Edward Hyde

• Mr. Hyde's appearance, as a short, brutish man, reflects his evil and primal nature.
• Mr. Hyde's appearance is often associated with a sense of evil and violence.
• 'his face was like the face of a demon'
• Hyde's physical characteristics are described as being small, brutish, and animalistic, emphasizing his connection to primal instincts and impulses.
• Hyde represents the animalistic side of human nature, while Jekyll embodies reason and morality.
• The use of foreshadowing creates tension and suspense, building up to the climactic reveal of Mr. Hyde's identity.
• 'he had an expression of deep-seated malice'
• 'a dwarfish, grim-visaged old man'
• 'the man was not only ugly but deformed'
• Mr Hyde's name

  Reflects its owner's personality as he depicts elements of typically masculine behavior that men in the Victorian era were expected to conceal and hide
• Mr Hyde

  Symbolises man's basal instincts
• Hyde has access to Jekyll's house
• Trampling of the young girl by Hyde

  Reflects the power the bourgeoisie can acceptably exercise over the working classes
• Jekyll dies in Hyde's body, leaving a letter of explanation which serves as the tenth chapter
• Hyde's appearance

  He is "pale and dwarfish" and lives a carefree existence
• Characteristics of Mr Hyde

  • Volatile
  • Embodiment of a wholly id-controlled mind with no thought for remorse or consequences to his actions
• Mr Hyde as a product of fast societal developments

  Stevenson warns his readership about the consequences of advances in science and medicine on the psychology of individuals
• Edward Hyde is the violent alter-ego of the doctor Henry Jekyll; Jekyll has created him through scientific experimentation to embody all of his 'evil' traits
• Hyde's appearance

  Emphasizes his criminality as through physiognomy, his appearance would convict him as such
• Hyde has a house in the sleazy area of Soho, bought for him by Dr Jekyll
• Hyde's violent murder of Carew

  Represents a violent uprising of the proletariat
• Hyde begins to gather more and more power over Jekyll and eventually becomes his downfall
• In the Carew Murder Case, Hyde clubbed an elderly man to death with a cane, witnessed by a maid who can identify him as the attacker
• Stevenson may suggest that the more evil committed by an individual, the more power they have over society
• Evil acts committed by Mr. Hyde

  Increases the power he has over Dr. Jekyll
• Readers are introduced to Mr. Hyde through Enfield's telling of the "story of the door", displaying him as a violent and remorseless individual with a short temper
• Mr. Hyde

  • Embodiment of a wholly id-controlled mind with no thought for remorse or consequences to his actions
  • Acts brutally, murdering Sir Carew and trampling a young girl seemingly without reason
  • Causes horror in those who encounter him
  • Leaves the body of Sir Carew incredibly mangled
  • As he commits more evil acts, the power he has over Dr. Jekyll increases
  • Likened to a creature by Utterson, Enfield, and Lanyon
• Jekyll - Hyde

  • Hyde has a key to Jekyll's backdoor
  • Jekyll altered his will to leave all his money for Hyde
  • Jekyll defends Hyde
• Hyde's body is found in Jekyll's laboratory with a note from Jekyll explaining the truth
• “A man who was without bowels of mercy”: 'Hyde is merciless; the alliterative “w” gives a sense of difficulty in articulating Hyde as a character, and as a being who lacks all morals'
• “Drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another; relentless like a man of stone”: 'This is a jarring description of excessive drinking and bestial behavior. “Man of stone” highlights a lack of conscience and suggests an air of immovability. The hedonistic connotations of excessive drinking further cause the reader to dislike Hyde as he appears to be full of cruelty and relentless'
• Utterson


  Utterson takes a severe dislike towards Mr Hyde when he initially hears about his incident with the girl and the door. He suggests there is something “abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature”. Utterson realises the true extent of Mr Hyde’s evil character early on and begins to investigate the case
• “Damned Juggernaut”: 'A “juggernaut” is a wagon used to carry around the image of the Hindu God Krishna. It means a hugely overwhelming, destructive force. The sacrifice implied by the word “Juggernaut” may reference the sacrifice Jekyll makes to Hyde in exchange for indulging in decadent and inappropriate behaviour, suggesting Hyde is controlled solely by impulse'
• “His every act and thought centered on self”: 'Hyde is selfish, far from Victorian ideals. This contrasts with the characters of Utterson and Enfield who are reputable and presented as typical Victorian gentlemen. This emphasizes the role of the Freudian id in the character of Hyde, and his self-centered existence further aligns him with animals rather than humanity'
• Lanyon


  Lanyon is the first person to discover that Hyde & Jekyll are the same and also takes an immediate hatred towards him. The transformation shocks him so much that he dies
• Jekyll - Hyde


  The audience are first shown the Jekyll - Hyde relationship as it is revealed that Hyde has a key to Jekyll’s backdoor. Jekyll altered his will to leave all his money for Hyde, defending him. Jekyll knows Hyde well as he has access to the house and all the servants are aware of him. Some critics argue that Jekyll and Hyde should be considered as a singular character. Their relationship is central to the narrative of the novel. Hyde is a foil to Jekyll, emphasising his positive traits and acting as an opposite character. Hyde having a key to Jekyll’s backdoor could imply that he is always present in Jekyll’s subconscious
• Enfield


  Deals with Hyde after the incident with the young girl, forcing him to confront his actions and pay the girl compensation. Enfield doesn’t appear curious about the nature of Hyde
• “So ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running”: 'Hyde is a physical manifestation of evil, evoking disgust and revulsion in all simply by sight. This promotes the gothic conventions of horror and terror in the text'