Dr Jekyll Quotations

“like some disconsolate prisoner”

• Simile → Jekyll compares himself to a prisoner, suggesting that he has become trapped by his own actions

• implies he no longer has his own identity

• “Disconsolate” means deeply unhappy or unable to be comforted

• “Prisoner” suggests a lack of freedom and control

• Jekyll originally created Hyde to escape the restrictions of his respectable identity, but eventually becomes imprisoned by Hyde instead

“my life, my honour, my reason, are all at your mercy”

• repetion, rule of three - alot at state

• “My” makes the appeal personal and suggests Jekyll has everything to lose

• “Honour” is particularly significant because Victorian gentlemen placed importance on reputation

• ‘Mercy” suggests Jekyll believes Langdon has the power to save him

“if you fail me tonight i am lost”

• Its all his fault if it goes wrong

• “If” establishes the possibility of Jekyll’s complete destruction

• “Lost” suggests that Jekyll has reached a point from which their is no escape

• “Tonight” creates urgency and increases dramatic tension

“Man in not truly one, but truly two”

• “The juxtaposition between “one” and “two” reflects Jekyll’s belief that human nature is divided between good and evil

• The repetition of “truly” emphasises his conviction that duality is an essential part of human identity”

• Stevenson presents Jekyll as a character who challenges the Victorian belief that respectable people should maintain a singe, morally pure identity

“I concealed my pleasures”

• The verb “concealed” suggests secrecy and deliberate deception

• The plural noun “pleasures” implies that Jekyll has multiple desires that he considers inappropriate or unacceptable

• Jekyll’s need to hide his behaviour reflects the strict expectations of Victorian society, in which reputation and respectability were extremely important

“My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring”

• The metaphor of a “caged” devil presents Jekyll’s evil nature as an imprisoned animal

• The verb “caged” suggests that Jekyll has attempted to control his darker impulses rather than eliminate them

• The violent verb “roaring” conveys the uncontrollable power of his repressed desires once they are released

• The contrast between imprisonment and freedom suggests that Jekyll’s attempt to separate his personalities ultimately makes his darker side more dangerous