen to her house where
her sister died.
• They arrange for Helen to spend the night in another
room whilst they sneak into her current bedroom. This is
all taking place without Doctor Roylott’s knowledge.
• They hear the whistle and see that Julia’s last words ‘the
speckled band’ were referring to a ‘swamp adder, the
deadliest snake in India’.
• Holmes attacks the snake with a walking stick and the
snake is sent back to Doctor Roylott’s room, where it
injects its venom into the murderous physician and he
dies.
THEME
• Violence does recoil upon the violent,
meaning that you cannot act violently without
violence coming to you.
• The schemer falls into the pit which he digs for
another.
• Never jump to conclusions.
CHARACTERS
• Sherlock Holmes – Flat – PROTAGONIST
He is the detective investigating the crime of the story.
He notices very small details that he is able to draw
conclusions from and those lead his investigations. He is
a perfect gentleman to Miss Stoner in her time of need.
• Doctor Watson- Flat
A good friend of Holmes, He is also a kind, brave and
loyal medical man. They investigate cases together.
They also live in the same apartment in Baker street.
Together Holmes and Watson make a great team.
CHARACTERS
• Miss Helen Stoner – Round
Sherlock Holmes client and the stepdaughter of Dr
Grimesby Roylott. She is about 30 years old and lost her
twin sister, Julia, to a tragic, unexplainable accident. This
is the reason for her seeking the help of Holmes.
• Dr Grimesby Roylott – Round - ANTAGONIST
Final heir of an old Anglo-Saxon family, who is a vicious,
violent old man and stepfather of Helen stoner. His big
house is heavily mortgaged. He would be ruined if he
had to pay Helen 250 pounds a year out of his total
annual income of 750 pounds. He murdered Julia for the
same reason he intends to murder Helen.
CHARACTERS
• Mrs Hudson
The housekeeper for Holmes and
Watson. She woke Holmes up to
inform him that the had a visitor: Ms
Helen Stoner.
• Julia Stoner
The deceased, twin sister of Helen.
She died in a tragic, unexplainable
accident 2 weeks before she was to be
married. Julia and Helen were
extremely close.
EXPOSITION
• The story starts with Holmes standing next to
Doctor Watson’s bed to awake him at 7.15.
• Sherlock advises Watson that Mrs Hudson woke
him up to inform him that someone has paid
them a visit and needs their assistance.
RISING ACTION/DEVELOPMENT
• That person is a woman named Helen Stoner
and she tells her entire story to Holmes and
Watson about her sister’s death and how she
now fears for her own life.
• Dr Roylott comes to Holmes and Watson’s
residence and threatens them physically if they
continue investigating.
• Holmes and Watson make their way to Stoke
Moran, look around the house while Dr
Roylott is away and make their way back into
the house later that night to investigate
further.
CLIMAX
This is where Holmes
discovers the snake
coming through the
ventilator into Helen
Stoner’s bedroom. He
then proceeds to strike
the snake with his walking
stick and sends it back
through the ventilator.
FALLING ACTION
• The falling action is
the ‘Speckled Band’
is found to be the
poisonous swamp
adder that kills
Doctor Roylott
instead of Helen,
who it was intended
to kill.
RESOLUTION
• This is when Holmes explains that he
realized a few things:
1) He realized that certain elements that he
investigated were false leads (when they are
suspicious of the gipsies because they wear
speckled head gear)
2) He also realizes that it was him that caused
the snake to bite Dr Roylott (when he
waved it off with his walking stick). It
aggravated the snake and thus it attacked
and killed Dr Roylott. He was the reason
why Dr Roylott was dead. He was not sorry
about it either.