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Sherlock Holmes is a private detective who has been contracted by Wilhelm von Ormstein, King of Bohemia, to confiscate photographic evidence of the King’s previous affair with a woman named Irene Adler. The King has sought out Holmes and his assistant Dr. John Watson due to their reputation for solving difficult and delicate cases throughout Europe. To address the King’s issue, Holmes and Watson don various disguises, gathering information about Irene’s life. Eventually, while disguised as a clergyman, Sherlock tricks Irene into letting him into her home and he discovers where she is hiding the photographs. While he plans to return the next day to steal them, Adler outwits him—she is gone by the time he returns, leaving him a letter that promises never to ruin the King’s life, but keeping the photographs for herself. Above all, Sherlock values intelligence and cunning, and rarely finds another individual whose mental faculties match his own. Even his closest friend Watson can only marvel at his deductions: when the two men are reunited after quite some time apart, Sherlock is able to deduce a number of minute details of Watson’s life within the first few seconds of seeing him. Adler, however, is the only woman he would ever consider his intellectual equal, and he seems to think of her wistfully and almost romantically. Sherlock’s rare intelligence is a boon to his detective work, but it sets him apart from those around him, and his lack of social connection keeps him almost completely isolated. He is also eccentric, eschewing most human interactions and choosing instead to isolate himself in his home at 221B Baker Street, consumed either by cocaine use or a mystery to solve.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes in A Scandal in Bohemia
The A Scandal in Bohemia quotes below are all either spoken by Sherlock Holmes or refer to Sherlock Holmes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1
Quotes
You see, but you do not observe.
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There will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to eight o’clock… a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a matter of the very deepest moment… Be in your chamber then at that hour, and do not take it amiss if your visitor wear a mask.
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Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it.
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“Your Majesty had not spoken before I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia.”
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“The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during a lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you.”
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Part 2
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“That is excellent. I think, perhaps, it is almost time that I prepare for the new role I have to play.”
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“He’s a brave fellow,” said a woman. “They would have had the lady’s purse and watch if it hadn’t been for him. They were a gang, and a rough one, too. Ah, he’s breathing now.” “He can’t lie in the street. May we bring him in, marm?” “Surely. Bring him into the sitting-room. There is a comfortable sofa. This way, please!”
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Good-night, Mister Sherlock Holmes.
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Part 3
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“From what I have seen of the lady she seems indeed to be on a very different level to your Majesty”
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“Your Majesty has something which I should value even more highly,” said Holmes. “You have but to name it.” “This photograph!”
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Get the entire A Scandal in Bohemia LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sherlock Holmes Quotes in A Scandal in Bohemia
The A Scandal in Bohemia quotes below are all either spoken by Sherlock Holmes or refer to Sherlock Holmes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
You see, but you do not observe.
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There will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to eight o’clock… a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a matter of the very deepest moment… Be in your chamber then at that hour, and do not take it amiss if your visitor wear a mask.
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Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it.
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“Your Majesty had not spoken before I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia.”
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“The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during a lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you.”
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Part 2
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“That is excellent. I think, perhaps, it is almost time that I prepare for the new role I have to play.”
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“He’s a brave fellow,” said a woman. “They would have had the lady’s purse and watch if it hadn’t been for him. They were a gang, and a rough one, too. Ah, he’s breathing now.” “He can’t lie in the street. May we bring him in, marm?” “Surely. Bring him into the sitting-room. There is a comfortable sofa. This way, please!”
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Good-night, Mister Sherlock Holmes.
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Part 3
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“From what I have seen of the lady she seems indeed to be on a very different level to your Majesty”
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“Your Majesty has something which I should value even more highly,” said Holmes. “You have but to name it.” “This photograph!”
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