Characters Flashcards
How does stevenson present Entfield
Stevenson presents Enfield as a dandy or flâneur - a wealthy man who cares deeply about his appearance, spends most of his time socialising, and potentially enjoys (vicariously or otherwise) seeking forbidden pleasures in less salubrious parts of the city.
How does stevenson present Utterson
He is a conflicted individual who represses aspects of his character, representing the duality of the Victorian gentleman: whilst he is a man of ‘custom’ and habit’, is ‘undemonstrative’, ‘unobtrusive’, ‘austere’, and ‘grave’, his secret ‘envy’ of the passionate ‘misdeeds’ of others motivates him more than his desire to protect them.
Stevenson frequently uses verbs that suggest Utterson’s internal struggle as well as his desire to uncover the truth: brooded’, ‘ruminated’, ‘gazed’, ‘reflected’, ‘debating’, ‘toiling’, besieged’, ‘preoccupied’, ‘disquieted’.
Stevenson repeatedly focuses our attention on the physical fear and repulsion experienced by Utterson — ‘shudder in his blood’, blood ran cold’, ‘froze [his] very blood’, ‘chill of horror’, ‘quailed’, ‘nausea’ - in order to amplify the overwhelming impact of Hyde’s monstrosity, as well as the unsettling events and circumstances of the case.
How does stevenson present Lanyon
Stevenson juxtaposes Lanyon and Jekyll by having Jekyll tell Utterson he is a hidebound pedant’, implying he is overly cautious, and Lanyon berate Jekyll’s ‘unscientific balderdash’.
How does Stevenson present Hyde as the opposite of Jekyll
Hyde is a warped reflection of the Victorian gentleman: his crimes are a ‘career’ parallel to the professions of the other characters; his Soho quarters are ‘ransacked’ but ‘furnished with luxury and good taste; ultimately, he ends his life symbolically right in the middle of the ‘most commonplace’ scene of domestic life - a lamp, a fire, papers, and a tea set -
mirroring the quiet, closeted places inhabited by the other characters, and revealing their complicity in his evil.
How is Hyde presented throughout the play
Hyde’s indescribable deformity is referred to repeatedly throughout the novella by all the characters, but is never detailed by the narrator. Stevenson frequently uses hellish semantics to describe him: ‘damned’, ‘wicked’, ‘evil’, ‘hellish’, ‘child of hell’, like Satan’, ‘my devil’. He is a ‘troglodytic’ subhuman or ‘savage’, ‘ape-like’ beast that snarls and hisses - he is utterly ‘abnormal and misbegotten’.
How does stevenson present Jekyll
Although he is an established and respected scientist like Lanyon, Jekyll is drawn to the ‘mystic and transcendental’ aspects of his profession. This is driven by his belief in the ‘primitive duality of man’, and his own personal desire to find a way to enable the ‘separation’ of the good and evil within him, so that both can be housed in separate identities’. He desires this so that he can freely enjoy the ‘undignified’ and ‘monstrous’ pleasures that he has so far ‘concealed’, without any consequences for his good reputation.
Analyse Gabriel Utterson’s name
The name Gabriel links to the angel of the same name. Gabriel is characterised variously as a messenger, interpreter, watcher, and guardian.
However, Stevenson’s choice of surname
- to ‘utter’ means to speak something revealing - is purposefully ironic: Utterson is professionally and personal entrusted with others’ secrets, but as often as he exudes a ‘rich silence’ or chides others’ socially indelicate remarks with an admonishing “tut tut!”, he seems compelled to know more about the dark truths hidden by those close to him.
Analyse Edward Hyde’s name
Hyde’s name clearly signals that he embodies secrecy, disguise, and concealment; arguably, it also reinforces our impression of his animalistic appearance. Given Hyde’s warped reflection of gentlemanly values, this could further imply that Hyde’s outwardly monstrous appearance - his ‘hide’ - captures the horrific reality of the Victorian gentleman, which normally remains hidden behind a thin veneer of outward respectability.
Analyse Henry Jekyll’s name
It seems likely that Stevenson intended Jekyll’s name to signify his self-destruction: je’ in French meaning ‘T’ and ‘kyll’ obviously resembling the word kill’. This also connects to his belief in the ‘duality of man’ and his desire to conquer the ‘fortress of identity’ - the genteel façade of the ego that conceals the monstrous id beneath.
Analyse Hastie Lanyon’s name
To be ‘hasty’ means to act quickly, without due consideration or care. Like Utterson, Stevenson’s choice here seems to be ironic: Lanyon is a dutiful and cautious scientist.
Analyse Mr Guest’s name
Guest’s name sounds a little like a placeholder - something temporary, insignificant, and lacking familiarity. Ironically, he is trusted deeply by Utterson, who keeps ‘fewer secrets’ from him than other men, and the two seem friendly:
