Jekyll and Hyde Quotes

• "Though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years"


  - Suggests Utterson represses his desires to stay a true Victorian gentleman within society.

  - Contrasts to Jekyll / Hyde who is an embodiment of impulses and desires as he does follow / fit in with society.
• "A certain sinister block of building thrust forward"


  - Vigorous description of the building.

  - The violent verb "thrust" emphasises this and the adjective "sinister" introduces something dark.

  - This contrasts/stands out to the rest of the buildings.
• "The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker"


  - Suggests no visitors are wanted, as if they may be hiding something.

  - "Doors" are a symbol for secrets throughout novel.
• "A little man who was stumping"


  - The "little man" as "stumping" suggesting it is non-human, unnatural and almost gives it animalistic features (zoomorphism).

  - Contrasts to well-mannered Victorian gentleman.
• "Something displeasing, something downright detestable"


  - The alliteration of "d" creates a harsh/violent sound as Utterson highlights his first impressions of Hyde.

  - Emphasises how disturbing Hyde's appearance is to Victorian gentlemen within society as he contrasts to them.
• "about three o'clock of a black winter morning"


  - Stevenson's use of pathetic fallacy in the word "black" has strong connotations of darkness and death, foreshadowing dark events in the book.

  - "three o'clock" was seen as the devil's hour, further foreshadowing the dark events that are going to unfold.

  - This also infers that the morning itself is in a "black" mood, with a foul temper.
• "the man trampled calmy over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground"


  - This is the first time the reader is made aware of Hyde's capacity for violence and his evil nature.

  - Stevenson deliberately uses a "child" as the victim to increase the sense of fear caused by Hyde.

  - The contrast of "man" and "child" creates a very sinister tone, reflecting Hyde's evil nature.

  - The oxymoron of "trampled calmly" shows how comfortable Hyde is with violence, and shows it does not disturb him in anyways as he "calmly" commits the atrocious crime on the most innocent victims, as if violence is natural to him.

  - Referencing the "child's body" dehumanises the victim, adding to the coldness of the crime and emphasising Hyde's brutal nature.

  - The verb "screaming" adds auditory power, allowing the reader to further imagine "her" terror.
• "It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut"


  - The simile compares Hyde to "some damned Juggernaut", establishing him as an unstoppable and destructive force.

  - This foreshadows how his evil gathers in strength and becomes uncontrollable as the novel progresses.

  - The comparison with a "juggernaut" highlights his lack of mercy and remorse.

  - The fact he "wasn't like a man" almost dehumanises him as Enfield points out his undesirable features as he contrasts significantly to a well-mannered Victorian gentleman, like Utterson and himself.
• "Black, sneering coolness... really like Satan"


  - "Black" has connotations with darkness and evil, emphasising Hyde's evil nature and foreshadowing more dark events that will unfold in the novel.

  - "Sneering" makes Hyde seem animalistic through the use of zoomorphism, implying he is not human, contrasting to Utterson/Enfield.

  - "Coolness" opposes with warmth and innocence, creating a bitter and sinister depiction of Hyde.

  - The simile "like Satan" suggests Hyde acts in such a devilish way that he is seen as Satan, the devil himself. This comparison would be widely used in a Victorian society as they were very religious and would find Hyde's evil nature very Satan-like.
• "When we had breakfasted"


  - This shows Utterson staying in routine as he maintains the role of a true Victorian gentleman as he stays in routine and will not go with Enfield until he has "breakfasted", no matter the circumstances.
• "There is something wrong about his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable"


  - The repetition of "something" indicates Hyde's appearance is so frightening and abnormal that Enfield struggles to describe him to Utterson.

  - The alliteration of repeated "d" sounds creates a harsh/violent tone, depicting Hyde's unpleasant appearance.
• "He gives a strong feeling of deformity"


  - Stevenson creates mystery as he describes Hyde's awful appearance but leaves the reader asking questions about Hyde and why his appearance is so unfavourable.
• "Such unscientific balderdash"


  - Dr Lanyon is seen as a conventional scientist and criticises Jekyll's experimental ways.

  - The use of "balderdash" implies Jekyll's science is worthless and nonsense as it is "unscientific"

  - Society back then were very religious and were afraid of scientific development as they feared what it would do to mankind, reflected by Lanyon.
• "The figure had no face"


  - Stevenson is creating a sense of evil that cannot be described.

  - Stevenson almost abolishes Hyde's humanity as he has "no face" and is referred to as a "figure".
• "If he be Mr Hyde... I shall be Mr Seek"


  - Stevenson is saying that there are actually two people in each of us (duality of human nature) which represents the good and bad sides of each of us shown by Jekyll and Hyde, who are 1 person.

  - This also demonstrates Utterson's persistence in wanting to find Mr Hyde.

  -Hyde's name is clearly a reference to the way that he is hidden and separated from the rest of society.

  - Stevenson presents Utterson with the voice of goodness/idealism whereas Hyde contrasts as he is the embodiment of evil and violence within the novel.
• "the fogged city moon... all hours of solitude or concourse"


  - The use of pathetic fallacy reflects the suspense within the novel at this point.

  - Stevenson uses pathetic fallacy to create mystery within the novel through the use of the dooming and haunting setting of midnight London.

  - The words "solitude" and "concourse" create a feeling of emptiness and aloneness as London is a massive city however is empty at midnight as most people sleep, except Hyde.
• "Mr Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath"


  - Verb "hissing" depicts Hyde as animalistic through zoomorphism as he is described as a snake, which has religious links to the Devil.
• "Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish"


  - The word "pale" has connotations with illness and disease, suggesting evil people are punished with illness.

  - The word "dwarfish" creates a sense of abnormality as Hyde doesn't fit in with Victorian society.
• "If ever I read Satan's signature upon a face"


  - Satan is a lead figure in evil and sin, this quote infers that Hyde embodies Satan and he has already been signed off to hell.

  - The sibilance of 'Satan's signature' creates a hissing sound like on of a snake, which has religious links with the devil.
• "a large, well-made, smoothed faced man of fifty"

  - Here we are given a physical description of Jekyll, which contrasts to the unpleasant description of Hyde and his "deformities".

  - Stevenson is using contrast to create mystery through the contrast of Jekyll and Hyde's appearances, even though they are physically the same person person.
• "but every mark of capacity and kindness"

  - This is a description of Jekyll's personality, which is similar to Utterson, but contrasts with Hyde, creating a sense of mystery as they both juxtapose.
• "And then all of a sudden, he broke out in a great flame of anger"


  - The use of the phrase "All of a sudden" illustrates Hyde's actions as unpredictable.

  - Stevenson uses a metaphor for hell through the use of "flame" to highlight Mr Hyde's devilish behaviour and emphasise his natural violence.
• "Mr Hyde broke out of all bounds"


  - Reflects Mr Hyde breaks out at all restraints in society, contrasting to Utterson's repressed desires.

  - The alliterative "b" sounds creates a harsh and aggressive tone, reflecting Hyde's brutality.
• "clubbed him to the earth... with ape-like fury"


  - Stevenson is showing Hyde's violence and animalistic nature through the simile of "ape-like", however suggests he's not yet evolved from animals.

  - The use of the violent verb "clubbed" indicates Hyde's barbaric actions, suggesting he has not evolved as he acts in a prehistoric manner (uncivilised behaviour), contrasting to the well-mannered Victorian gentlemen within the Victorian society.
• "The bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway"


  - Stevenson provides us with an in-depth, gory description of Carew's body parts being physically separated, allowing the reader to relive the deathly experience.

  - Stevenson is showing that everything human is "shattered" by the separation of evil from oneself.

  -The "shattered" bones is a symbol of Dr Jekyll's life crumbling and shattering due to Mr. Hyde taking over and empowering his strength.
• "It was two o'clock"

  - The fact Carew was murdered at this time relates back to the idea that everything evil happens in darkness.
• "Have the kindness to wait while I dress... he hurried through his breakfast"


  - Again, Stevenson is showing that Utterson still sticks to his routine in every situation, showing his commitment to fulfilling the role of a true Victorian gentleman.
• "The wind was continuously charging"


  - Wind is personified as violent, the morning after the murder of Carew, implying Hyde's evil nature is infecting everything around him.

  - Alliteration of "continuously charging" creates a harsh and violent tone, mirroring Hyde's barbaric actions.
• "Haunting sense of unexpressed deformity"


  - Hyde's appearance cannot be described clearly but only as "deformed", however his "deformities" cannot even be described.

  - This is emphasised through the repeated us of "deformity" throughout the novel.

  - The adjective "haunting" dehumanises Hyde as his appearance exerts great extents of fear.
• "even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly"


  - Fog appears again in the novel and it is getting thicker and lower, perhaps symbolising the evil in London and since the emergence of Hyde, the evil has gotten stronger, as the fog has become thicker.

  - Fog creates a sense of secrecy, suggesting Dr Jekyll is hiding something.
• "three dusty windows barred with iron"


  - Even though there are windows built, they have been "barred with iron", reinforcing Dr Jekyll's secrecy as they are not used for their purpose.

  - "Barred" suggests they are rigidly closed which could suggest something valuable/significant lies behind it, creating a sense of secrecy.

  - "Iron" is a strong metal reinforcing the significant power of protection.
• "Utterson locked the door"


  - This shows Utterson may be trying to hide something and suggests a sense of secrecy, which creates suspense and attracts the reader's attention as they are left with may unanswered questions.
• "He had his death warrant written legibly upon his face"


  - This metaphor is used to highlight the severity of Lanyon's illness and tells the reader death isn't far away from him, and that there is no escape from death now as Lanyon is exposed to the truth of Mr Hyde.

  - A "death warrant" is an official document ordering an execution, this foreshadows the death of Lanyon and Jekyll.

  - The use of "legibly" implies the death warrant was written clearly, suggesting that Stevenson is making it clear that when you are exposed to evil, it can end up killing you.
• "If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also"


  - Stevenson is warning us that you should not give into the dark side, and also shows how Jekyll is conflicted.

  - The sibilance of "sinners" and "sufferers" almost burns those words into the readers head showing how closely doing evil and receiving evil are linked.

  - This shows how Hyde is both a source of guilty pleasure, sinning, but also a form of torture for Jekyll as he suffers.
• " 'God forgive us, God forgive us,' said Mr Utterson"


  - Here, Utterson illustrates that they, in some way, feel like they have failed to save Jekyll from whatever has caused his 'abject terror' and fear.

  - Reference to religion shows their Victorian qualities as they do not want to disappoint God as Victorian gentleman.
• "the biting weather"

  - Violent verb "biting" portrays weather as animalistic through its merciless actions.

  - The weather mirrors Hyde's natural violence and predatory nature.
• "London hummed solemnly"


  - Here we can see that London is being personified and Stevenson is suggesting that London is two-faced like Jekyll/Hyde (duality).
• "The wind... tossed the light of the candle"


  - Here we can see that the "light" is being "tossed" by the wind, emphasising the strong winds, which may be associated with Mr Hyde and reflecting his aggressive nature.

  - The fact that "light" of the candle is now gone, suggests eternal darkness over London as Hyde's darkness/evilness has infected everyone and everything around it.

  - The verb "tossed" juxtaposes to evil as it not as violent as Hyde, leading to it being lost to Hyde's evil nature.
• "his face became suddenly black"


  - Here, we can see Dr Lanyon's reaction as he witnesses Hyde's transformation into Jekyll.

  - "Black" has connotations with evil, showing the darker side of human nature as Hyde infected Lanyon like a disease "suddenly", linking to the horrors of Gothic nature.
• "my arm raised to shield me from that prodigy"


  - Here we can see that Lanyon is still trying to protect his views on science and ignore Jekyll's "unscientific balderdash".

  - Stevenson is symbolising the Victorian's inability to accept things like this.

  - The use of "prodigy" highlights Lanyon's views on Jekyll's science and suggests he finds it threatening as he has to "shield" himself from it.