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| “ | I feel no pity for her. I have no pity for myself either. So let it be veronal. But I wish Hercule Poirot had never retired from work and come here to grow vegetable marrows. | „ |
| ~ Dr. James Sheppard's final words in his journal before committing suicide. |
Dr. James Sheppard is the main antagonist of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, initially thought to be both the deuteragonist and narrator of the story until near the final chapter that revealed him to be the culprit.
Overview[]
Originally, Dr. Sheppard is presented as the story's deuteragonist and narrator, as well as Poirot's new assistant, in place of Captain Hastings who has married and settled in the Argentine.
However, the novel later reveals an unexpected plot twist in the final chapter, where Dr. Sheppard was exposed by Hercule Poirot, (who visited the village after retiring and subsequently helping the local police solve the murder of Roger Ackroyd) who tells him that he knew that he was the killer of Roger Ackroyd.
Dr. Sheppard later reveals he was an unreliable narrator, using literary techniques to conceal his guilt without writing anything untrue.
Portrayals[]
- In the 1931 film Alibi based on the novel, Dr. Sheppard was portrayed by the late J.H. Roberts.
- In the 1939 radio drama adaptation of the novel, Dr. Sheppard is voiced by the late Orson Welles, who directed the radio drama and voiced Poirot in the same work.
- In the radio drama adaptation made by BBC Radio 4, he was voiced by John Woodvine.
- In Agatha Christie's Poirot, which adapted the novel in 2000, he was portrayed by Oliver Ford Davies.
- In the 2002 Russian film adpatation, tiiled Poirot's Failure, he was portrayed by Sergei Makovetsky.
Biography[]
Dr. James Sheppard works as a doctor in the small village of King's Abbott. He introduces himself as the narrator at the start of the novel, seemingly rather trustworthily. Readers would be bound to trust him due to he being a narrator and the common stereotype that nook narrators would not do anything untrustworthy / unexpected.
However, as stated in the final chapters of the book, due to his numerous bad investments, Dr. Sheppard landed himself heavily in debt. Desperate for money and with information that a wealthy widow, Mrs. Ferrars, had supposedly killed her late husband, his "streak of cowardice" flared up and he blackmailed her over her supposed crime. Mrs Ferrars, after giving Dr. Sheppard a large sum of money over the course of a few months, finally broke down and committed suicide through an overdose of veronal. However, before her death, Mrs. Ferrars sent a letter to Roger Ackroyd (her lover), which Ackroyd received right in front of Dr. Sheppard's face in his private study. For fear that Mrs. Ferrars might have written the blackmailer's identity in the letter, Dr. Sheppard stabbed Roger Ackroyd in the back with a dagger, taking away Mrs. Ferrars' letter, before using a dictaphone Ackroyd had to make it appear Ackroyd was still alive when he departed. He then looped back to the study's window to plant Ralph Paton's (Roger Ackroyd's stepson) footprints. As he wanted to be on the scene when Ackroyd's body was found, he asked a patient earlier in the day to call him some time after the murder, so as to have an excuse for returning to Fernly Park.
After returning to Fernly Park, Dr. Sheppard found Ackroyd murdered, along with Raymond and Blunt, Roger Ackroyd's housekeepers. They phoned the police, who fell into the false trail that Dr. Sheppard had left for them, immediately searching for Ralph Paton. However, Hercule Poirot, living in the village, later comes out of retirement at Flora's (Ackroyd's niece) request. He investigates the crime in place of the police later on, along with guilty Dr. Sheppard. After a few weeks of investigating and collecting clues, Poirot organises a gathering in his house and proceeds to inform all present that he knows the killer's identity, confirmed by a telegram received during the meeting. He does not reveal the name; instead he issues a warning to the killer. When Poirot is alone with Dr. Sheppard, he reveals that he knows him to be Ackroyd's killer.
Dr. Sheppard listens to Poirot's explanation of his committing the crime. He feigns innocence at first, but keeps silent after Poirot lists out damning evidence that points to him being guilty. Poirot then says that all the information that he had dug out would be reported to the police the next morning. Dr Sheppard leaves for his house shortly afterwards, to continue writing his report on Poirot's investigation (the novel itself), admitting his guilt and wishing his account was that of Poirot's failure to solve Ackroyd's murder. The novel's epilogue serves as his suicide note.
Trivia[]
- The plot twist about Dr. Sheppard is often considered to be one of the best plot twists made by Agatha Christie, making The Murder of Roger Ackroyd her breakout work and, by far, one of her most famous novels ever.
- In Agatha Christie's Poirot, Dr. Sheppard comes across as a much less sympathetic character than in the original novel and deviates differently from his original characterization.
- His journal entries are entirely callous and his loving relationship with his sister is downplayed. In addition, the role he played as Poirot's assistant in the narrative is largely taken by Inspector Japp in this adaptation, which also means that it's less of a surprise when he turns out to be the killer, as he's now just another suspect.
- His death is also changed. In Agatha Christie's Poirot, Sheppard commits suicide with his gun after a chase through a factory instead of quietly taking his own life under Poirot's advice.
