All Characters

Who is Poole?

Jekylls butler

What does Poole represent?

The class system as well as repression and loyalty

How does Poole treat Jekyll’s secrets?

Keeps them

At the end of the novella Poole waits a week to go and see Utterson when he is concerned about Jekyll. Why?

His repressed state and concern for Jekylls good reputation

How does Poole feel about Hyde?

He is scared and disgusted by him
In Chp 8 he changes the pronouns he uses for Hyde from ‘he/him’ to ‘it'/that’

What do Pooles descriptions of Hyde reduce him to?

Something not human. His descriptions of Hyde would play to the Victorian readers fears of rising crime, urban terror and the ‘beast in man’

Who is Inspector Newcomen?

The police inspector sent to investigate the murder of Carew

When Newcomen discovers the victim is upper class, how does he react?

His ‘eye lighted up with professional ambition’ - a selfish reaction, if he solves the case he will be assured a promotion - mirrors the selfish nature we see in major characters

Utterson chooses not to tell Newcomen that he recognises the murder weapon. Why?

Utterson is protecting Jekyll, a friend
Shows the distrust in the police - set up in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, they were nicknamed ‘Peelers’

What does Hydes housekeeper look after?

Hydes apartment in Soho - nothing to do with Jekylls staff at his house

Hydes housekeeper has a face that is ‘smoothed by hiposcrisy? What does this show?

Appearance vs reality. We have one face that we show the public by may behave completely different behind closed doors

How else is the Housekeepers hipocritical nature presented?

She finds pleasure in Hyde’s misfortunes - like major characters, she is flawed. Also reinforces how hated Hyde is

Who is the Sawbones?

The doctor called to help the young girl in Enfields story

How is the Sawbones presented?

Respectable, educated and sensible. We are told he is ‘about as emotional as a bagpipe’

How is the Sawbones affected by Hyde?

He is visibly affected by Hyde. This is significant, everyone has a reaction when they see Hyde

Are there any major female characters? Why?

No
The fact that there are no major female characters and all the male characters are single could mean that Stevenson is exploring homosexuality
Also reflects the patriachal nature of Victorian society

How are women presented in the novella?

As hysterical and overly emotional~
The family of the girl are ‘as wild as harpies’ - harpies were monsters with a female head and body but came to mean unpleasant, but Enfield and the Sawbones are shown to be able to control their emotions
The maid who witnesses Carews murder faints

Their is only one woman who is presented differently. Who is she and why?

Hydes housekeeper
She doesnt have a positive representation either. She is hipocritical and enjoys others misery
The difference is the location, she is in Soho which is associated with poverty and prostitution

What is Utterson’s profession?

Lawyer

Who are Utterson’s close friends from school?

Lanyon and Jekyll

What is Utterson’s role in the novella?

He is the ‘detective’, he is the readers ‘eyes and ears’

The reader never knows more than…

Utterson does

Does Utterson have a small or large circle of friends?

Small

Is Utterson a typical man of the era?

Yes

What class is Utterson likely to be in?

As a lawyer, upper middle. Not as rich as Jekyll or Lanyon

Utterson - Adjective - nervous or timid

Shy

Utterson - Adjective - concerned with the principles of right and wrong

moral

Utterson - Adjective - showing firm and constant support

Loyal

Utterson - Adjective - capable of clear, sound reasoning

Logical

Utterson - Adjective - restrained or oppressed

Repressed

Utterson - Adjective - eager to learn or know something

Curious

Utterson - Adjective - regarded by society to be good/proper

Respectable

Utterson - Themes - Repression

Utterson is curious but is very controlled (unlike Lanyon and Jekyll)
E.g. not opening the letter, doesn’t drink or go to the theatre
But why?, what happened in his past?
Used to explore potential effects of repression

Utterson - Themes - Duality

He is the opposite of Enfield - quiet, controlled
Also opposite of Lanyon and Jekyll - doesn’t let his curiosity overcome him

Utterson - Themes - Friendship

Is trusted by his friends with secrets and they seek his opinion

Utterson - Themes - Loyalty

Keeps a good friendship with Jekyll even when he disagrees with his private activities
Maintains a good relationship with all characters except Hyde
Loyal to Lanyon - doesn’t open the letter until Jekylls death

Utterson - Themes - Temptation

Able to control his temptation, unlike Jekyll and Lanyon

Utterson - Themes - Curiosity

Able to control his curiosity, unlike Jekyll and Lanyon
But, Utterson is curious and the reader is curios about him
Why is he so intent on repressing his curiosity. Does he not trust himself?

Utterson - Themes - Reputation

Values the importance of a good reputation
Concerned with Jekylls reputation, wants to preserve it

Does Stevenson employ dramatic irony?

No, we only ever know what Utterson does

How does Stevenson use Utterson to heighten mystery and suspense?

Hints, clues and methods such as foreshadowing are layed out for him (and therefore us) to piece together, it also means we feel closest to Utterson and trust him

What is Lanyon’s profession?

Doctor / scientist

What class is Lanyon in?

Upper

Is Lanyon an example of a Victorian Gentleman?

Yes

Who are Lanyon’s closest friends?

Jekyll and Utterson

Lanyon - Adjective - doing or tending to do what one wants, especially when this involves pleasure or idleness

Self - indulgent

Lanyon - Adjective - existing in or as part of a tradition

Traditional

Lanyon - Adjective - restrained or oppressed

Repressed

Lanyon - Adjective - having or displaying an overly critical point of view

Judgemental

Lanyon - Adjective - Based on logic, reason or sound judgement

Rational

Lanyon - Adjective - the capacity to learn, understand and reason

Intelligent

Lanyon - Theme - Duality

Lanyon is ‘red-faced’ perhaps a bit of a drinker, a stark contrast to Utterson who ‘drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages’

Lanyon - Theme - Friendship / Loyalty

Only other person in the novella who has known Jekyll and Utterson for as long
Known eachother for about 40 years (given they are in their 50s)
May explain why both Utterson and Lanyon show loyalty to Jekyll at different points in the novella

Lanyon - Theme - Secrecy

Despite his shock and subsequent death, Lanyon remains loyal to Jekyll and refuses to reveal the truth
Refuses to share the nature of his disagreement with Jekyll
His refusal to reveal the truth leads to his demise

Lanyon - Theme - Temptation / Curiosity

Despite being repressed he succumbs to his ‘greed of curiosity’ and sees Jekyll transform, leading to his death
Lanyons curiosity is rewarded with horror - represents the dangers of science and how it is somehow best left unknown
He is a foil - opposite to the repressed Utterson who does not give into his curiosity

Lanyon - Theme - Reputation

A foil to Jekylls ‘unscientific balderdash’, Lanyon is a respected doctor who conforms to the traditional feats of medicine

Refuses to sacrifice his reputation to pursue Jekyll in his pursuits of science
Keeps Jekylls secret, too horrific for the reputable outside world

Lanyon - Theme - Repression

Embodies the rational, strict, conventional boundaries of Victorian society
Refuses to believe in the supernatural after seeing Jekylls transformation
His inability to process new information leads to his death

What divides Lanyon and Jekyll?

Science - They lose contact because Lanyon does not agree with his untraditional pursuit of science. But after seeing his transformation this impatience turns into fear and abhorrence

Lanyon represents traditional values. How does he represent the consequences of this?

He represents the dangers of never challenging the status quo. Whilst Jekyll pushes the boundaries too far, Lanyon is far too restricted to new ideas, both of them die due to these issues

What is Jekyll’s profession?

Doctor

What is Jekyll’s approach to science?

He wants to explore the ‘transcendental’ side of science - supernatural side

What class is Jekyll in?

Upper

Is Jekyll a Victorian gentleman?

Yes

Jekyll - Adjective - willing to talk and engage in activities with other people

Sociable

Jekyll - Adjective - regarded by society to be good and proper

Respectable

Jekyll - Adjective - having an abundance of money and assets

Wealthy

Jekyll - Adjective - having or characterized by a fundamental weakness

Flawed

Jekyll - Adjective - Excessively proud or confident

Hubristic

Jekyll - Adjective - inclined to conceal feelings and intentions

Secretive

Jekyll - Theme - Repression

Jekylls repressed animalistic instincts (id) take a personified form in Hyde - repressing these urges only makes them stronger
Jekyll must repress his sinful side in order to fit into the rigid Victorian society
Jekyll shows that constant repression is unhealthy - he feels ‘tortured’ by his struggle and eventually surrenders to Hyde

Jekyll - Theme - Duality

Jekyll is a respectable, sociable Victorian man whereas Hyde is his supressed primal instincts
Jekyll is handsome and refined, Hyde is described as animalistic and deformed
Jekylls front door is respectable, the back door (used by hyde) is ‘blistered and distained’

Jekyll - Theme - Secrecy

Hides his primative desires in order to maintain his reputation
His lab which is left locked represents his hidden, dark actions
Hyde uses a seperate house to allow him to use Hyde without ruining his reputation
Jekylls confession is in a letter - a symbol used for secrecy
His secret life as Hyde eventually overcomes in and leads to his death

Jekyll - Theme - Temptation

His repression of his id eventually leads Jekyll to give into temptation and seperate his primative desires, this initial repression stems from a rigid society
His transformations into Hyde become addictive and he loses control
After managing to handle his temptation for 2 months, he gives in and uses the potion, this transformation leads to the murder of Carew

Jekyll - Theme - Reputation

Jekylls obsession with reputation but also his desires to do wrong lead to the creation of Hyde, he has to seperate them in order to fit into Victorian society
Those surrounding Jekyll choose not to get involved in his pursuit of science due to they themselves fearing their reputation will be ruined

Jekyll is a metaphor for all of humanity? How?

He is an exaggerated version of humans and their flaws, his creation of Hyde is a metaphor for humanitys temptation to indulge in sin as it is more appealing than the ‘right path’

Jekyll suffers from overeaching ambition and hubris. What does this lead to him doing?

Pushing scientific boundaries and in doing so he plays God by creating life. This is shown by small details like day becoming night in Chp 4

What does Jekyll show about humanitys choice to sin?

It is our choice how far we let temptation take us but it is natural to be tempted

How does Jekyll warn readers of excessive ambtion?

Much like Dr Frankenstein (1818), they are both scientists who push the limits of science. Their reckless actions lead to the downfalls

Why might we feel sorry for Jekyll?

He ends up a prisoner in his own home, enslaved to his own experiments and has a piteous end. This is perhaps the biggest warning Stevenson can give his readers

Who is Hyde?

Jekyll’s alter ego

What is Hyde?

The personification of evil

Hyde - Adjective - using or innvolving physical force to inflict harm

Violent

Hyde - Adjective - Acts in a reclusive, primative manner

Troglodytic

Hyde - Adjective - preying naturally on others

Predatory

Hyde - Adjective - something harmful that develops gradually

Insidious

Hyde - Adjective - behaviour intending to cause harm or fear

Threatening

Hyde - Adjective - something too unusual to describe with words

Indescribable

Hyde - Theme - Duality

Hyde is the personification of Jekyll’s deepest, darkest desires. By seperating this part of himself, he intensifies Hydes evil
He is small, ‘pale and dwarfish’, ‘ape-like’ and ‘troglodytic’ - a contrast to the refined Dr Jekyll

Hyde - Theme - Temptation

Unleashes repressed desires
Animalistic - representing the desire to leave human morality and act solely on his id
Represents the allure of liberty - Jekyll becomes addicted to turning into him to the point Hyde becomes stronger than Jekyll

Hyde - Theme - Evil

He is the personification of evil
He is 100% evil, Jekyll has seperated the entirety of his primative desires to create Hyde
Represents the Victorian fears of regression, he is the ‘beast in man’ and also represents growing feasr of urban terror due to a growing population

Hyde - What does Hyde show the Victorian readership?

That everyone has the potential to give into instinctive desires and commit heinous actions

How is Hydes appearance presented?

He is a less evolved, less civilised and savage version of a human

Why would Hyde have both terrified and fascinated Victorian readers?

Terrified - played into fears of regression, the beast in man and urban terror
Fascinated - ‘freak of nature’ shows were very popular at the time

Hyde is a hyperbolic metaphor. How?

Stevenson uses him to warn against things that were problematic in Victorian society. Excessive repression, secrecy and an obsession with reputation. A warning that seems very accurate given the arrival of Jack the Ripper 2 years later

Who is Enfield?

Uttersons cousin

How is Enfield a contrast to Utterson?

He is sociable, fashionable and popular, unlike Utterson

Is Enfield a Victorian gentleman?

Yes

Enfield - Adjective - willing to talk and engage in activities with other people

Sociable

Enfield - Adjective - regarded by society to be good

Respectable

Enfield - Adjective - inclined to conceal feelings or intentions

Secretive