Jekyll and Hyde Context and Plot Flashcards
briefly describe the plot of Jekyll and Hyde, and what it reflects in the contemporary society:
- about a respectable doctor, Henry Jekyll, who transforms into the evil Mr Hyde
- it reflects the strict values of Victorian society, in which people were expected to be restrained and appear respectable at all times
what is J&H’s message?
- about human nature, everyone has good and evil inside of them
- if people explore their dark side, it can lead to problems. hiding or denying it also leads to problems
describe the context of Robert Louis Stevenson:
- influenced by strict Christian beliefs (ideas of sin)
- interested in the behaviour of Victorian gentlemen - the way they maintained an outwardly respectable appearance but secretly indulged in immoral behaviour
- particularly fascinated by the life of Deacon Brodie, a respectable cabinet maker who led a secret life as a robber
describe Victorian gentlemen:
- important to look respectable. people hid their true feelings, especially if they are immoral/improper. kept their less respectable desires and sinful behaviour secret
- reputation was also very important. this could be ruined if they were seen doing anything not respectable
- didn’t talk about anything that may damage their reputation/upset civilised society
how was a Victorian gentleman expected to be like, and how would that affect their lives?
- important profession (army officer, church minister, doctor, lawyer)
- ## expected to have strong morals and be kind particularly towards poorer people. plenty saw this as the less important part, however
- brings many benefits - enter well-paid professions like medicine and law, gain the respect of rich clients
- a gentleman could use his contacts to arrange good marriages for his daughters and well-paid jobs for his sons
describe how gentlemen were obsessed with their reputations:
- determined to maintain their reputations, otherwise without a good one, they wouldn’t be considered a gentleman at all
- would often walk through public places, helping them to keep up their appearance as gentlemen
- expected to keep their emotions under strict control, and to hide their desires for sex and alcohol
describe how the Victorian gentlemen became hypocrites due to their wish to uphold their reputation:
many were publicly snobbish about disreputable places, such as public houses and brothels, but would visit them secretly at night
- they were prepared to pay large sums of money to keep activities like these private, making them vulnerable to blackmail
- Utterson immediately assumes Jekyll is being blackmailed. even Hyde, who doesn’t need to protect his reputation, is willing to pay money to avoid a public scandal
describe how reputation may affect Jekyll and Utterson in the novel:
- Utterson wants to discover the truth about Hyde, but is worried he’ll damage Jekyll’s reputation, slowing him down
- Jekyll struggles with the social pressure to be respectable. he ‘concealed’ his ‘pleasures’ but this made him feel like a ‘double dealer’, even before Hyde was created
describe working class London:
- upper and middle class lived in richly-furnished houses, ‘a great air of wealth and comfort’
- the Industrial Revolution meant many working class people migrated to towns and cities. housing had to be built rapidly, and large areas of slums sprang up in London’s East End
- this housing was generally poor quality, and whole families could live in 1/2 rooms. houses were often damp, with no running water or proper sanitation, leading to outbreaks of fatal diseases
- the streets were narrow and poorly lit. the slums were built close to factories so the people could work long hours, and so pollution was great
describe how working class London was not respectable:
- respectable men wouldn’t want to be seen in the working class slums, brothels, or public houses
- Hyde is associated with these less respectable parts of the city: his house is in a ‘dismal quarter of Soho’ where ‘ragged children’ huddle in doorways
- the two sides of the city do overlap, however. some gentlemen would travel to the ‘dismal’ areas of London (less chance of being recognised), to satisfy the desires they hid in public. Jekyll does this by changing who he is entirely before going to these areas
describe, in the context of working class London:
- the dual nature of man
- gothic conventions
- the settings are also dual. Jekyll’s home has two very different entrances, but they both lead to the same building
- traditionally, gothic novels were set in faraway places, such as abandoned castles in foreign countries. Stevenson chose to set this story in a place familiar to his readers, which might make the novel seem more frightening
describe how religious Victorian society was:
- Evangelicalism was very influential
- ## taught that all people are naturally sinful, and that it’s up to individuals to seek forgiveness from God. they should do this by living to a strict moral and religious code (total morality, sin avoidance)
- Jekyll is particularly critical of his sinfulness, and he thinks of sin as ‘the doom and burden of our life’. he creates Hyde in an attempt to get ride of this ‘extraneous evil’
describe Darwin’s theory of evolution, and what it opposed:
- in the early 1800s, Christianity taught that God created every species to be perfectly adapted to its environment. it was taught that humans were made in God’s image, and that they were different from all over animals and could rule over them
- Darwin put forward his theory, claiming that all creatures evolved from common ancestors through ‘natural selection’. he wrote that humans share a common ancestor with apes
why were Darwin’s theories controversial, and how does Stevenson use this in the novel?
- Darwin’s writings went against the Christian idea that man’s nature was different from other animals. it’s an unsettling idea that there is an animalistic side to everyone, capable of uncivilised acts and violent crimes
- Hyde is described as the ‘animal within’ Jekyll. he seems ‘hardly human’, lets out a scream of ‘animal terror’ and is ‘like a monkey’. he’s also shorter than Jekyll, suggesting he’s a less evolved version of him
describe the reader’s first impression of Utterson and Enfield:
STORY OF THE DOOR
- Utterson is a well-respected lawyer. he is a typical Victorian gentleman, who’s ‘embarrassed’ in conversations and hides his emotions. he’s rational - as a lawyer he deals with facts and evidence
- Utterson and Enfield appear to have nothing in common, but enjoy spending time together anyway
- go on Sunday walks together in which they say ‘nothing’. their silence creates suspense and a lack of info
why are Utterson and Enfield silent on their weekly walks?
STORY OF THE DOOR
- in Victorian society, discretion was preferred to gossip
- it’s Enfield’s rule not to ask questions if something seems suspicious - he doesn’t want to know about immoral behaviour
- in contrast, Utterson is often the ‘last reputable acquaintance’ of men who have ruined their reputation, suggesting he’s more tolerant of sin
how does Utterson and Enfield’s walk set the scene for the mystery?
STORY OF THE DOOR
- walk down a prosperous street in London. the houses have ‘freshly painted shutters’ and ‘well-polished brasses’
- one building with ‘nothing but a door’ contrasts with the rest of the street. described using negative adjectives, ‘sinister’, ‘sordid’, making it seem unusual
- later in the chapter, we’re told Hyde has a key to the building and goes inside. Hyde and the building are linked together as sinister and disturbing
describe Enfield’s story, introducing Hyde to the reader:
STORY OF THE DOOR
- tells Utterson he saw Hyde trample a young girl. he describes him as ‘like Satan’, emphasising how evil he thinks he is
- Hyde tramples ‘calmly’ over the little girl, showing how easily he does violent things.
- produces a cheque signed by a name Enfield won’t mention, creating mystery
- Enfield can’t put his finger on why Hyde makes him feel so uncomfortable. ‘I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why’. Unusual evil within Hyde
describe Jekyll’s mysterious will and Utterson’s visit to Dr Lanyon:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Jekyll’s will says that if he dies/disappears, all his things should go to Hyde. Utterson thinks Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll
- Utterson visits Lanyon, and discovers they fell out over Jekyll’s scientific work - ‘unscientific balderdash’. hints that Jekyll’s experiments are taking a darker direction that conventional science (Jekyll is interested in the ‘fanciful’ side of science, whereas Lanyon is more traditional)
describe Utterson’s dreams:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- the lack of information about who Hyde is and why Jekyll is so interested in him leaves Utterson feeling unsettled
- he dreams that he’s being ‘haunted’ by a man with no face, who appears on every street of an almost nightmarish London
- Hyde is affecting Utterson’s subconscious and leaves him wanting to see Hyde’s face so that ‘the mystery would lighten’. visual evidence is important to the rational Utterson
describe Utterson’s meeting with Hyde:
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Utterson beings to ‘haunt’ the door where Enfield first saw Hyde. it’s night-time and the street is ‘solitary and ‘silent’ before Hyde appears, creating a feeling of expectation
- Hyde is described as ‘pale and dwarfish’ with a ‘savage laugh’. Hyde seems ‘hardly human’, hinting that he’s less evolved.
how is Jekyll’s house an important symbol?
SEARCH FOR MR HYDE
- Utterson knew all along that the building Hyde went into is the lab that’s attached to the back of Jekyll’s house, but the reader only finds out now. the info is given out bit by bit, adding to the mystery
- Jekyll’s house has ‘a great air of wealth and comfort’, symbolising his respectable nature and successful life. contrasts with the ‘sinister’ lab Hyde goes into. the buildings are physically connected, symbolising that Jekyll and Hyde are two sides of the same person
- Poole tells Utterson that the servants all have orders to obey Hyde, and Utterson is more convinced than ever that Jekyll is being made to pay for ‘some old sin’. this shows Utterson’s concern for Jekyll’s reputation
describe Dr Jekyll:
DR JEKYLL WAS QUITE AT EASE
- Jekyll invites Utterson and other ‘intelligent, reputable’ upper-class men to one of his dinner parties, reflecting the social circle that Jekyll moves in. he’s a respectable, sociable man who fits in with the respectable Victorian upper-class society
- he’s kind, however, also has a ‘slyish cast’, hinting that he’s hiding something or has a darker side to his personality
describe Utterson and Jekyll’s conversation pt.1
DR JEKYLL WAS QUITE AT EASE
- Utterson questions Jekyll about the will. he treats the mystery as a case that can be solved rationally
- Jekyll tries to hide the fact he doesn’t want to talk about it and changes the subject to Lanyon. the reader is curious why he can’t even tell his close friend and lawyer what’s going on
- Jekyll thinks Lanyon is ‘ignorant’ due to his dismissal. Jekyll is so determined to pursue his scientific work that he’s willing to lose friends over it
describe Utterson and Jekyll’s conversation pt.2
DR JEKYLL WAS QUITE AT EASE
- Jekyll says he’s in a strange situation that ‘cannot be mended by talking’, the secrecy building suspense
- tells Utterson he has ‘a very great interest’ in Hyde, but won’t explain why
- claims that ‘the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde’, but we later find out this is untrue
- Jekyll tries to hide the truth about Hyde as it’s the immoral side of his character
—————————————————————
- Utterson tries to get Jekyll out of trouble. he’s more interested in preserving the doctor’s reputation than in the morality of what he may have done
- like a true Victorian gentleman, he’d rather not know about Jekyll’s sins, so doesn’t press him for answers about Hyde
describe Hyde’s murder of Danvers Carew pt1: KEY EVENT
THE CAREW MURDER CASE
- chapter begins nearly a year later
- the maid’s account of the murder is written like a police statement, distancing the reader from the event. limited to the maid’s perspective, so we don’t know how much we can believe
- maid’s description of the murder is a shocking change of tone from the initially peaceful account. her fainting shows how shocking the murder was
- the old man appears polite and full of ‘old-world kindness’, emphasising his innocence and how evil Hyde is
describe Hyde’s murder of Danvers Carew pt2: KEY EVENT
THE CAREW MURDER CASE
- Hyde tramples Carew with ‘ape-like fury’. the animalistic description shows that he’s primal and savage
- gruesome detail is given. Hyde ‘clubbed’ Carew, ‘trampling’ him and giving him a ‘storm of blows’ so that his body ‘jumped upon the roadway’
- ## Hyde leaves Carew ‘incredibly mangled’ on the street. brutal and shocking crime
- Stevenson appeals to the reader’s sense of hearing as well but describing how Carew’s bones were ‘audibly shattered’
- makes the attack even more horrific and vivid
describe Utterson and the police searching for Mr Hyde:
THE CAREW MURDER CASE
- policeman is initially unconcerned about the identification of Carew, but his ‘professional ambition’ takes over to turn the situation to his advantage. shows that everyone has a double nature, and the widespread hypocrisy in Victorian society
- Hyde lives down a ‘dingy street’ in a ‘dismal quarter of Soho’. Utterson sees it as ‘some city in a nightmare’ - place of darkness and swirling fog, making him feel uneasy
describe:
- the symbolism of Hyde’s house being in Soho
- the dual nature of the housekeeper
THE CAREW MURDER CASE
- Soho was an area associated with poverty and immorality, but was located in the richer, more respectable West End. reflects the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde - the immoral Hyde is located within the respectable Jekyll
- Stevenson uses the minor character of Hyde’s housekeeper to develop the idea that it’s human nature to conceal our faults. she has an ‘evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy’ but ‘her manners were excellent’, showing how she’s putting on a front of respectability
describe Jekyll’s odd behaviour after the murder of Carew:
INCIDENT OF THE LETTER
- Jekyll is in his lab when Utterson visits him, which is unusual as Utterson had never visited his friend there before. this is the ‘dingy’ building associated with Hyde, and Utterson feels a ‘sense of strangeness’ when he enters, creating tension and unease
- Jekyll looks ‘sick’ and speaks in a ‘feverish manner’, showing his agitation about the murder. he’s determined to be rid of Hyde, swearing to God he’ll never see him again
- he’s still holding back information. he says he has ‘grounds for certainty’ that Hyde will not return, but he ‘cannot share with anyone’ what these are, increasing the mystery
describe Stevenson’s inclusion of letters in his narrative:
INCIDENT OF THE LETTER
Initially, Utterson is convinced by the letter’s authenticity, but when Poole says that nothing was delivered, he starts to doubt it. this shows that even written documents can’t be trusted
- Stevenson gives the reader reasons to doubt what we’re told, creating an atmosphere of intrigue
- the reader learns a lot of things through letters and documents, making the gradual unravelling of events more realistic
describe how Utterson jumps to conclusions about Jekyll’s letter:
INCIDENT OF THE LETTER
- Guest, Utterson’s head clerk, realises that Hyde’s writing looks very similar to Jekyll’s
- Utterson ‘struggled’ with himself before asking Guest for more information. this makes it seem as if Utterson is reluctant to uncover what might be the unpleasant truth
- Utterson usually keeps problems to himself. even when asking for Guest’s help, he does it indirectly. all part of the Victorian code of restraint and concealing emotions
- Utterson warns Guest not to speak about the letter, adding another layer of secrecy. Utterson comes to the conclusion that Jekyll has forged a letter for Hyde
describe Jekyll’s new life:
REMARKABLE INCIDENT OF DR LANYON
- time passes, it’s as though Hyde ‘never existed’. this is ironic as Hyde does exist, only within Jekyll, who is currently the model of Victorian respectability
- a ‘new life’ begins for Jekyll. he holds dinner parties with Utterson and Lanyon, where he acts like his old self. he does good deeds, and is ‘at peace’
- however, after two months, Jekyll suddenly retreats from society again with no explanation. this adds to the atmosphere of mystery
describe the sudden change in Lanyon:
THE REMARKABLE INCIDENT OF DR LANYON
- Lanyon appears older and balder, but most importantly seems to have a ‘deep-seated terror of the mind’. this extreme change shows how profoundly affected be what he’s seen. the reader doesn’t yet find out what’s happened, building the suspense
- Lanyon believes he’ll die soon and says that ‘if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away’. his use of language shows his change - the first time we meet him, he’s an articulate man of science, but now his speech is vague and cryptic
describe how Utterson’s honour prevents him from discovering the truth:
THE REMARKABLE INCIDENT OF DR LANYON
- Utterson writes to Jekyll asking why Lanyon feels so negatively about him. Jekyll’s reply is ‘darkly mysterious’ and says ‘You must suffer me to go my own dark way’. hints that Jekyll is involved in a dangerous situation
- Lanyon dies a fortnight later, leaves Utterson an envelope. if he reads it, he’’ find out the truth, but it says it mustn’t be opened until the death/disappearance of Jekyll
- Utterson is tempted to open the letter but is a man of ‘professional honour’, so he locks it in his safe. he values moral principles over personal curiosity.
- the locked safe could also symbolise Utterson’s unwillingness to confront the mystery - he’d rather lock it away
what is a key quote from Jekyll’s letter to Utterson?
THE REMARKABLE INCIDENT OF DR LANYON
‘I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also’. this hints at the internal conflict between Jekyll and Hyde, and suggests that the more Hyde sins, the more Jekyll suffers
describe how Jekyll’s secret is nearly revealed in
THE INCIDENT AT THE WINDOW
- Jekyll talks to Utterson and Enfield from his lab window. as they talk, a look of ‘abject terror and despair’ comes across his face, a sign that he’s about to transform into Hyde
- the look on Jekyll’s face ‘froze the very blood’ of Utterson and Enfield. they don’t know the truth about Jekyll and Hyde at this point, but their reactions show that they feel they’ve witnessed something strange and inexplicable
- hints at unexplained dark/supernatural forces acting on Jekyll - an important feature of a Gothic novel
describe Poole’s concern about Jekyll:
THE LAST NIGHT
- openly admits that he’s afraid. by admitting his emotions (instead of hiding them), Utterson realises how serious the situation is
- Poole’s fear makes Utterson feel ‘frightened’, which then ‘irritated’ him, as he’s a rational person who would rather deal with facts than emotions
- how do the terrified servants increase the suspense?
THE LAST NIGHT
Utterson and Poole arrive at Jekyll’s house, and one of the maids is ‘hysterical’ with fear. Utterson thinks this behaviour is ‘very irregular, very unseemly’ - he’s still concerned with the appearance of order
what has made Poole so anxious?
THE LAST NIGHT
- Poole has heard crying from the cabinet. he was given a desperate note for the chemist saying ‘For God’s sake… find me some of the old’. Jekyll’s desperation is clear from the anxious tone in the letter. there’s mystery as to why he needs the medicine so badly
- the door to the cabinet remains locked, meals are left outside and taken when ‘nobody was looking’. the locked door is a barrier to revealing Jekyll’s secret. there’s a sense that something disturbing and dangerous is hidden behind it
- Poole saw someone outside of the cabinet, if it was Jekyll, it looks like he was wearing a mask
how is the image of a mask important?
explores the idea of a dual personality. Hyde is a disguise that allows Jekyll to commit immoral acts without ruining his respectable reputation
what is Poole’s explanation for what’s been going on?
THE LAST NIGHT
convinced that Jekyll has been murdered by Hyde, who’s still in the cabinet.
what is Utterson’s explanation for what’s been going on?
THE LAST NIGHT
Utterson thinks that Poole’s explanation is a ‘wild’ tale that doesn’t hold up to reason. he believes that Jekyll has an illness which has changed his appearance and caused him to withdraw from society. this shows that Utterson is looking for a rational explanation
describe the moment when Utterson breaks the door down:
THE LAST NIGHT
KEY EVENT
- Poole convinces Utterson of his theory. he says it’s based on ‘feelings’ not ‘evidence’, but is convinced. highlights the lack of reliable evidence available to Utterson
- despite his anxiety, Utterson approaches breaking down the door in a logical way. he delivers orders and tries to calm the servants nerves
- the locked door symbolises the barriers to finding and accepting the truth to man’s dual nature. Utterson and Poole are ‘appalled’ that they’ve broken into Jekyll’s cabinet, as it goes against their usual restraint. they’re reluctant to disrupt the order of their civilised world
CLIMACTIC SCENE
what do Utterson and Poole find inside the cabinet?
- find Hyde’s ‘sorely contorted’ body inside, but Jekyll is nowhere to be found. the ‘crushed phial’ in Hyde’s hand suggests suicide
- the glowing fire and cosy room contrast with the horrible discovery of Hyde’s body, highlighting the horror or what’s happened to Jekyll’s ordered existence
- the ‘commonplace’ room shows that Jekyll was an ordinary person, emphasising that his concerns about the good and the bad within him are relevant to everyone
- a letter is found, we’re told ‘this mystery was now to be explained’
how is Hyde’s evilness emphasised at the end of this chapter?
THE LAST NIGHT
Utterson sees ‘blasphemies’ written on one of Jekyll’s favourite religious texts. this shows how Hyde takes pleasure in undermining the good side of Jekyll’s personality
describe Jekyll’s request to Lanyon:
LANYON’S NARRATIVE
- the narrative takes the reader back to the middle of the main narrative. this shifting narrative makes the story seem fragmented, as if the truth is only being revealed in parts
- before Jekyll shut himself away, he sent a letter strangely asking Lanyon to force open his cabinet and take one of the drawers
- the ‘blood-red’ colour of the chemicals in the drawer hint at the sinister and mysterious nature of Jekyll’s experiments. even Lanyon (fellow scientist) can ‘make no guess’ at what some of the chemicals are, showing Jekyll’s stray from traditional science
describe when Lanyon meets Hyde for the first time:
LANYON’S NARRATIVE
- when the messenger arrives, Lanyon doesn’t know it’s Hyde, but the reader does, creating tension (we know what he’s capable of)
- Hyde arrives at midnight. Stevenson keeps linking Hyde with the night, to emphasise his secret deeds and hidden desires
- Lanyon experiences the odd feeling others have around Hyde. he thought this was just ‘personal distaste’ but later realises it’s caused by something ‘much deeper in the nature of man’
- he must face the unpleasant truth about human nature - that everyone has evil inside of them
describe the point when Lanyon discovers Jekyll’s secret:
LANYON’S NARRATIVE
KEY EVENT
- Hyde asks Lanyon if the ‘greed of curiosity’ has got the better of him and offers to let Lanyon watch him take the potion and transform into Jekyll
- Stevenson describes the transformation vividly: Hyde’s face became ‘suddenly black’. emphasises how distressing it would be to witness
- after seeing this, Lanyon says his ‘life is shaken to its roots’. everything he believed has been shattered and denied has become true
- Stevenson still doesn’t explain why the transformation must happen - there are some things only Jekyll can explain, increasing the anticipation
how is science and religion mentioned by Hyde?
LANYON’S NARRATIVE
Hyde says that if Lanyon sees Jekyll’s discovery, it would open ‘new avenues to fame and power’ but it would also ‘stagger the unbelief of Satan’. this shows how knowledge that challenges God’s order is both attractive and dangerous
how does Jekyll talk about the discovery of man’s dual nature?
HENRY JEKYLL’S FULL STATEMENT OF THE CASE
- as a young man, Jekyll was ‘fond of the respect’ others gave him. his concern with how others viewed him led him to ‘wear’ a more serious appearance than he actually felt
- he was tempted by ‘pleasures’ which he felt guilty about. he thought they would affect his reputation so he ‘concealed’ them
- Jekyll explains that he wanted to hide his sins because he set such high standards for himself, and not because his desires were particularly awful. we sympathise with Jekyll as we understand his motivation, and how stressful he found the strain of being respectable
describe Jekyll’s separation of his ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sides:
HENRY JEKYLL’S FULL STATEMENT OF THE CASE
- Jekyll dreamt of separating these two sides. his bad side could be immoral without feeling held back by the need to be respectable, and the good side wouldn’t feel guilty about the desire to do immoral things
- he says it would be a ‘miracle’ to make his ‘beloved daydream’ a reality. the language suggests he knows the plan is impossible, but he’s desperate
- he used ‘transcendental’ science to separate the two sides. although he was aware of the risks, the ‘temptation of discovery’ was too much for him to resist, showing that knowledge can be both fascinating and dangerous
- he feels younger and more carefree as Hyde, but also more wicked. Jekyll feels a ‘leap of welcome’ for Hyde, showing how tempting it can be to indulge your darker side
how did Jekyll’s experiment not go to plan?
HENRY JEKYLL’S FULL STATEMENT OF THE CASE
- Jekyll says that if he’d approached the experiment with good intentions, he could have created an ‘angel’. however, he was motivated by the desire to do sinful things without repercussions, resulting in the purely evil Hyde, whilst Jekyll remained a mix of good and evil
- Jekyll initially wanted to use Hyde to indulge his ‘undignified’ pleasures, but they became ‘monstrous’. there’s no good in Hyde to balance his behaviour
- Jekyll is shocked by Hyde’s evil at this stage, but justifies it by believing it’s ‘Hyde alone’ who is guilty. Jekyll doesn’t see Hyde’s actions as his own - hypocritical.
describe how Jekyll starts to lose control:
HENRY JEKYLL’S FULL STATEMENT OF THE CASE
- one morning, Jekyll wakes up to find that he’s turned into Hyde without taking any drugs. Hyde has ‘grown in stature’ as his evil personality has become more ‘nourished’
- Jekyll stops taking the potion, and for two months lead a good, respectable life. he’s soon ‘tortured with throes and longings’ to be Hyde again
- Jekyll gives in to temptation and takes the potion, and murders Carew that night, showing his loss of control
what is important about the murder of Carew?
- suggests that the more you repress your desires, the more strongly they will come out in the end. Jekyll kept Hyde ‘long caged’ but he returned more evil than ever
- it’s shocking how much pleasure Hyde gets from the murder. he feels ‘glee’ and tasted ‘delight from every blow’
describe how Jekyll doesn’t want to be Hyde anymore:
- Jekyll is horrified by the murder. he decides to live a respectable life, but returns to his immoral ways as an ‘ordinary secret sinner’. this phrase reminds us that everyone does bad things and it’s the shame Jekyll feels for hiding these sins that motivates him to create Hyde
- one day, Jekyll suddenly turns into Hyde while sitting in the park. he turns into him after feeling satisfied by his own ‘active goodwill’. ironic.
- Jekyll hates the ‘brute that slept within’. this shows the hypocritical side of Jekyll - he’s struggling to accept that Hyde is a part of him
describe the moment at which Jekyll realises that his experiment has destroyed his life:
HENRY JEKYLL’S FULL STATEMENT OF THE CASE
- as Jekyll gets weaker, Hyde gets stronger, causing tension between the two sides of his character. Jekyll now sees Hyde as ‘inorganic’ (something unnatural and artificial that’s not a part of him). Hyde resents the way that Jekyll has turned against him, and how he begins to play ‘ape-like tricks’ to punish Jekyll
- Jekyll runs out of a vital ingredient for the potion, and there’s a sense of approaching horror as the reader knows that Jekyll will be taken over by Hyde and his life will be over
