Dr Lanyon Quotations

“He began to go wrong, wrong in the mind”

• The repetition of “wrong” emphasises the extent of which Lanyon’s mental state has deteriorated

• The phrase “do wrong” suggests a gradual breakdown

• Lanyon’s deterioration contrasts with his previously scientific minded personality

“unscientific balderdash”

• The adjective “unscientific” reveals Lanyon’s commitment to scientific principles

• The noun “balderdash” means nonsense, explaining his disapproval of Jekyll’s experiments

• Lanyon represents Victorian science, which values evidence, and knowledge

"I have had a shock and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks."

• His reaction to seeing Hyde transform back to Dr Jekyll

• “Never” emphasises the permanent and irreversible consequences of Lanyon’s experiences

• Anticipating his death

• Lanyon is a man of science who relies on logic and evidence, yet he has encountered something that completely overwhelms his rational understanding

“Shipwreck of my reason”

• describes Lanyons mind → no longer functions, ruined beyond saving

• “Ship wreck” implies disaster, chaos and the loss of something previously stable

• “My” emphasises how personal the destruction is

• split into two

• mystery and disappearance

• nothing is in place; feels chaotic, like the waves