Jekyll Flashcards
Write down quotes describing Jekyll (2)
‘Large well-made man , smooth-faced of fifty … every mark of capacity and kindness - you could see by his looks’
‘… every mark of capacity and kindness you could see by his looks’
This description of Jekyll make his connection to Hyde seem impossible.
Write down a quote linking Jekyll to Hyde. Theme of duality
“The large handsome face of Dr Jekyll grew pale to the lips, and there became a blackness about his eyes.”
Jekyll’s change of demeanour is distrublingly quick, almost as if the concealed part of him is pulsing deep within him. the juxtaposition of Jekyll’s “handsome” face with his “pale” lips and black eyes shows that the man’s dual nature is not just a mental conflict, but also a physical one. “Pale” has associations with the death that comes later in the novel, as if to subtly foreshadow later events. The “blackness” of “his eyes”alludes to the darkness of hyde’s soul. As Jekyll’s lips “grew pale” and a blackness “came…about” his eyes, the reader gets a sense of evil spreading over him uncontrollably.
Write down the quote is famously linked to the theme, duality
“I drew steadily neaer to the truth…man is not truly one but truly two”
The repetition of “truly” links to “truth” earlier in the statement - Jekyll is indeed correct, and should not be judged for his discovery; it is the simple truth. This is also stressed in how “stesdily” he came about this conclusion, as if he has been trying to conceal and repress this secret for a while now and can no longer fight the darker urges within him, and this may sympathise with the reader. Jekyll also mentions that he is “doomed” after stating his dual nature, which suggest religious judgement from God, with associations of fear and danger concering his other half. This also presents images of the soul as the battlefield for an ‘angel’ and a ‘fiend’, ecah struggling for mastery. Jekyll’s potion only succeeded in emrging his dark side - Hyde, who has no angelic counterpart.
Write down a quote that displays Jekyll submitting to his desires
“I was no more myself when I laid aside restraint and plunged in shame,”
Jekyll is explicit- he was equally himself when he was submitting to his desires and committing dreadful acts as he was when he was engaging in good. Alliteration in “no more myself” stresses the word “myself” - Jekyll’s self is dual and features both “shame”and knowledge, both himself and Hyde hidden behind these connotations. “Laid aside” and “plunged” are active, dynamic descriptions - Jekyll vigorously pursues “shame”, yet doing good is laboured and tiresome, almost as if towards the end of the novel, Jekyll has finished trying to resist Hyde and wholly succumbs to him.
Write down a quote that shows Hyde is taking over Jekyll
“The smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair,”
Jekyll no longer controls Hyde’s appearances, and Jekyll’s sudden transformation causes extreme physical reaction from Utterson and Enfield, emphasising how horrid it must be. The sibilance in “smile was struck” quickens the pace with which the pleasant “smile” is replaced by “abject terror and despair”. “Smile” is a gentle image, and is removed forcefully and violently when it is “struck out”. Hyde causes a physical reaction in all he meets, usually through brute force of some kind, which is what causes Jekyll to be cast with such a terrified expression as his usually sensible, respected demeanour is being transformed into one of complete evil. “Succeeded” has associations with victory - there is a clear sense of a battle between good and evil, and here evil is victorious.
Write down a quote where Jekyll is describing his transformation
“…and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death.”
Jekyll’s description of his transformation to Hyde alludes to something disturbingly natural and powerful. The physical agony Jekyll experiences when turning into Hyde makes it clear that Hyde is the unnatural state, yet allusions to “death”, “birth” and the associated nausea that comes with it could suggest that Hyde and evil are part of the human life cycle, binding each instance of birth and death together as one. Turning into Hyde is not just physically destructive - he also destroys the “spirit” with his “horror
Write down a quote that relates to theme repression
“desire to carry my head high…Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures.”
Jekyll has a desperate desire to be socially acceptable and behave in the sombre way society expects, hence he represses his own desires. The alliteration of “head high” stresses the fact that society demands people maintain their reputation and dignity. For Jekyll this is stifling. The idea that Jekyll would wear a socially respectable persona has associations with a costume. He is acting part Jekyll, yet his character is actually Hyde - this is where his “pleasures” lie. “Concealed” has associations with being hidden away, straining to break free.
Write down a quote that shows Jekyll attempting separating the two sides of man
“Before the course of my scientific discoveries…I had learned to dwell with pleasure,”
Whilst Jekyll becomes a slave to Hyde, he began his “course” with the intention of simply separating the two sides of man, not the pursuit of evil. Jekyll discovers Hyde, not creates him. “Scientific discoveries” and “learned” suggest that Hyde already existed - Jekyll simply uncovers him. Jekyll’s intentions were pure. The image of “pleasure” alludes to wholesome motives, not the pursuit of horror. The dependance on Jekyll’s “discoveries” of science creates a sense of silence and isolation about him, and leaves the reader unsure how much they have been allowed into the intimacy of his mind.
Write down a quote showing Jekyll reflecting on mankind
Jekyll, reflecting on mankind, “All human beings… are commingled out of good and evil.”
