Unlike Irene Adler, Sherlock's loverHolmes, wife of Dr. Watson - Mary Morstan, in the stories about the adventures of the most famous detective in the world, very little space is given. Why did this happen and what is the fate of this woman?
Born Mary Morstan in 1860 (according to other sources, in 1861) in the family of the British military Arthur Morsten. The exact place of her birth is not indicated. Most likely, this is India, where Captain Morstan served.
Judging by the appearance of Mary, which is described asa pretty blue-eyed blonde, her mother was European or English, but not Hindu. Although such marriages were not uncommon among British military in the XIX century. Probably, this woman was not very strong health, which exacerbated the climate of India: Mrs. Morstan died when Mary was very small. Or, it was some kind of hereditary disease, which later and Mary was ruined.
Отец девочки был человеком небогатым, хотя His military career in India went uphill. And he did not have wealthy friends or relatives. After the death of his wife, he had no one to leave his daughter with, so he sent her to Edinburgh, to a private boarding house.
Throughout her childhood, up until 1878, Mary Morstan spent in the guesthouse. She had not seen her father until that time.
The story does not exactly indicate the reason whyit was in 1878 that Captain Arthur Morsthen decided to take a vacation and, after many years of absence, return home and demand from Major Sholto his part of the treasure. It was probably his daughter who was to blame. Indeed, by the time she was 17 - and at that age, girls leave boarding houses. Most likely, Morsten planned, having obtained his share of the money, to take care of his daughter for the year of vacation. His telegram was hinted at by Mary. If that had happened, Miss Morstan would become one of Britain’s richest brides.
However, fate in an instant deprived the girl of all hopes. Arriving at the hotel to his father, Mary Morstan finds out about his disappearance.
Left without a beloved father and not having relatives,which could provide an orphan, the girl was forced to become a companion to Mrs. Cecil Forrester. Although the woman was sympathetic to her, she paid Mary very little, because of which the girl was very poor.
4 years after the disappearance of her father, Mary learned thatan unknown person is looking for her through an ad in Times. After informing this person of her address, Miss Morstan began to receive annually a large and very expensive pearl.
After 6 years, the same unknown sent Mary an invitation to meet. However, the girl was scared to go to a meeting alone and turned to the private detective Sherlock Holmes.
Arriving at 221-b Baker Street, she met Sherlock Holmes and his biographer, Dr. John Watson. This is where the events of Arthur Conan Doyle's story “The Sign of Four” begin.
After learning the story of Mary, Sherlock and John agree to help her. It is worth noting that Watson liked Miss Morstanten immediately, and Holmes noticed this and reacted rather negatively to this.
Coming to a meeting with Tadeusz Sholto, the future wifeDr. Watson learned the truth about the death of his father. It turns out that during their stay in India, Morstan and Sholto conspired with a prisoner named Jonathan Small. He told them where the treasures of the Rajas of the northern provinces are located, and in return he asked to arrange an escape for him and his three friends.
However, Sholto was stingy and mean:he single-handedly took possession of the values and went with them to England. After some time, he was visited by Morstan and demanded his share. During a quarrel, the captain became ill, and he died, and Sholto, fearing that he would be considered a murderer, hid the body and only on his deathbed told the story to his sons.
Since the major died, not having time to tell wherethere is a treasure, his children of 6 years could not find him. At this time, they sent Mary pearls so that she did not need anything. When the treasure was found, the Sholto brothers wanted to meet the girl and give her a third of the treasure.
But the deceived convict Jonathan Small managedreturn to England. Together with his assistant - a native of the Andaman Islands, Small stole a treasure chest. When Sherlock and the police went on his trail, he threw the jewels into the Thames.
So Mary lost her second time in her lifeChance to get rich. However, fate had mercy: having learned that she was poor, Watson confessed her feelings and made an offer. Soon, Dr. Watson and Mary Morsthen got married and began to live separately from Sherlock.
Little is known about the years of Mary's marriage. It is mentioned that she gave birth to a son to Watson, and in 1893 (or in 1894) both mother and child died.
After the death, Mary Watson returned to Holmes and continued to be his partner.
As for the mention of this heroine inthe works of Conan Doyle, then after The Sign of the Four, Mrs. Watson appeared in two more stories: The Hunchback and The Secret of the Boscom Valley. To the exit of the "Contractor from Norwood" she died.
Why did the wife and son of John Watson die, in booksnot really told. A popular version is that the cause of this was some kind of infectious disease. At the same time, the true reason why Conan Doyle "killed" Watson's young wife was widely known.
The fact is that writing stories about Holmesperiodically annoying writer. He more readily composed fantastic stories a la HG Wells. However, they paid significantly more for detective stories than for other works of Conan Doyle. Therefore, although he twice tried to complete the cycle of stories about Sherlock Holmes, first killing his hero, and then marrying Watson, the writer later returned to him again.
After the wedding, it became necessary to return the doctor to Holmes on Baker Street. And for this, the author had to “bring to the grave” poor Mary and her child.
Unlike Irene Adler, Mary’s character does not appear in all the screen versions of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories. But even if it is shown, as a rule, the biography of the girl does not really change.
However, in the modern British film adaptation - the TV series "Sherlock", Mary paid much attention, and her biography is pretty much changed. What is she like?
As in the original, in the series the heroine isorphaned, that's just her name is Rosamund Mary. Growing up, the girl chooses the profession of a mercenary, and soon becomes very successful. Together with her 3 colleagues, she formed the “AGRA” group and performed various tasks for money to eliminate and save people.
One day, fulfilling the mission of the Britishgovernment, "Agra" was betrayed. As a result, only Rosamund managed to survive. She abandoned the past and, taking herself a new name "Mary Morstan", began working as a nurse in a London hospital.
Here she met John Watson and theythe romance began. Six months later, the lovers were married, and Mary became pregnant. The all-powerful blackmailer Charles Magnussen learned about the past of Mrs. Watson and began to pursue her. But Sherlock and John, finding out the truth, helped Mary escape punishment.
After 9 months, she gave birth to a daughter Watson Rosamund. But it soon became clear that one of her comrades from AGRA was also alive and, considering Mary to be a traitor, wanted to kill her.
Sherlock manages to find out that the culprit of all was an employee of the British government Vivian. Exposed, she tried to kill the detective, but the bullet accidentally hit Mary, and she died.
Thus, as in the book, Watson returned to Baker Street again.
In addition to Mrs. Watson, there are 2 more important heroines in the book: this is Sherlock's beloved - swindler Irene Adler, and the landlady of the detective's apartment - Mission Hudson. What is known about them?
Ирэн Адлер, в отличие от книжной Мэри, была не not only a brilliant beauty, but also an adventurer. She was born in New Jersey (USA) in 1858. Possessing not only beauty, but also a fantastic voice, she managed to make an excellent career as an opera singer in Italy and Poland.
Touring in Warsaw, Adler became the mistressKing of Bohemia. And some time after parting with him, she left the stage and moved to London. Here she meets the British lawyer Godfrey Norton and secretly marries him.
Being a very practical person, Irene hidessharing a photo with the king, with which you can blackmail the monarch. Sherlock manages to find the hiding place, but Adler unravels his plan and manages to escape with her husband, taking the photo. In a farewell letter, she promises not to blackmail the king if he does not try to harm her.
Irene died somewhere in the years 1888-1891. Details of her death are unknown.
Mrs. Hudson is another womanwhich Sherlock Holmes appreciated. Biographies of Mary Morstan and Irene Adler are more or less detailed in the books. But about the life of Mrs. Hudson there is no such detailed information, it is specified only that she is a widow. And smart, economic and very clean. Also in the book does not mention her name, however, as well as appearance.
Although Mrs. Hudson is difficult to get along with Sherlock, his politeness and generosity to her compensate for his antics. In addition, she understands that her tenant is doing a good thing, and sometimes she helps him.
