1. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE
BY: sherlock holmes
Character sketch
1. sherlock holmes :
famous dtective of 221 b baker street, london has a keen eye and hawked nose
2. Dr watson :
Narrator and protogonist acts , as apprentice and the stout sidekick to sherlock holmes
3.jack stapleton :
Antagonist in the novel. His interest in entamology is genuine. He is one of the
baskerville . he has stake in the inheritance of the baskerville estate . his greed and evil
nature (villianious)takes him to horrified ends.
3. Sir henry baskerville :
is natural heir of to the baskerville estate after the death of sir charles was a small, alert
dark eyed man of 30 years age . thick black eyebrow, string pugnacious face.

2. Plot and story structure
Sir arthur conan doyle’s the hound of th baskerville holds up the interest of
the readers due to its well knit plot and exciting story line.it features the
legendary charcters of dr. watson and shrlock holmes the novel is by all
accounts a classical detectives thriller (story).the novel features the legend
of a spectral hound.the house of the baskerville sufferes from an age old
family curse.doyle creates a perfect plot .the setting is ominous enough to
be a suitable stage fofr mystery,danger and murder .
The central mystery revolves round the curse of the ‘hound’ of the
baskervilles . the legend speaks of a perverted and evil character hugo
baskerville . hugo kidnaps a peasant girl . the girl escapes but is killed
.hugo’s throat is ripped apart by the hound of hell .the curse follow the
baskerville family until they survive the anger of the hound chrles
baskerville is found dead with the tracks of a large beast round his body.the
legend is revived. The fate and safety of his heir sir henry baskerville
becomes a challenge for sherloock holmes and his friend dr.watson the
detectives are employed to solve the mystery of sir charles death . dr
watson dispatched to watch over the sir henry and keep him safe from
harm . in the absence of holmes , dr watsin makes for a reliable and
entertaining central character . theree is no lack of characters in the story
to serve us suspects or potential victims whether they are stapletons of
merripit hall . mrs and mrs barrymoore , the escaped convicts selden or mr .
frnklin of lafter house , all prove interesting material for our speculation
.the villaim stapleton is exposed at the right time. It is revealed that
stapleton was also a baskerville himself and had a stake in the
inheritance.he lets his diabolical hound loose on sir charles track and causes
his death . he wants to remove all the legitimate heirs so that he can be the
sole owner of the baskerville estate. The mystery in the novel is not
predicted. The plot twists are not overused . only the characters and moods
convey an engaging tale the story satisfies us emotionally as well as
intellectually .

3. THE BACKROUND AND THE THEME :
The novel present tention between logic and possibilities of supernatural
occurances . the novel is a classical detective story.holmes and watson
uses their extraordinary observing and intuitive skill to unfold the
mystery of sir chrles death . but still holmes has a message to deliver to
his readers .the theme of the novel is based on the never ending conflict
between good and evil . doyle shows good and evil in permanent
opposition to each other in the novel . evil is shown to be stranger in the
hours of darkness . the place and the atmosphere create suitable
background for a chilling but thrilling mystery story . a feeling of menace
is created through the decriptions of the baskerville hall and the moors
their descriptions are in sharp contrast to the warm cosiness of baker
street londin .conan doyle is a master craftman . he builds up tention in
the novel through mysterious happenings, like the moaning of a women
in the nights , barrymare’s signal towards the moor or the death of the
convict selden .the unexplained noises like that of hound’s compound
the mystery and horror in the novel .the menacing weather , the fog and
the dangerous bog add to the chilling atmosphere of the story .the
eccentric characters like stapleton ,laura and barrymores clearly hide
much more than they reveal to others all these things clearly show
doyle’s interest in the supernatural . however the solutions to these
events are reached through reason and un canny observing and intuitive
skills .evil is ultimately punished and virtue is rewarded .staplton falls
prey to his own eveil design . he is belived to be drowned into the bog
the manacing hound meet it’s end at the hands of the holmes .mrs
stapleton is freed . sir henry baskerville is saved at right moment he is
now free from the family curse of the legendary spectral hound.

4. Mystery behind the murder of sir charles baskerville
Sir charles baskerville died three months ago he left a 18 th century manuscript
with his friend and personal doctor , james mortimer .mortimer reads is to
holmes and watson .it tells the fate of the wicked hugo baskerville . he fell for a
peasants daughter . he kidnapped and carried her off to a room upstair in
baskerville hall .while hugo and his friends drunk , the girls escaped . when it
was discovered . hugo set the hounds after her. His guests rode off to follow
them . at last they found the girl lying dead ground. A giant black hound was
tearing out the throat of hugo baskerville. Sir charles death was discovered
when he failed to return from his nighgt ly walk down the yew alley his body
had no signs of violence on it perhaps he encountered the spectred hound and
his weak heart could’nt stand the sight of the devilish animal .henry baskerville
is the next inheritor of the baskerville fortune and estate sir henry is being
trailed in london by a mysterious stranger holmes is ready to lend all help to
solve the case . he sends DR. watson with sir henry and martimer . a series og
mysterious arrive in quick succession.barrymore is caught showing a light to
someone in the moors . watson hears what barrymore’s nightly jaunts are his
attempt to help the escaped dreaded convict seldon who is his wife’s brother
.sir henry develops a fancy for miss stapleton . holmes discovers that stapleton
is actually in line to inherit the baskerville fortune . stapleton is the main culprit
. he wants to kill all heires so that he can be the solve heir of the baskerville
fortune and estate he forces laura to take late night appointment with sr
charles . having lured charles on to the moors , stapleton releases his ferocious
hound after the weak – hearted noble man . it causes a heart attack and sir
charles dies .in a dramatic move , holmes and watsin use sir henry as a bait to
catch stapleton red-handed . after a late super at the stapleton , sir henry
heads home across.The moors . he is suddenly attacked by stapleton’s fercious
hound . holmes and watson who are ludden in the fog are able to subdue and
kill the beast . stapleton runs away only to be drowned in the bog.

5. Charchter sketch of jack – stapleton:
Jack stapletons is the antagoimst of the novel “ the hound of the baskervilles “
.while his interest in entamolgoy is genunine all other things, including his
name and situation are fabricated . he is one of the baskervilles and as such he
has a stake in the inheritance of the baskervilles estates his greed and evil
nature takes him to horrifying ends .
Stapleton was indeed a baskerville.holmes enquiries showed beyond
Doubt that the family portrait didn’t lie . he was the son of rodger baskerville .
the younger brother of sir charles . he was said to have died unmarried
.stapletonactually married beryl garica , one of the beauties of costa rica . after
misusing a large amount of public money , he fled to england he changed his
name and eastablished a school in the east of yorkshire . he made enquiries
and found that only two persons intervened him and the valuable estate of
baskerville.he came to know of the family curse of the spectred hound from sir
charles himself. So sir charles himself prepared the way for his own death . he
was a devious man from the start stapleton had an engenious mind . his sharp
and mischievous mind instantly suggested way by which sir charles could be
done to death . having conceived the idea , he proceeded to carry it out with
perfect finess,the use of phosphorus to make the hound diabolical was a flash
of his genius. Stapletonhad no scruples . he wanted his wife to lure sir charles
to hi8s ruin. But she didn’t cooperate in this evil. Design he reppresented
himsellf as a single manto mrs laura lyons he promised to marry her if she got a
divorce . he forced laura to write to meet the baronate at that odd hour. The
ferocious dog ineited by his master pursued sir charles . he fled screaming
down the yew alley . sir charles weak heart couldn’t stand the dreaded huge
black creature. He collapsed and fell dead . he wanted to repeat the same story
on sir henry. He got an old shoes of sir henry ,stolen from his hotel in londo. He
wanted to use it to give a scent of it to the dog and setting him upon his
track.Stapleton is rightly punished in the end . he is forced to run away to save
his life only to be drowned into the bog.

6. Charactersketch of sherlock holmes:
The protogonist of the hound of the baskerville sherlock holmes is
the famous 221 b baker street detective . he has a keen eye and a
hawked nosde. And he makes the best use of both of them.his
trademark hat and pipe do add to his aura a perfect
detective.holmes has an uncanny sense of observation actually, he is
observations and intution personified . in the novel, he takes a back
seat to DR watson.but we always feel his presence.no doubt , DR
watson is an efficient detective and does his hometask in baskerville
extremely well.however , it takes sherlock holmes extraordinay and
legendary powers to unfold the mystifying threads finally.
Sherlock holmes has a fragile ego . he is challenged at the
beginning of the novel.mortimer calls him the second best crime
detective in europe . holmes does not relish the comment . his ego is
hurt . he promptly asks who could possibly be the first. DR watson
understand holmes more than anyone in the world . he keeps
holmes ego in check by a constant dose of adulation . he has so far
mastered his system as to supply it in the best possible way .Holmes
is always specific and for thright he never minces words. He clearly
tells watson “ im afraid … most of your conclusions were erronious ,
in nothing your fallacies . I was occasionally guided by the turth
.”holmes has a precise scientific mind . even mortimer acknowledged
that you stand alone.holmes toys with his associate , particularly
with watson. He is highly secretive and would net reveal his mind till
he get the final answer to a problem. He can equivocate mislead and
make fools out of his enemies only to reach the ultimate truth.

7. What was the curse of the baskerville what did DR mortimer read from the
family manuscript in 1742 ? what was the mortimer purpose to visit the
famous detective S.H
DR . mortimer had already heard much about the famed detedtive sherlock
holmes and his associate dr .Watson . he considered holmes, the second
highest expert in his field. So far as his scientific mind and his being a practical
man of a fears , none could match holmes DR.mortimer had come from
baskerville in connection with the mysterious murder of the charles
baskerville. Mortimer was a personal friend as well as the medical attendant of
sir charles. He tooks out a manuscript which was the family paper of the
baskerville. The manuscript was paced in mortimers care by the sir charles
before his death. It was a statement of a certain legend that rain in the
baskerville family. The manuscript describe particularly the most wild , profane
and godless member of the family , hugo baskerville. He developed passion for
the daughter of a peasant she avoided him hugo and his evil campanion
carried off the maideu.while hugo and his campanions were drinking and
singing, the girlescaped. Hugo chased her with his hands. Soon after all the 13
campanion started in pursuit. There lay on the moor the dead body of the girl.
Near her lay the body of the hugo. Baskerville. Standing over hugo and
plucking at his throat was a foul thing. It was a great, black beast it shaped like
a hound with blazing eyes and dripping jaws. The tale of the spectred hound
plagued the family ever since. The circumstances connected with the death of
sir charles gave strength to the local legend and supersition . he died while he
was on his usually nightly walk down the yew alley .there were the footprints
of a giant hound near sir charles dead body . the next heir to baskerville was sir
henry who was returning from canada . being a trustee and executor of sir
charles will , mortimer wanted homes advice and help in this matter in his
opinion ther e was a diabolocal agency which made dartmoor an
unsafe abode for a baskerville , so sir henry’s life could also be in
danger . holmes showed a positive response and asked mortimer to
bring sir henry to his office.

8. Q . DESCRIBE SOME STRANGE AND UNEXPECTED EVENTS THAT
TOOK PLACE WHILE SIR HENRY BASKERVILLE WAS IN LONDON.
DESCRIBE HIS LOSS OF AN OLD SHOE AT THE HOTEL AND THE
APPEARANCE OF A BEARDED MAN SUSPECTED OF
MONITORING THEIR ACTIVITIE. WHO WAS BEHIND ALL THOSE
ACTIVITIES AND WHY DID HE DO THEM?
Sir Henry Baskerville,the next their to the Baskerville estate,arrives in london
from canada.Dr.mortimer has taken holmes in confidence.He unfolds the
circumstance leading to sir charle’s death.He wants holmes’ advice and help in
this matter.Sir.henry meets holmes at his office.He places before holemes and
anonymous later.It reads :”as you value your life or your rtegion keep away
from the moor.”It is a clear warning from someone who knows Sir Henry as
well as the dartmoor. In the letter the word ‘moor’only was printed in ink.
Sherlock holmes is at his task again. He reveals that someone cut out the
message from’times’,a popular news paper. Perhaps it can be the work of a
woman. The scented paper hints at it. Then sir.henry reveals another unusual
happening at his hotel. He had bought a pair of new shoes only yesterday. One
of his old boots is stolen and missing another incident follows soon. Holmes
notices a busy black beardead man and a pair of piercing eyes turned upon
them through the side window of the cab. Holmes dashes in wild pursuit but
already the cab has gone out of sight. Subsequent events reveal that sir. Henry
and sir sherlock holmes were being closely followed and shedowed in london.
The first suspicion on the butler berrymore proves totally baseless. At the end
of the novel, the real veillain is exposed. He is stepleton on he had staked in
the basker ville estate. He exploited sir. Chales’ superstitious nature and his
weak heart. He also exlpoited the family legend of the spectred hound. He let
loose the diabolical hound on sir. Charles and it caused his death. He wanted
to reapeat the same story with sir. Henry. He stole an old shoe of the baronate
to give him scent to the dog. He wanted to involve his wife also his sinister plan
but she refused to be a part of it. She wrote an anonymous later to sir. Henry
warning him of the impending danger.

9. Q. DESCRIBE THE SECOND REPORT THAT DR. WATSON SENT TO SHERLOCK
HOLMES IN LONDON FROM BASKERVILLE HALL AND GIVE YOUR OWN
CRITICAL COMMENTS ON THE SAID REPORT.
Dr.watson had ended his first report with berrymore at the window. Things
have taken quite an unexpected turn. One particular window in the house
commands the nearest outlook on the moor.only this window can serve
berrymore’s purpose.watson and sir. Henry decides to follow berrymore see
what he does at night. Sir henry ‘s attraction for miss {mrs}stapleton continues.
He insites on going on the moor to meet her alone. He doesn’t want watson to
be a spoil ‘-spot’. Watson silently follows sir henry unnoticed. He notices sir
henry and the lady standing deeply absorbed in there conversation . Soon
appears stepleton with his butterfly net.he runs widly towards them. It
appears as if he were abusing sir henry. The borrownet stands therefore a
minute and walk back in dejestion. Then dr.watson clears the mystery
surrounding barrymore .next morning ,they hear the creak of a step in the
passage. Barrymore is deaf and can’t hear them .barrymore springs up from
the window. Sir henry has made up his mind to now the truth. Watson hilds
the candle himself he moves the candle across the window. Someone gives a
signal back. Sir henry asks about the conspiracy that is going on in the
house.barrymor refuses to tell anything .Then suddenly Mrs. Barrymor spilles
the beans. She tells them that her unhappy brother is starving on the moor.
The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him. She also tells that her
brother is none else but the escaped convict selden. Watson also describes
how they hear a wild and menacing sound on the moor. It is he cry of a hound
–the hound of the baskervilles. At last ,they see an evil yellow face, a terrible
animal face. He is the convict selden. They spring forward and the convict
sreams out a curse at them. He runs away and there is no chance of overtaking
him. The second report of watson makes it clear that barrymor is not the mai
villain and has norole in the death of sir charles.

10. Q. DESCRIBE THE CLIMAX OF THE NOVEL’THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE’
The invitation of sir henry to dinner by stepleton at the merripit
house is the climax of ‘the hound of the baskervilles’. All the events
have been building towards this movement. The devious but
ingenius mind of stapleton has organised all the moves of his
conspiracy in a flawless manner. However ,holmes has discovered all
the intrigues of the clever antagonist. He takes watson and lestrade
with him and they lie in ambuse to avoid the impending danger. They
reach a point from where they could look straight through the
uncurtained window . The murderous host and the unconscious
guest are still sitting together .holmes knows what is going to
happen next. Suddenly, they hear the sound of the steps. The steps
grow louder. And then through the fog emerges the main they have
been waiting for. Sir. Henry glance continunlly over his shoulders. He
is like a man who is ill at case. Then a sharp click of a cooking pistil is
heard. Lestrade gives a cry of horror. They are paralysed by the
sudden appearance of a dreadeful shape that comes out from the
fog. It is a black hound,an enormous and deadly hound. But it is not
such a hound as a mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire bursts from its
open mouth and its eyes glow with a smouldering glare. With long
bounds the huge black creature leaps down the track towards sir
henry. The very next movement holmes empties five bullets of his
revolver into the creature’s flank. Sir henry lies insensible where he
has fallen. The terrible creatures lies dead in front of them. Holmes
comments :”we’ve ,laid the family ghost once and forever.”sir henry
is saved and now he is the sole owner of the baskervilles.the major
outcome of the events is that stapleton is dead.he tries to escape but
in doing so drowns himself into the bog.the evil is finally distroyed.

11. Q. DESCRIBE STEPLETON’S CONSPIRACY TO KILL HENRY. WHY DID HE FAIL IN HIS DEVIOUS
PLAN?WHAT WAS STEPLETON’S END?
Sherlock holmes established beyond all doubt that stepleton was
indeed a Baskerville. Stepleton made extensive enquiries and found
that only two lives intervened him and therich estate of Baskerville.
They were sir Charles and sir henry. Sir Charles invited his own death
by telling stepleton about the family curse and the spectred hound.
After eliminating, sir Charles, stepleton had eyes on sir henry. He had
been dogging sir henry since he was in London. He stole an old shoe
to give his hound the scent and set him on the track after sir henry.
He shadowed sir henry in a cab in London.
The first attempt of stepleton to killsir henry failed. It resulted in the
death of the unfortunate convict selden. The hound was after the
wrong man as he was wearing sir henry’s old clothes. It was now
clear who was real villain and what was his motive. Sherlock holmes
had to use sir henry as a bait to capture stepleton. The villain used
used his own wife as an instrument to bring sir henry nearer to them.
One day sir henry was invited to dinner.his wife knews that the
ferocious hound was kept in the outhouse. Realizing that she would
betray he tied her up and also gagged her. When sir henry came out
of the merripit house on the moor the hound was let loose on the
track. Things would have been different had Sherlock holmes not
pumped five bullets from his pistol into the diabolical hound. Sir
henry was saved. The villain was belived to have drowned into the
grimpen mire while trying to escape from being captured.

12. THE FIRST REPORT DR. WATSON SENT TO SHERLOCK HOLMES
Dr.watson had been writing letters and telegrams to holmes. He kept
him up to dateas to what happened in that ‘god-parsaken corner of
the world’the spirit of the moor has sunk into dr.watson’s soul.it’s
vastness and grim charms are infectious. But soon dr. Watson
returns to the facts concerning sir henry Baskerville. First of all he
tells about the escaped convict selden. A fortnight has passed since
his flight. He has not been seen and nothing has been heard of him.
It is very difficult to hold out upon the moor for such a long time.
There is nothing to eat there.
In his first report dr. Watson writes that stapleton came over to call
upobn Baskerville on the very first day sir henry seemed to be
strongly attractedby miss stapleton. The feeling was mutual. But
stapleton’s looks revealed that he didn’t approve of the relationship
dr. watson also writes how dr. mortimer look them all to the yew
alley at sir henry’s request. As the old sir charles stood there. He saw
something coming across the mor. It terrified him so much that he
lost his wits. He ran and rn until he dead of sheer ‘horror and
exhaustion’ watson also writes of another neighbour. Mr. frankland
of lafter hall. He has seven law suits upon his hands at present. He is
also an ameture astronomer. He writes even about the butler
barrymore.dr. watson alsowrites how one night,barrymore was
crouching at the window with the candle held against the glass. He
started out into the blackness of the moor. Dr. watson can’t guess
whatb was his motive. He realises that some secret bussiness is going
on in baskerville hall. They will have to go to the bottom of it.