Irene Adler Norton is a character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891. She is one of the most notable female characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories, despite appearing in only one tale.
Irene Adler was born in New Jersey in 1858. She pursued a career in opera as a contralto, performing at La Scala in Milan, and for a term as prima donna at the Imperial Opera of Warsaw, indicating that she was an extraordinary singer. Adler retired in her late twenties and moved to London.
Dr Watson refers to her as "The Late Irene Adler" at the time of the story's publication. The reasons for her death are not stated. It has been speculated, however, that the reason of both her early retirement and early demise was a hidden health problem. On the other hand, the word "late" can also mean "former". She married Godfrey Norton, making Adler her former name. This same usage is employed in "The Adventure of the Priory School" in reference to the Duke's former status as a cabinet minister.
On 20 March, 1888, the King of Bohemia, Wilhelm von Ormstein, makes an incognito visit to Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street. The king asks the famous detective to secure a photograph from Adler.
Though Wilhelm lived in Prague, in 1883, while Crown Prince, he paid a lengthy visit to Warsaw, where he "made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler". The two became lovers; afterward, Adler had kept a photograph of the two of them. The king explains to Holmes that he intended to marry Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, second daughter of the King of Scandinavia; a marriage that would be threatened if his relationship with Adler came to light.
Using his considerable skill for disguise, Holmes traces Adler's movements and learns much of her private life. He then sets up a fake incident to cause a diversion that would let him discover where the picture was hidden. When he returns to take it, he finds Adler gone, along with her new husband and the photo, which has been replaced with a letter to Holmes, explaining how she has defeated him, but also that she is happy with her new husband and will not compromise her former lover, provided the king does not try anything against her in the future.
At a time when ladies were supposed to be ladies, Adler had "the face of the most beautiful of women, and the mind of the most resolute of men", according to Wilhelm. She beat Holmes, and he admired her for it. His respect appears to have caused him to reassess his perspective on the opposite sex as a whole.
In the book, Watson calls her "the late Irene Adler", confirming her death.
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Non-Fiction#56 in Non-Fiction (December 11, 2017) #43 in Non-Fiction (December 12, 2017) This isn't quite a story. But a reference about the characters that Arthur Conan Doyle had made. 1. Sherlock Holmes. 2. John Watson. 3. Jim Moriarty 4. Molly Hooper 5...
