Professor Moriarty

Professor Moriarty is a male literary character who features in Sherlock Holmes.

Biography

James Moriarty was a male human said to be a man of good birth and excellent education who was endowed by nature with a phenomenal mathematical faculty. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Holmes ignored the threat and delivers appropriate evidence to the police so Moriarty and those who operate his network will face justice in a few days. Knowing the mastermind and his trusted lieutenants intend to kill him before they hide or are arrested, Holmes flees to Switzerland, and Watson joins him. The mastermind follows, his pursuit ending when he confronts Holmes at the top of the Reichenbach Falls. Watson does not witness the confrontation but arrives later to find signs of hand-to-hand combat occurring at the cliff edge near the waterfall, indicating the battle ended with both men falling to their deaths. Watson also finds a goodbye note left behind by Holmes that Moriarty allowed him to write before their battle.

Afterwards, Holmes attempted to prevent Moriarty's men from committing a murder. A policeman who interviewed Moriarty tells Holmes that the professor has a painting by Jean-Baptiste Greuze hanging on his office wall. Learning this, Holmes mentions the great value of another painting by the same artist, pointing out such works could not have been purchased on a university professor's salary.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Moriarty was described as being extremely tall and thin, clean-shaven, pale, and ascetic-looking. He has a forehead that domed out in a white curve, deeply sunken eyes, and shoulders that were rounded from much study. His face protruded forward and was always slowly oscillating from side to side in a curiously reptilian fashion. Holmes would refer to Moriarty as being the Napoleon of Crime.

He was a ruthless, cunning and decisively malicious person. He expresses his intelligence to Holmes, but also his profound ruthlessness. Moriarty admitted that physically duelling with Holmes is considered an extreme measure on his part, but is still entirely willing to resort to it - this means that he is completely willing to go beyond his comfort zone if need be. He is also shown to be abundantly self-confident. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Sherlock compared Moriarty to a spider that sat motionless in the centre of its web that spread in a thousand radiations, and that the villain knew well every quiver of each of them. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Moriarty does not directly participate in the activities he plans, but only orchestrates the events or provides the plans that will lead to a successful crime. What makes Moriarty so dangerous is his extremely cunning intellect. (The Final Problem)

Professor Moriarty impressed Holmes who was not easily impressed, with his incredible talent at organizing elaborate crimes throughout London whilst keeping his own identity and involvement effectively anonymous from the authorities. However, Moriarty's personality speedily developed into that of a calculative, sociopathic megalomaniac. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Moriarty respected Holmes's intelligence stating that it had been an intellectual treat for him to see the manner in which Holmes had dealt with cases. Despite this, he had made numerous attempts upon Holmes's life through his agents. He showed a fiery disposition, becoming enraged when his plans are thwarted, resulting in his being placed "in positive danger of losing my liberty". While personally pursuing Holmes at a train station, he furiously elbows aside passengers, heedless of whether this draws attention to himself.

Powers and abilities

Holmes referred to him as a genius, a philosopher, and an abstract thinker with him regarding Moriarty as a brain of the first order. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Moriarty was highly accomplished in the field of mathematics, with abilities that earned him significant renown and even impressed Holmes. At the age of 21, he published a treatise on the binomial theorem which was lauded throughout Europe and earned him a chair at a provincial university. Moriarty also applied his mathematical faculties to other scientific fields, such as astronomy. His book The Dynamics of an Asteroid, was said by Holmes to "ascend to such rarefied heights of pure mathematics that it is said that there was no man in the scientific press capable of criticizing it." (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

As the Napoleon of crime, he served as the organizer of half the evil operating in London where nearly all of it remained undetected by the authorities. (The Adventure of the Final Problem)

Moriarty also has a marked preference for organising lethal "accidents" to befall his targets. His attempts to kill Holmes include falling masonry and a speeding horse-drawn vehicle. He is also responsible for stage-managing the death of Birdy Edwards, making it appear the man was lost overboard while sailing to South Africa.

Holmes says Moriarty commissioned a powerful air gun from a blind German mechanic surnamed von Herder, a weapon later used by the professor's employee/acolyte Colonel Moran. It closely resembles a cane, allows easy concealment, is capable of firing revolver bullets at long range, and makes very little noise when fired, making it ideal for criminal sniping.

Notes

• Professor Moriarty was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle where he featured in the setting of the Sherlock Holmes universe.
• The term "Napoleon of crime" was a phrase Doyle lifted from a Scotland Yard inspector referring to Adam Worth, a real-life criminal mastermind and one of the individuals upon whom the character of Moriarty was based.

In other media

Television

• In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Professor Moriarty appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Daniel Davis. This version was an artificial intelligence hologram created in the Holodeck by Starfleet officer Data when he would have adventures dressed as Sherlock Holmes. To challenge himself, he increased the intelligence of the program which achieved sapience to the point that Moriarty was able to take control of the Holodeck.

Novels

• In The Return of Moriarty (1974), Professor Moriarty appeared in the set of novels written by John Gardner. He had seemingly survived the meeting at the Reichenbach where he single-handedly controlled London's organised crime structure. 'The Professor' was revealed to had not been the real Moriarty, but rather Moriarty's younger brother who was also named James. He was shown as being as brilliant as his older brother, whom he impersonated, disgraced and murdered with him later stealing the deceased's identity.

Audio Books

• In Sherlock Holmes: The Voice of Treason, Professor Moriarty appeared in the 2020 audio drama written by George Mann and Cavan Scott. According to it, Moriarty was a professor at Stonyhurst College.

Appearances

• The Final Problem: (1893)
• The Valley of Fear:

External Links

• Baker Street Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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