Jekyll and hyde quotes Flashcards
“primitive duality of man”
Jekyll is realising that there are actually two people in each of us. “duality” represents the good and bad sides of each of us, in a religious context; or the double lives that were being lived by Victorian gentlemen, as they balance their pleasures with their desire to appear respectable. the adjective “primitive” also relates to original or basic, and here Stevenson is suggesting that at our most basic levels humans have many layers.
“Edward hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil”
“alone” shows how unique and isolated Hyde was. creates a similar sympathy for Hyde as we might feel for Frankenstein’s Monster, since neither asked to be created. “pure evil.” The adjective emphasises that Hyde is nothing except “evil,” suggesting something that has only previously existed as the Devil himself – an almost religious idea. It’s not just that he does wrong, he is evil in its purest form.
“man is not truly one, but truly two”
Jekyll observes that there are, in fact, two people within each of us. “truly” means honestly, or factually – to emphasise himself. “two” could refer to both the civilised side of humanity – which is represented by the upper class and very respectable Henry Jekyll – and the “beast within,” Hyde. suggests that ideas like Good and Evil are not distinct from each other, but that we all contain elements of both.
“pale and dwarfish”
“pale and dwarfish.” both relate to him being weak or deformed. “pale” relates to a lack of life or vigour, it also has horrific connotations which link him to vampires, or anyone else who spends no time around sunlight “dwarfish” although linking him to being short, could also suggest that he is below other people socially as well as physically; also, that he is less well developed – or less evolved – than the civilised than the “upstanding” gentlemen of Victorian England. Also, both words suggest that Hyde was not a significant part of Jekyll – that he was “underdeveloped.” The fact that he was “pale,” suggests something ghostly or like a feint version of him, while his “dwarfish” stature also suggests that he was only a small part of a larger whole.
“a murderous mixture of timidity and boldness”
“timidity” could come from how Hyde has not experienced the outside world so much, given that he was always hidden while he was kept in Jekyll’s id. It’s almost like the world is new to him and he often presents himself as being nervous around others. However, he also displays a “boldness” which suggests a confidence. Perhaps we could look at Hyde as a child who was born into the world as a man, and has the child’s naivety combined with an adults confidence. The fact that he has all this combined in a “murderous mixture” completes the image of Hyde as a real character of horror: he has no conscience, no civilised, learned state; he has only the selfishness of an angry toddler who sees only what makes him happy and pursues it ruthlessly.
“troglodytic”
Here, Hyde is described using an adjective that literally means “cave dweller.” This draws comparisons with Neanderthal man, and pushes Hyde back down the evolutionary ladder. At the time, Darwin’s theory of evolution was still quite new and Stevenson’s use of this kind of scientific term would have made his story sound authentic and trustworthy. This also relates Hyde to the “uncivilised” people who were being encountered as the British empire expanded, who were seen as being further back down the evolutionary ladder than the British.
“if ever I read satan’s signature upon a face”
Utterson claims that Hyde’s face contains “Satan’s signature.” Here, he is almost suggesting that Hyde is a work of evil art – as though Satan himself has signed off the creation. This is ironic, given the fact that it later turns out that the real creator of Hyde is, in fact, his good friend Henry Jekyll. Also, the alliteration here makes the phrase sound almost like an advertising gimmick, or a slogan. Hyde is repeatedly described using images of Satan which makes it clear that he is a pure form of evil – a kind of symbolic, religious evil that normally only exists in theory, but which has now been created as flesh and bone.
“ape-like fury”
Hyde is described as attacking Sir Danvers with “ape-like fury.” This simile – like many others in the book – clearly compares him to an animal, an ape, and places him further back down the evolutionary ladder than the civilised Victorian gentlemen. Also, if you imagine that Hyde represents all the things he is compared to, you could see the way that Stevenson brings together ideas of animalism, uncivility, madness and evil into one pot; which sits opposite to the civilised, humane, intelligent and rational humans who are symbolised by Jekyll, Utterson or the other Victorian gentlemen in the book.
“younger, lighter, happier”
When Jekyll first turns into Hyde, he clearly has positive feelings for his new form. He says he feels “younger, lighter, happier.” The reference to him being “younger” could relate to Hyde having been so underdeveloped previously, or it could relate to a freshness that Jekyll had never found in the stuffy Victorian smoking rooms. The fact that he was “lighter” could suggest his size, but the connotations here might suggest that the weight that has been lifted is actually his conscience – he no longer feels the weight of responsibility that he once did. This is supported by the fact that he is now “happier,” again – he has no conscience – none of the guilt that is associated with extreme religiosity. It is clear at the outset, that there is much in this new form that Jekyll enjoys. In some ways this could be seen as Stevenson criticising a society that emphasises feelings of guilt over the freedom of expression, though the way that Hyde eventually took over could suggest otherwise.
“if he be mr hyde, I shall be mr seek.”
Hyde’s name is clearly a reference to the way that he is hidden, though his hiding is symbolic in a number of ways: in one sense he represents the id, and his hidden in our subconscious, kept far away from the judgement of the super-ego. In another sense, he represents the working class poor and dejected, who celebrated so many of the things that Hyde also enjoyed, but who are hidden from civilised society. He is everything that exists, but which Victorian England wanted to turn away from.
“the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr. Hyde.”
In Chapter 3 Jekyll says that he can be rid of Mr Hyde at the “moment I choose.” At this point, Jekyll still believes that he is in control – that his ego has control over the base desires of his id. It is only later, as Hyde starts to take over, that we realise that he is in fact addicted to being this creature – and only later still that we see Hyde begin to take over seemingly at will. Here, Jekyll really represents the Victorian arrogance that thinks it can ever escape its flirtation with its inner animal.
“every mark of capacity and kindness - you could see by his looks that he cherished for mr utterson”
Dr Jekyll is perceived as a kind and educated scientist, he represents the good side of man’s duality in the novella. This quote shows that everyone believes him to be a kind man. “cherished” shows that he displays love and is caring towards his friend, therefore he is portrayed as a good man.
“haunting sense of unexpressed deformity with which the fugitive impressed his beholders”
Mr Hyde is perceived as a cruel, ugly, vicious man who commits wild acts of violence against innocent people. He represents the evil side of man’s duality in the novella. This conveys that Hyde’s appearance disturbs and terrifies others, they always remember seeing him. His looks being described as “haunting” show just how much he scares people.
“I wish to see or hear no more of Dr Jekyll… I am quite done with that person; and I beg you will spare me any allusion to one whom I regard as dead.”
Stevenson presents Lanyon’s emotions very clearly in this section - one of Jekyll’s oldest friends views him as ‘dead’ due to what he has done. The language Stevenson uses is full of passion and emotion. The repetition of ‘I’ illustrates that Lanyon feels he is in control of the situation and has control over Jekyll.
“there lay the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching.”
Dr Jekyll’s experiment kills him, as he has to die in order for the overpowering Mr Hyde to die also. This shows that Jekyll eventually killed himself as his desire to experiment made Mr Hyde get stronger. The use of the phrase ‘sorely contorted’ illustrates how science changed who Jekyll was and who he became. It ‘contorted’ his very self.
