Jekyll

• “A name at least very well-known and often printed” - Ch 1

  • adverbial phrase - indicates how popular he is
  • adjective - shows he’s reputable (highly valued to Victorian Gentleman)
  • immediately opposes to Hyde
• “Henry Jekyll became too fanciful for me. He bagan to go wrong, wrong in mind” - Ch 2

  • repetition - emphasises how crazy he is and could allude to moral flaws
  • adjective - his science is too imaginative / illogical and goes against religion
• “Unscientific balderdash“ - Ch 2

  • noun - nonsense
  • links to victorian anxieties of science conflicting with religion and it going “too far”
• “was wild when he was young“ - Ch 2

  • Utterson
  • adjective - care free, possibly sinful
  • shows how Jekyll and Hyde aren’t so different
  • noun - could imply Hyde is the ‘young’ and ‘wild’ side of Jekyll that he left behind
• “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness“ - Ch 3

  • adjective (large) - juxtaposes to Hyde being “dwarfish”
  • shows he’s an archetype of a respectable, Victorian gentleman
  • adjective (slyish) - hint of evil / suspicion
  • adverb (perhaps) - possibility
• “The moment i choose, i can be rid of Mr Hyde“ - Ch 3

  • verb - confidence in his power
  • evidences how Jekyll is dominating over Hyde and that there is still time for him to liberate himself from the malevolent force of Hyde, before he gets imprisoned by his dark desires
• “Looking deathly sick“ - Ch 5

  • after Carew‘s murder
  • physical reaction - shows how he is unaware of his true strengths
  • adverb (deathly) - emphasises his fear of losing control
  • Jekyll’s power in the battle against Hyde is dwindling as he becomes to indulge more in the endeavours of Hyde
  • reputation - his fear of losing control could be due to he being anxious of losing his reputation if he’s caught to be linked to a killer
• “I swear to God i will never set eyes on him again“ - Ch 5

  • modal verb (will never) - emphasises certainty
  • results back to religion despite his science challenging everything that religion involves
• “I have had a lesson - O God, Utterson, what a lesson i have had“ - Ch 5

  • results back to religion despite his science challenging everything that religion involves
  • dash - emphasises shock
  • repetition of noun (lesson) - shows he’s learning from his mistakes and he's regretful
• “I am the chief of sinners, i am the chief of sufferers also“ - Ch 6

  • attempts to take away from the wrong he’s done by stressing the harm he’s suffered
  • noun (sinners) - christian belief of punishment for sins
  • nouns (sufferers) and (sinners) show an over the top comparison to satan and Jesus, he believes that everything is worse for him as he refers himself to ”chief”
  • advertises the dual nature of man - sinning is also dual as its rewarding as it involve in indulging in hedonistic desires, but it comes with punishment + therefore suffering
• “I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil, and the thought in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine“ - Ch 10

  • simile - intoxication
  • metaphor (sold a slave to my original evil) - Jekyll enjoys being evil and treats it like he’s powerless to stop
• “My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring“ - Ch 10

  • refers to Hyde as the devil - sinister
  • pronoun (my) - finally take ownership of Hyde
  • metaphor - confirms Hyde as a force of evil and something dangerous
  • makes reader question weather keeping evil trapped is actually good?
• “Yes, I preferred the elderly and discontented doctor, surrounded by friends and cherishing honest hopes; and bade a resolute farewell to the liberty, the comparative youth, the light step, leaping impulses and secret pleasures, that I had enjoyed in the disguise of Hyde” - Ch 10

  • begrudgingly chooses Jekyll
  • longer lists of positives for Hyde, compared to the shorter sentences for describing the pros of Jekyll
• “I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two“ - Ch 10

  • verb (doomed) - alludes to ecclesiastical judgement, he fears God and how he will be perceived in the eye of religious expectation
  • repetition of adverb (truly) - hints it’s coming from a place of rationality, implying his discovery was in fact the truth
  • noun (shipwreck) - presents the danger of his realisation, it hyperbolises that psychological suffering that he endured
  • shows duality of man
• “He, i say - i cannot say, i“ - Ch 10

  • Jekyll tries to distance himself and denies any responsibility for Hyde
  • Jekyll is dichotomous (divided into 2 parts) as he posses these 2 conflicting and dual sides to his nature. One is being a quintessential (perfect example) Victorian gentleman and the other showing his beastly, amoral side.
• • unorthodox - unconventional
  • manufactured
  • dichotomous - divided into 2
  • hedonistic - pursues pleasures
  • disillusioned with victorian society
• portrays Jekyll in a paradoxical (conflicting) and unorthodox manner to demonstrate the repressive and stifling nature of victorian norms - this highlights how societies expectations led to the creation of seemingly respectable gentlemen who were, in essence, manufactured and morally purified by these rigid social constructs
• As Jekyll is microcosmic for Victorian gentleman, juxtaposing Hyde's depravity, it reveals the ambiguity (vague) and blurred lines between morality and immorality in victorian society, as well as good and evil. This interconnection is used to mock how this 'progressive' society is in reality founded on hypocrisy, duality and suffering.
• • Stevenson's novella serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of moral purification in Victorian society which denies natural impulses and desires due to favouring simplistic moral absolutes. He suggests that the attempt to deny or eradicate this inherent duality is not only futile (pointless) but also detrimental to the individual and society as a whole
• “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness“ - Ch 3

  • Paradoxical description: The phrase "smooth-faced man of fifty" is unorthodox and perhaps even paradoxical as a fifty-year-old man would typically be etched with wrinkles and signs of age. The first tangible description of Jekyll paints him as almost artificial, he seems the archetype of a respectable gentleman yet almost to the extent where he seems manufactured.
• “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness“ - Ch 3

  • the noun 'kindness' illustrates why Utterson had such a natural liking with Jekyll, it was Jekylls supposed kindness that drew Utterson in, compelling him to forge a strong bond with Jekyll. However, the placement of the noun "mark" next to "kindness" foreshadows a hidden stain on Jekylls morality - he appears kind
• “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness“ - Ch 3

  • Foreshadowing: This flawless exterior foreshadows the bleak consequences of such repression. Jekyll's sanitised appearance becomes an ironic counterpoint to the barbaric Hyde lurking beneath, a monstrous reflection of the darkness he seeks to control and his morbid curiosity
• “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness“ - Ch 3

  • The unblemished facade suggests Jekyll's mastery of social performance symbolises the conflict between surface appearances and deeper realities. He can suppress aspects of himself deemed unacceptable, alike to his later fascination with indulging darker desires, without raising suspicion
• “I am the chief of sinners, i am the chief of sufferers also“ - Ch 6

  • alliteration of "sinners" and "suffers" blurs the distinction between these concepts, suggesting an intertwined relationship. As Jekyll is microcosmic for Victorian gentleman, it reveals the ambiguity (vague) and blurred lines between morality and immorality in Victorian society, as well as good and evil. This interconnection ridicules how this 'progressive' society is in reality founded on hypocrisy, duality and suffering.
• “I am the chief of sinners, i am the chief of sufferers also“ - Ch 6

  • Jekyll's internal struggle, embodying both "sinner" and "sufferer," epitomises this paradox (contradiction). He battles with indulging in his sinful darker desires while undergoing the suffering imposed by societal repression in Victorian society.
• “I am the chief of sinners, i am the chief of sufferers also“ - Ch 6

  • Despite Jekyll's religious transgressions (going against) in his pursuit of "scientific balderdash," he acknowledges he is still subject to divine condemnation. The biblical allusion to hell, embedded in the term "sinner," accentuates that despite his defiance and rejection of societal norms, he remains accountable to God's judgement.
• “I am the chief of sinners, i am the chief of sufferers also“ - Ch 6

  • This inner turmoil reflects the Victorian struggle between scientific progress and religious faith. Despite the growing disillusionment with the rise of scientific theories, the judgement of God was inescapable and still prevalent in society
• “My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring“ - Ch 10

  • verb "caged' not only signifies societal and religious repression but also perpetuates the theme of suffering and toxic austerity (strictness).
  • verbs "caged" and "roaring" carries animalistic allusions linking with Darwinism. This critiques the suppression of these primal and hedonistic urges by societal norms and religious principles, reflecting the ongoing battle between civilisation and primal instincts
• “My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring“ - Ch 10

  •   Zoomorphism - Jekyll's degenerate (corrupt and backwards) desires are symbolically portrayed as "roaring," a zoomorphic description that hints at a deeper exploration of his descent into his primitive form. Societal constraints compel him to suppress these desires, leading to the emergence of a beastly, animalistic force, personified through Hyde.
• “My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring“ - Ch 10

  •   His transmogrification (change in a surprising way) into the evil "devil" of Hyde, was because of his indulgence into pleasure was incoherent with the expectations of his society thus he was forced to resort to secrecy - this in itself is an oxymoron as dishonesty is incompatible with the blueprint of a respectable gentleman.