Jekyll and Hyde - Charactacter analysis Flashcards
(114 cards)
1
Q
Who is Dr Henry Jekyll?
A
Dr Henry Jekyll is a pillar of society
2
Q
What does Jekyll appear to be?
A
+Jekyll appears to be a good and respectble man.
+He’s known for his charity work and reads religious texts.
3
Q
Who does Jekyll socialise with?
A
+He socialises in upper-class circles and holds dinner parties.
+He’s socialable and friendly with “every mark of capacity and kindness”.
4
Q
Dr Jekyll is…
A
+Ambitious:“every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished future”
+Respectable:“well known and highly considered”
+Troubled:“I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end”
5
Q
How does Jekyll behave?
A
+Jekyll behaves in a socially acceptable way - he’s very aware of how people see him.
+He carries his “head high” in public and is “fond of the respect” people give him.
6
Q
What face does Jekyll put on?
A
Jekyll puts on a false face to appear respectable
7
Q
What does Jekyll always excessively put on?
A
+Jekyll always excessively puts on an excessively respectable front - he shows “a more than commonly grave countenance before the public.”
+He worries about his hidden desires - he thinks they’re far worse than they are because he’s obsessed with appearing respctable.
+Theme - Reputation: Jekyll’s excessive sense of guilt for what he sees as his “faults” may be a criticism of the pressures Victorian society placed on people to appear respectable.
8
Q
How do Jekyll’s hidden desires make him feel?
A
+His hidden desires make him feel very guilty, so he creates a “deeper trench” than most people between his good side and his bad side.
+He hides his desires with an “almost morbid sense of shame”.
+Theme - Reputation: Jekyll’s excessive sense of guilt for what he sees as his “faults” may be a criticism of the pressures Victorian society placed on people to appear respectable.
9
Q
What is the result of Jekyll hiding his desires?
A
+As a result, Jekyll finds himself committed to a “profound duplicity of life”, which is why making a potion to split his two sides appeals to him.
+“Duplicity” is the act of being deceitful.
10
Q
Who is an ambitiou man of science?
A
Jekyll is an ambitious man of science
11
Q
What does Jekyll experiment in?
A
+Jekyll’s experiments in “transcendental medicine” show that he’s a brilliant scientist.
+However, his research is controversial - he’s lost the respect of Dr Lanyon because of his “unscientific balderdash”.
12
Q
What work is not seen as respectable?
A
+Jekyll’s “fanciful” work is not seen as respectable because it crosses the boundary from the science of the material world that Lanyon deals with, into the supernatural and the mystical.
13
Q
What does Jekyll want to do by splitting his two sides?
A
+By splitting his two sides, Jekyll wants to rid himself of “the curse of mankind” - the curse that man’s good and bad sides are bound together.
+He’s motivated by ambition and a selfish desire to be “relieved of all that was unbearable” - a guilty conscience.
14
Q
What did scientific discoveries in the 1800s sometimes challenge?
A
+Background and Context - Science: Scientific discoveries in the 1800s sometimes challenged religious beliefs.
+Jekyll uses science to challenge the religious belief that people should try to lead a life free from sin.
15
Q
What is Jekyll so desperate to do?
A
+Jekyll is so desperate to separate his two sides that he willingly “risked death” by drinking the potion he creates.
+However, instead of splitting his good and bad sides he only succeeds in releasing his bad side.
+Jekyll remains as divided as he always was - like everyone else, he’s made up of good and bad qualities.
16
Q
What does Edward Hyde embody?
A
Edward Hyde embodies wickedness
17
Q
What is Jekyll a mixture of compared to Hyde?
A
+Jekyll is a mixture of good and evil, Hyde is “pure evil”.
18
Q
What does Hyde seem to be for the sake of it?
A
+Hyde seems to be violent for the sake of it - the murder of Carew is an unprovoked and uncontrollable act which he takes “delight” in.
+It’s shocking how much he enjoys violence.
19
Q
What is Hyde reflected in?
A
+Hyde is reflected in his appearance - it leaves “an imprint of deformity and decay”.
+Hyde is so evil that it’s obvious for everyone to see - there’s “something wrong with his appearance”.
20
Q
Edward Hyde is…
A
+Merciless:“a man who was without bowels of mercy”
+Strange:“he gives a strong feeling of deformity”
+Self-centred:“his every act and thought centred on self”
21
Q
What is Edward Hyde like?
A
He’s like an animal
22
Q
What does Stevenson frequently compare Hyde to?
A
+Stevenson frequently compares Hyde to animals, particularly apes.
23
Q
What did Victorians consider their society to be?
A
+The Victorians considered their society to be civilised - they valued propriety, order and self control - they didn’t like the idea that people might have a primitive, animalistic side.
24
Q
What did many Victorians try to hide?
A
+Many Victorians tried to hide what they thought were animalistic desires beneath a civilised exterior - they wanted to appear respectable in order to fit in with civilised society.
25
What was widely known when the novel was written?
+Darwin's theory that man evolved from apes was widely known when the novel was written.
+Hyde is presented as Jekyll's less evolved side - he's often compared to an ape - and he's smaller and less respectable, which emphasises the idea that the upper-classes were superior.
+Stevenson's suggestion that there's a primitive Mr Hyde within a respectable man like Dr Jekyll forces the reader to consider that there could be a dark, immoral side to everyone.
26
What feelings does Hyde create?
He creates strong feelings of hatred and unease
27
Who do people loathe when they meet him?
+People loathe Hyde when they meet him - after Hyde tramples the child, Enfield is shocked that the unemotional doctor looked as though he had a "desire to kill" Hyde.
+This strong reaction shows that the civilised people have immoral thoughts, but don't act on them.
28
What can several characters not explain?
+Several characters say that they can't explain why they dislike Hyde.
+The fact that these characters can't [or won't] make any sense of Hyde may reflect the way they've repressed their own dark side.
29
What are people disturbed by?
+People are disturbed by Hyde's appearance - Enfield says that he is "extraordinary-looking" and Utterson says he can "read Satan's signature" on Hyde's face.
+His frightening appearance emphasises his difference from other people - he's not quite human.
30
What does Jekyll fancy indulging in?
+"Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil"
+Jekyll fancies indulging his bad side, but Hyde takes sinning to a whole new level.
+No, not cakes - murder and suchlike.
+Keep up - it really makes you think about man's capacity for evil.
31
How does Jekyll treat Hyde?
Jekyll treats Hyde like a separate person
32
What does Jekyll create for his evil side?
+Jekyll creates a completely separate identity for his evil side:
* Jekyll gives his evil side a name - Mr Edward Hyde
* He furnishes a house and employs a housekeeper for Hyde
* Jekyll chooses a house in a different part of town and dresses Hyde"very plainly" - this makes him seem to be of a lower social class.
33
How does Jekyll often refer to Hyde?
+Jeykll often refers to Hyde in the third person to distance himself from him - for example, "I find it in my heart to pity him".
+**_Theme - Dual Nature of Man:_** Jekyll alterates between referring to Hyde in the first and third person.
+This reflects his hypocrisy - he understands that man has a dual nature, but he has trouble accepting that Hyde is a part of him.
+This is clear when he says "He, I say - I cannot say, I"
34
What is the first and third person?
+The first person is when you refer to yourself - "I".
+The third person is when you refer to someone else - "he"
35
What are two sides of the same coin?
Jekyll and Hyde are two sides of the same coin
36
What in many ways seems to be the complete opposite of Hyde?
+Jekyll seems in many ways to be the complete opposite of Hyde. Eg:
* Jekyll has "kindness" - Hyde is "callous"
* Jekyll has "a tall fine build" - Hyde is "dwarfish"
* Jekyll has "all men's respect" - Hyde is "damnable"
But they're two sides of the same man
37
What is Jekyll's obsession with reflected in Hyde?
+Jekyll's obsession with reputation is reflected in Hyde - when Enfield and others threaten to make a "scandal" out of Hyde trampling the child, Hyde says that "No gentleman but wishes to avoid a scene".
+Hyde has a reputation to protect, but this suggests he's thinking like Jekyll.
38
How is Hyde described as quick witted?
+Hyde is "astute" - he's quick-witted.
+He works out how to get to his drugs when Jekyll turns into Hyde in the park - he isn't just animalistic and primitive, he's intelligent like Jekyll.
39
What does Jekyll increasingly lose control of?
Jekyll increasingly loses control of Hyde
40
What does Jekyll seem to be in control of at first?
+At first, Jekyll seems to be control of his immoral side.
+However, one morning he wakes up as Hyde without taking the drug and says that he's "slowly losing hold of my original and better self".
41
What does Jekyll become increasingly addicted to?
+Jekyll becomes increasingly addicted to the immoral side of his personality.
+He compares himself to a "drunkard" and even though he tries to stop taking the potion that turns him into Hyde, he doesn't give up the house in Soho.
+This shows how tempting his evil side is.
42
What does Jekyll fight to control?
+Jekyll fights to control Hyde, but Hyde just comes out stronger - for example Hyde murders Carew after Jekyll goes for two months without turning into Hyde.
+**_Background and Context:_** Victorians repressed their desires in order to maintain respectability - Stevenson may be criticising the dangers of this kind of repression.
43
What does Jekyll finally lose?
+Jekyll finally loses control completely, which could suggest that evil is the stronger side of our personality.
44
What does the hatred between Jekyll and Hyde do?
The hatred between Jekyll and Hyde increases
45
What doesn't Hyde care about from the beginning?
+From the beginning, Hyde doesn''t care about Jekyll - Hyde just sees Jekyll as a place to conceal himself.
+**_Writer's Techniques - Language:_** Hyde has "more than a son's indifference", while Jekyll has "more than a father's interest".
+This father-son terminology suggests that, as Hyde's creator, Jekyll cares about Hyde - however, in the end Hyde hates that he needs Jekyll and wants to be a separate person.
46
What happens to Jekyll as Hyde becomes stronger?
+As Hyde becomes stronger, Jekyll begins to hate "the brute that slept" within him.
+This may reflect Jekyll's self-loathing - he hates the fact that he has an evil side.
47
What did Hyde not like about how Jekyll was treating him?
+Hyde "resented the dislike" which Jekyll feels towards him and punishes Jekyll by playing tricks on him.
+This may be a warning that it's better to lead a balanced life rather than deny your bad side completely.
48
Who is not an innocent victim?
Jekyll is not an innocent victim
49
What does Jekyll enjoy indulging in?
Jekyll enjoys indulging his evil side without having to deal with the consequences.
50
What thought is Jekyll clearly delighted at?
+He's clearly delighted at the thought of pleasure without shame - he "smiled at the notion" and finds it "humorous".
+He makes thorough arrangements, such as furnishing a house for Hyde, so that he can indulge in his evil side.
+**_Writer's Techniques - Language:_** Jekyll's language shows how much he enjoys the freedom of being Hyde - he describes himself as like a "schoolboy", throwing off society's constraints and jumping in the "sea of liberty".
51
What happens to Jekyll's conscience although Jekyll is shocked by the actions of Hyde?
+Although Jekyll is shocked by the actions of Hyde and feels "remorse", his "conscience slumbered" because he felt it was "Hyde alone" who was guilty.
52
What does Jekyll know about Hyde?
+Jekyll knows what Hyde is capable of and he might one day take over Jekyll, but he isn't strong enough to stop it - he enjoys being Hyde too much.
+**_Theme - Dual Nature of Man:_** The fact Hyde eventually takes over makes you wonder if there was more bad than good in Jekyll after all.
53
Who do we still feel sorry for?
We still feel sorry for Jekyll
54
What does Jekyll admit in the end?
+In the end, Jekyll admits that his experiment failed - he realises that it isn't possible to cast off man's evil side because it "returns upon us with more unfamiliar and more awful pressure".
+This contrasts with his earlier pride and excitement at the results of his experiment.
55
Who is it possible to feel sympathy for?
+It's possible to feel sympathy for Jekyll because he's presented as an ordinary man dealing with some challenging issues of human nature.
56
How is the reader's sympathy for Jekyll increased?
+The reader's sympathy for Jekyll is increased by the horror of his fate.
+He says that he's facing punishment and that "no one has ever suffered such torments".
57
Mention that Jekyll and Hyde aren't complete opposites...
+This will show that you really understand Jekyll's character.
+Jekyll isn't completely good, and elements of Jekyll can be seen in Hyde - which is evidence of Jekyll's failure to distance himself from his dark side.
58
What is Utterson a man of?
Utterson is a man of reason
59
Who is Utterson?
+Utterson is a typically rational Victorian gentleman - he's "a lover of the sane and customary sides of life"
60
What is Utterson's occupation?
+He's a lawyer and he approaches the mystery in the same way he'd approach a case.
+He weighs up the evidence and tries to reach a balanced, unbiased evaluation of the facts.
61
What is Utterson willing to consider?
+He's willing to consider any explanation which threatens to upset his rational way of thinking.
+He concludes that Jekyll has locked himself in the cabinet because he's suffering from a disease - he thinks this is a "plain and natural" explanation, unlike Poole's murder theory.
62
Mr Utterson is...
+**Serious:**"a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile"
+**Reputable:**"the last good influence in the lives of down-going men"
+**Brave:**"I shall consider it my duty to break in that door"
63
Who does the disturbing nature of the mystery affect?
The disturbing nature of the mystery affects Utterson
64
What doesn't Utterson suspect?
+Utterson doesn't suspect a supernatural explanation, although he's aware that something strange is going on.
65
What gives Utterson nightmares?
+Enfield's story about Hyde gives Utterson nightmares - Utterson says that Hyde has "engaged or rather enslaved" his imagination instead of affecting him on a purely intellectual level.
66
What does Utterson feel when he meets Hyde for the first time?
+Utterson feels "mental perplexity" when he meets Hyde for the first time - he's confused because it's impossible to use reason to make sense of something that has supernatural explanation.
67
How does the memory of Hyde make Utterson feel?
+The memory of Hyde makes Utterson feel a "shudder in his blood".
+The supernatural nature of Hyde is strong enough to affect Utterson's emotions, which he usually tries to control.
68
What is Utterson curious about?
+He's curious about Hyde
69
What particularly affects Utterson?
+There's something about Hyde that particularly affects Utterson
+He feels "a singularly strong, almost an inordinate, curiosity" to see Hyde and does everything he can to do so - he waits outside the door "by all lights and at all hours".
70
What would never happen without Utterson's interest in the mystery?
+Without Utterson's interest in the mystery, the reader would never get to the bottom of things.
+However, there are several reasons why Utterson is so interested in Hyde.
71
How does Utterson see maintaining reputation?
+To Utterson, maintaining reputation is very important, so he's shocked that Jekyll is willing to harm his reputation for Hyde.
+Utterson wants to find out why Jekyll is doing this so that he can help him.
72
What is Utterson frustrated by?
+Utterson is frustrated by the mystery surrounding Hyde and wants to use reason to solve it.
+He wants to see Hyde's face, believing that the mystery will roll away if it's "well examined".
73
What is it possible that Utterson sees in Hyde?
+It's possible that Utterson sees something of his own darker side in Hyde and is strangely drawn to him.
+As the reader is also made to feel curious about the mystery surrounding Hyde, Stevenson may be suggesting that we are all drawn to the darker side of life and can see the temptation of it.
74
What does Utterson repress?
He represses his desires
75
What is Utterson described as?
+Utterson is described as "austere" - he's strict with himself and doesn't allow himself many pleasures.
+For example, he enjoys the theatre but hasn't been to one for twenty years.
76
What doesn't Utterson do much?
+He doesn't smile much and is "cold" and "dreary".
+He has a more human side but doesn't let it show in his speech.
+**_Background and Context:_** These negative descriptions could be criticising the way Victorian gentleman repressed their emotions.
77
Who enjoys Utterson's company?
+People enjoy his company because his "rich silence" is calming after the "strain" of making light-hearted conversation.
+He's a model of Victorian restraint.
78
What is Utterson obsessed with?
Utterson is obsessed with reputation
79
What does Utterson want to maintain?
+Utterson wants to maintain respectability, order and propriety.
+When Poole asks Utterson for help and takes him back to Jekyll's house, Utterson calls the servants' distress at Jekyll's behaviour "very unseemly".
80
What is Utterson aware of the importance of?
+He's aware of the importance of reputation, which is why he's so concerned for Jekyll's good name
+After Carew's murder, Utterson's concern is that Jekyll's name might appear at the trial.
81
What doesn't Utterson do to discover the truth?
+He doesn't gossip or go against his sense of restraint to discover the truth.
+He doesn't read Lanyon's letter out of "professional honour".
+This partly hampers his ability to solve the mystery - he doesn't want to find out something that will harm Jekyll's reputation.
82
What is more shocking than Utterson suspects?
+**_Theme - Dual Nature of Man:_** The truth about Jekyll and Hyde is more shocking than Utterson suspects, because it means that the appearance of respectability hides a much darker truth about the reality of human nature.
83
What is Utterson more tolerant of?
Utterson is more tolerant of man's darker side
84
Although reputation is important to Utterson, what is Utterson not?
+Although reputation is important to Utterson, he isn't judgemental.
85
Who is Utterson loyal to?
+He's loyal to those who get into trouble and tries to help them - he tells Jekyll that "Carew was my client, but so are you".
+Even though Utterson plays by society's rules, he's understanding when people fall foul of them.
+**_Background and Context:_** Utterson's human side shows itself in the "acts of his life" - his tolerance.
+If Victorian society was more tolerant of human behaviour, there would be less need to hide immoral desires.
86
What attitude does Utterson have towards his dark side?
+Utterson has a complicated attitude towards his own dark side.
87
What does Utterson feel bad for?
+Although his past was "fairly blameless", he feels bad for what he views as the "many ill things" he's done.
+Like Jekyll, Utterson sets himself high standards by avoiding what he sees as sinful behavior.
88
What is Utterson tempted to do?
+He's tempted to sin and feels a strange "envy" for those who can indulge in their misdeeds - but he doesn't want to harm his reputation so he feels grateful to have avoidied commiting more sins.
89
What does Utterson love?
+"If your master...is dead, we may at least save his credit"
+Utterson loves the 3 R's - Reason, Reputation and Respectability.
+He doesn't stop going on about them for the whole novel.
+Even at the end, when there's a weird tiny dead man on the floor in massive clothes.
90
How does Lanyon appear?
+Lanyon appears only briefly, but his narrative helps solve the mystery.
91
Who is Dr Lanyon?
Dr Lanyon is an upper-class gentleman
92
How is Dr Lanyon described at first?
+At first, Dr Lanyon is described as a "hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman" who is friendly and socialable.
+When Utterson goes to see him he "sprang up from his chair and welcomed him with both hands."
+This makes him seem larger than life - his friendliness seems "theatrical", which might suggest that he's putting on a front, but it has "genuine feeling" behind it.
93
Dr Lanyon is...
+**Faithful:**"I felt bound to do as he requested"
+**Friendly:**"welcomed him with both hands"
+**Conventional:**"Jekyll became too fanciful for me"
94
Who is a rational scientist?
+Dr Lanyon is a rational scientist
95
Who does Lanyon have quite a lot in common with?
+Lanyon has quite a lot in common with Jekyll - they're both doctors and are both respected men.
+They were also "inseperable friends".
96
What do Lanyon and Jekyll have different views on?
+However, they have very different views on science.
+Lanyon deals with rational science in the material world while Jekyll experiments with science of a mystical or supernatural nature.
97
What does Lanyon regard Jekyll's experiments as?
+Lanyon regards this as "unscientific balderdash", and Jekyll thinks Lanyon is an "ignorant blatant pedant" for being so sceptical.
+As a result, the two men aren't as close as they used to be.
98
What can't Lanyon cope with?
Lanyon can't cope with Jekyll's supernatural secret
99
Like Utterson, what does Lanyon never come close to guessing?
+Like Utterson, Lanyon never comes close to guessing the truth about Jekyll and Hyde.
+He finds Jekyll's letter asking Lanyon to retrieve his drugs strange - as a man of reason he concludes that Jekyll is suffering from a "cerebral disease".
100
What does Lanyon allow himself to do?
+In the same way that Jekyll was tempted by scientific knowledge, Lanyon allows himself to watch Hyde take the potion, saying that he's "gone too far" not to find out the truth.
+This shows that he's also tempted by knowledge.
101
What does Jekyll show Lanyon evidence of?
+Jekyll shows Lanyon evidence of the supernatural he can't ignore.
+Lanyon can't cope with the truth of what Jekyll has done - his whole world view is turned upside down by Jekyll's discovery.
+His "soul sickened", which shows the depth of his shock.
+He dies because he can't recover from such a revelation.
102
Compare and contrast different characters?
+It will impress the examiner if you can analyse the characters in relation to each other.
+Jekyll and Lanyon are both respectable gentlemen, but they represent two opposing attitudes when it comes to science.
103
Who has the same Victorian values as Utterson?
Enfield has the same Victorian values as Utterson
104
Who is Enfield?
+Enfield is a distant cousin of Utterson - although he's only a minor character, he plays an important part in the novel - he introduces Utterson to the mystery around Hyde through his initial story.
105
Who embodies typical Victorian values?
+Enfield embodies typical Victorian values:
+He understands the importance of reputation - he pressures Hyde into paying for his crime by threatening to "make his name stink from one end of London to the other."
+He says he doesn't like to gossip because gossip can negatively affect a person's reputation - He's "ashamed" of his "long tongue" after he tells Utterson about Hyde.
106
Which two characters are very different?
Enfield and Utterson
107
Which two people don't have much in common?
+Enfield and Utterson don't have much in common - people wonder "what these two could see in each other", but to them their meetings are the "chief jewel of each week".
+This doesn't necessarily say anything positive about Enfield's character - we're told that Utterson is loyal to those he's known the longest, like Enfield.
+**_Theme - Dual Nature of Man:_** Utterson and Enfield are drawn together despite their apparent differences.
+This links to Jekyll and Hyde and the idea that differences can be brought together.
108
Who is hinted at having an immoral side?
+There's a hint that Enfield has an immoral side
+He's returning "from some place at the end of the world" at 3am when he sees Hyde trample the child - we're left to speculate where he's been.
109
Who isn't Enfield curious about unlike Utterson?
+Unlike Utterson, Enfield isn't curious at all about Hyde.
+He makes sure that Hyde pays for his crime, but he isn't interested in asking any questions about Jekyll and the cheque.
+He says "the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask". - This could be a comment on Victorian society - everyone knew that everyone else was secretly sinning, so didn't ask too many questions.
110
Who is loyal to Jekyll?
Poole is loyal to Jekyll
111
How long has Poole been Jekyll's butler for?
+Poole has been Jekyll's butler for twenty years - he knows his master's habits well and recognises when something is badly wrong.
+This makes Utterson's reluctance to believe him straight away look unreasonable.
112
How does Poole see Jekyll?
+Poole sees Jekyll as a respectable man, so he'd rather believe that he's been murdered than consider any other, darker explanation.
113
Who does Poole care about?
+Poole cares about Jekyll.
+He's concerned by his strange behaviour - he's very anxious when he goes to ask Utterson for help and he bravely helps to knock the cabinet door down.
+This reflects well on Jekyll's character because it shows that he's worthy of concern.
114
Don't forget to write about the minor characters...
+Don't just write about the main characters - minor characters are important because they move the plot along and contribute to the themes of the novel.
+Writing about them will show that you know your stuff
