Jekyll and Hyde

• Key charachters

  • Mr Utterson
  • A respectable lawyer
  • symbolises honesty
  • acts as moral compass
  • Dr Jekyll
  • Seemingly reputable doctor
  • symbolises repression
  • and insatiable curiosity
  • Mr Hyde
  • Dr Jekyll's evil doppelganger
  • symbolises man's basal instincts
  • Dr Lanyon
  • Well respected member of the scientific community
  • symbolises reputability
  • acts as foil to Dr Jekyll
  • Poole
  • Dr Jekyll's butler
  • symbolises loyalty
  • Sir Danvers Carew
  • MP and member of high society
  • death symbolises Hyde's disregard for conventional authority
  • Mr Enfield
  • Mr Utterson's cousin
  • key to the theme of repression and silence
• The story:

  1. Mr Enfield tells Mr Utterson about a young girl who was violently trampled on by an evil looking man, Mr Hyde
  2. Later discovers his friend, Dr Jekyll is Mr Hyde's friend
  3. Utterson visits their mutual friend, Dr Lanyon to ask for opinion
• The story:

  4. Lanyon tells Utterson that he no longer speaks to Jekyll over scientific differences

  5. A year later a maid witness Sir Danvers Care, an MP, be beaten to death by Mr Hyde in an unprovoked attack

  6. Lanyon gives Utterson a letter with instructions to not open it before Jekyll is dead, Lanyon soon dies of shock soon after

  7. Poole visits Utterson and decides to break down door of laboratory
• The story:

  8. Doing so they find Hyde's body and a letter written by Dr Jekyll to Utterson

  9. Lanyon's letter says that Hyde came to his house and then drank a potion which caused him to transform into Jekyll

  10. Jekyll's letter contains his confessions that he developed a drug which caused him to transform into Hyde, and evil side

  11. He then found himself unable to turn back and loosing control

  12. running out of original drug which he could not recreate

  13. He knows that after writing the letter he would no longer be able to turn back into Jekyll
• Scene 1:

  • first introduction to Hyde
  • shapes our perception
  • "The street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood"
  • establishes theme of duality
  • metaphor for the division seen in Stevenson's contemporary Edinburgh
  • Sibilance in ' street shone ' implies presents of duality poses an underlying threat
• Scene 1:

  • "Some damned Juggernaut"
  • Satanic connotations of ' damned ' are juxtaposed against the omnipotent connotation of ' Juggernaut '
  • Hyde is unrestricted by conventional ideas of religious morality
• Scene 1:

  • "Something displeasing, something downright detestable"
  • repetition of ' something ' implies Hyde is more of a thing than a being
  • repeating harsh ' d ' to introduce Hyde as a force of evil
• Scene 1 :

  • "a strong feeling of deformity"
  • ambiguity created by ' feeling ' establishes uncertainty around Hyde
  • Stevenson's characterisation of Hyde as mysterious is a detective novel convention he has borrowed in his work of gothic fiction
• Scene 2:

  • Stevenson creates a sense of foreboding by introducing Dr Jekyll in the context of his will
  • "All his possessions were to pass into the hands of his 'friend and benefactor Edward Hyde"
  • Foreshadows Jekyll's ruin
  • Links Hyde to Jekyll's death from the outset
  • By giving Jekyll qualifications "Henry Jekyll, M.D., D.C.L., L.L.D., F.R.S., ect."
  • Hi high ranks and respectability is shown
  • Aligned with conventional expectations of a Victorian Gentleman
• Scene 3:

  • Lanyon reveals his opinion of Jekyll, further intriguing Utterson aswell as the reader
  • "Cavendish square, that citadel of medicine"
  • Lanyon is presented as a reliable source due to the description of where he lives
  • Contrasts Jekyll's living conditions
  • "Tramps slouched into the recess"
  • "Unscientific balderdash"
  • Jekyll and Hyde was written in 1885 and Darwin's theory of evolution was published in 1859
  • Scientific views where contentious and therefore the "little spirit of temper" was probably more significant than it was deemed to be due to the discontent at the time
• Scene 4

  • First act of evil that the reader witnesses
  • "ape-like fury"
  • simile as an animalistic connotation
  • alludes to Darwinism
  • "this will make a deal of noise"
  • metaphorical language
  • Hyde disregards Carew's high status in his act of violence
  • shows Victorian society's preoccupation with rank
• Scene 5:

  • few details of Lanyon leading to mystery
  • implicates Jekyll further
  • "He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face"
  • fatalistic connotations
  • impression of foreboding
  • metaphor which fulfils gothic convention
  • "Utterson could not trust his eyes"
  • characters being betrayed by senses is a typical gothic trope and adds to mystery
  • Significant to Utterson as he was represented as rationality
• Scene 6:

  • Climax of novella
  • All fears and suspicions relieved
  • Catharsis
  • "A dismal screech as of mere animal terror, rang from the cabinet"
  • 'screech'
  • auditory imagery
  • connotes an owl
  • animal commonly featured in gothic literature
  • 'mere animal terror'
  • reduces both Jekyll and Hyde to a creature of instinct
  • leaving it as their legacy
  • "the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching
  • harsh consonants 'contorted'
  • continuous verb 'twitching'
  • shows discomfort in death and sits uncomfortably with reader
• Scene 7

  • first scene in which true identity of Hyde is revealed
  • "Like a man restored from death - there stood Henry Jekyll"
  • religious connotations or resurrection contrasts previous scenes which emphasis amoral content of the novel
  • "my soul sickened"
  • alliterative sibilance
  • horrific consequences of Jekyll's reveal to Lanyon
• Scene 8

  • Acts as confession
  • Most significant chapter
  • "compound man's duality"
  • links to theme of repression and shows Jekyll's awareness of the duality present in human nature
  • "Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil"
  • embodiment of all the evil in Jekyll's character
  • 'alone in the ranks of mankind'
  • links to themes of isolation
  • Jekyll felt isolated in his role of typical Victorian Gentleman
• Structure:

  • text is ordered so that the reader is disclosed information at the same time as Mr Utterson
• Structure:

  • follows conventional dramatic structure
  • Exposition
  • introduces main character and setting
  • Mr Hyde trampling girl
• Structure:

  • follows conventional dramatic structure
  • Rising action
  • events of the story increase in intensity and more conflict is introduced
  • contents of Jekyll's will is revealed and Utterson confronts him
• Structure:

  • follows conventional dramatic structure
  • Climax
  • conflict reaches a peak
  • Carew's murder leads to Jekyll's laboratory door being broken into
• Structure:

  • follows conventional dramatic structure
  • Falling action
  • gradually characters deal with conflict and it is resolved
  • true identity of Hyde revealed
• Structure:

  • follows conventional dramatic structure
  • Denouement
  • truth revealed conflict resolved
  • Jekyll's end letter
• Form:

  Detective fiction

  • title suggests scientific case
  • however it revolves around peoples lives and friendships
  • subverts readers expectations
  • Form of novel is similar to a conventional detective novel
  • crime at beggining, leaves trail of clues, case is solved
  • Stevenson manipulates genre revealing criminals name from beggining but keeping true identity secret
  • Plot twist included in Jekyll's confession
• Form:

  Narration

  • Narrated by three different voices which slowly unravels mystery
  • chapter 1-8 focus on Mr Utterson's detective skills
  • Written in 3rd person
  • reliable narrator
  • reinforces Utterson's character of educated and rational
  • Chapter 9
  • in form of letter by Dr. Lanyon
  • First person
  • Unreliable narrator
  • Foreshadows upcoming irrational events
  • ending
  • first person letter written by Jekyll
  • summarises previous event from own point of view
  • sympathy toward Jekyll
  • emphasis Non-linear narrative form of novel
• Form:

  Epistolary form

  • By including letters in narration
  • use of documents and letters increase tension by adding impressions of investigation
  • Used in Frankenstein
  • documents could be seen as more trustworthy becuase they appear more factual
• Context:

  Religion

  • Religious allusion
  • at the time majority of the population was religious
  • referencing the most influential book at the time (bible)
  • Stevenson uses symbolism
  • invokes intense feeling of tradition and history
  • makes text appear more serious
  • adds power
  • solidifies theme of religion vs. science with in the text
  • ensures reader is aware of juxtaposition within their own society
• Context:

  Religion

  • Transmorphism = development of one thing to another
  • changing state is key in the test - Jekyll and Hyde
  • Victorian era was heavily religious and would have focused on biblical reading of transmorphism to asses morality
  • it is mentioned in the bible
  • implies that only Christ has the power to perform change in society and is only positive
  • Jekyll and Hyde disregard sentiment when Jekyll changes himself without Christs input and for destruction and detrimental reasons
• Context:

  Religion

  • Stevenson's attitude
  • Stevenson was exposed to both science and religion through his family
  • His father was a Calvinist
  • a type of Protestantism based on John Calvin's teachings
  • Calvinism frustrated Stevenson cause it required perfection which was impossible
  • he believed it was hypocritical
  • when Stevenson rejected religion his father was angry causing great emotion pain in Stevenson
• Context:

  Religion

  • Religion on characters
  • Stevenson's characters where heavily impacted by religion
  • Utterson's schedule is according to the church bells
  • "until the clock of the neighbouring church rang out the hour of twelve"
  • Jekyll previously was religious
  • "He was now no less distinguished for religion
  • Jekyll goes to god for redemption
  • "had fallen upon his knees and lifter his clasped hands to God"
• Context:

  Religion

  • Changing religious beliefs
  • over course of 1800s many began to be squeptical of spirituality and religion
  • industrial revolution - material comfort came to replace spirituality and religion
  • urbanisation - massive shift in routine and general living, religious attitudes changed
  • Strauss wrote Das Leben Jesu, criticised Christian teachings about Jesus, many Victorians lost their faith
  • Church loosing influence in society
  • changing role of religion would have led to great anxiety with Stevenson manipulates in writing
• Context:

  Science

  • Science and tech on society
  • Development of technolofy and other scientific discoveries led to great improvement in everyday lives of the population
  • brought new era of prosperity
  • population skyrocketed
  • railway network expanded giving access to new places
  • exports grew
• Context:

  Science

  • Darwinism
  • evolution occurs through natural selection
  • fear of scientific development going against religion - rise in atheism
  • Stevenson plays on ideas of degeneration and devolution giving Hyde ape-like and caveman features
  • "troglodyte"
  • regression to primitive and violent stage of development
• Context:

  Science

  • Scientific procedure
  • 2 doctors in novel
  • Stevenson's background in medicine
  • much of language and premise are relevant to medical procedures
  • When Mr Hyde comes to Lanyon's house to collect materias to turn back to Dr Jekyll, he is recieved in consulting room
  • chapter nine letter is written in a very characteristic medical way
  • Dr Lanyon turns Mr Hyde into a case, treating him as an insane patient
• Context:

  Psychology and Sigmund Freud

  • Hyde represents someone completely controlled by the id, whereas Jekyll represents ego
  • conflict between id and ego, includes information relevant to readers at the time due to Freud's work becoming very popular
• Context:

  Psychology and Sigmund Freud

  • Victorians where obsessed with supernatural
  • Sigmund Fraud was a neurologist centring work on human behaviour and mental illness
  • Many belived Freud's structural theory of the mind
  • The Id
  • primitive and instinctual part of the psyche
  • contained hidden sexual and agressive desires
  • the superego
  • an individual's moral conscience
  • the ego
  • outward version of a person a balance between the id and the superego
  • neutral ground which balances both
• Context:

  Gothic

  • Fin de siècle
  • refers to end of nineteenth century
  • people belived new century would bring great anxiety dur to the unknown
  • fear surrounding rapid changing society
• Context:

  Gothic

  • Literary Context
  • Darwin's theory of evolution was seen at odds to creationism
  • polar opposites meant people thought they had to choose
  • led to a rejection of religion
  • led to fears in unknown which is reflected in contemporary gothic literature
• Context:

  Gothic

  • key characteristics
  • references supernatural
  • reflects unknown
  • intense emotion heightened by foreboding atmosphere
  • creates fear in reader by indicating breakdown of rationality
  • concept of madness and insanity
  • mental ilness historically demonised in mainstream society
  • madness used to evoke fear due to lack of understanding
  • often an 'evil' character, who links to supernatural
  • not bound by morals or dictated by society and can act in any way the like
  • this is unpredictable which creates terror
• Context:

  Gothic

  • Jekyll and Hyde
  • little inclusion of women
  • normally they are victims to the evil but this is only seen with the maid in chapter 4 who informs police of Carew's murder
• Context:

  Gothic

  • Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
  • clear blend of realism and fantasy
  • makes charachters realistic yet also creates terror and suspense
• Context:

  Gothic

  • Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
  • 'urban gothic' creates an intense atmosphere as the cityscape is used as the psychological focus
  • "A great chocolate-covered pall lowered over heaven"
  • 'pall' creates a theatrical scene, also links to funerals, cloth lain over coffins
  • 'heaven' could suggest death of good within the novel, links to murders previous