Dominatrix or Domina-tricks?

Irene’s new identity as a dominatrix in the BBC’s “Sherlock” is an unneeded aspect of her character, causing her to seem weaker than her counterpart in Doyle’s original rendition.  In the book, Irene is portrayed as a kind hearted, beautiful actress with an affinity for creating scandals;this image of Irene is juxtaposed against the overly masculine, overly power-wielding Irene we get from the show.  Although it can be inferred that Irene is more masculine than most women in the book, Doyle offers it as subtext when calling her “the woman”(1), having her dress like a man, and having her wit match that of a man.  This masculine trait is supposed to be in the subtext because Irene needs to be a formidable opponent to Holmes while still remaining feminine, proving that women can outsmart men.  In the show, however, the inflation of Irene’s masculine identity only causes her to seem more transparent and superficial, causing her to seem like less of a challenge.

In the book, it is Irene’s deceiving kindness and appearance which make her seem to be an unlikely match for Holmes, yet she proves that the previous assessment of her is a fallacy through wit and trickery.  In the show, when we see Irene, she is a dominatrix, an obvious antagonist for Holmes due to her relationship with power and and obviously masculine female; this leaves no need for her to prove her abilities because she is presented as Holmes’ nemesis from the get go.  We can already tell that  she is a match for him wit-wise and we know she leans towards the side of evil, so there is nothing else to discover about her character.  In the novel, her true nature lies under the surface, causing her to appear to be an unpredictable character and, thus, an even more formidable match for Holmes.Screen Shot 2013-10-07 at 10.45.41 AM

One thought on “Dominatrix or Domina-tricks?”

  1. I think that this is an interesting assessment of Irene Adler’s sexuality. In “A Scandal in Belgravia,” it is clear that Irene Adler is aggressive and powerful, and maybe these qualities make her appear more masculine. Although if Adler’s ability to take charge over a man makes her more masculine, I think a connection can be drawn to similar masculine characteristics in Grace Kelly’s character in Rear Window. In Rear Window, Lisa takes the initiative to break into Thorwald’s apartment against Jefferies’ wishes. Lisa’s “masculine” characteristics are highlighted in the fact that in the same scene, Jefferies acts like the more “feminine” member of the pair, according to movie stereotypes: he sits at home worrying while Lisa goes out and creates some of the only action in the movie. Lisa, in this scene, is very much like Irene Adler: a character that is very feminine in appearance, who also wields power and takes action.

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