Robert Louis Stevenson's supernatural story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (most commonly known by the shortened title Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) became an immediate best-seller in Great Britain and America when it was published in 1886. The novel has also earned accolades from the academic community for its artistic style and penetrating psychological themes. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is based on the story of Edinburgh's infamous Deacon Brodie, who was discovered to have been living a double life, coupled with a dream Stevenson had one night, what he called "a fine bogey tale," about a man who drinks a potion made from a white powder and subsequently transforms into a devilish creature. The next morning, Stevenson started to write a detective/horror story in the style of those written by Edgar Allan Poe, and three days later his draft was complete. After a critical response from his wife, Stevenson threw the draft in the fire and started a new one that he completed in another three days and revised during the next six weeks. This version became, with minor alterations, the published version of the text, with its compelling illustration of one man's futile attempts to weed out the evil inclinations of his soul. Most of Stevenson's readers would agree with Stewart F. Sanderson's judgment that the complex characterization of the tortured Dr. Henry Jekyll creates "a work of extraordinary psychological depth and powerful impact." The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary The story opens with Dr. Jekyll's friend and solicitor, Gabriel John Utterson, and Utterson' s distant kinsman, Mr. Enfield, taking a walk one Sunday. They find themselves passing a "certain sinister block of building" in the London district of Soho that "bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence." After stopping in front of a "blistered and distained" door on this block, Mr. Enfield recalls that one evening at three he was returning home through that section of the city when he saw a man run into a little girl. He notes that "the man trampled calmly over the
Transcript
Robert Louis Stevenson's supernatural story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (most commonly known by the shortened title Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) became an immediate best-seller in Great Britain and America when it was published in 1886. The novel has also earned accolades from the academic community for its artistic style and penetrating psychological themes. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is based on the story of Edinburgh's infamous Deacon Brodie, who was discovered to have been living a double life, coupled with a dream Stevenson had one night, what he called "a fine bogey tale," about a man who drinks a potion made from a white powder and subsequently transforms into a devilish creature. The next morning, Stevenson started to write a detective/horror story in the style of those written by Edgar Allan Poe, and three days later his draft was complete. After a critical response from his wife, Stevenson threw the draft in the fire and started a new one that he completed in another three days and revised during the next six weeks. This version became, with minor alterations, the published version of the text, with its compelling illustration of one man's futile attempts to weed out the evil inclinations of his soul. Most of Stevenson's readers would agree with Stewart F. Sanderson's judgment that the complex characterization of the tortured Dr. Henry Jekyll creates "a work of extraordinary psychological depth and powerful impact."
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary
The story opens with Dr. Jekyll's friend and solicitor, Gabriel John Utterson, and Utterson' s distant kinsman, Mr. Enfield, taking a walk one Sunday. They find themselves passing a "certain sinister block of building" in the London district of Soho that "bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence." After stopping in front of a "blistered and distained" door on this block, Mr. Enfield recalls that one evening at three he was returning home through that section of the city when he saw a man run into a little girl. He notes that "the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground." Immediately, Enfield apprehended the man and brought him back to the child and to the group that was gathering around her. Enfield admits that the suspect "was perfectly cool and made no resistance, but gave me one look, so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me." The rest of the crowd responded similarly. After ascertaining that the child was not severely harmed, Enfield directed the man to pay the family compensatory damages. The man then withdrew behind the same door at which
The story opens with Dr. Jekyll's friend and solicitor, Gabriel John Utterson, and Utterson' s distant kinsman, Mr. Enfield, taking a walk one Sunday. They find themselves passing a "certain sinister block of building" in the London district of Soho that "bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence." After stopping in front of a "blistered and distained" door on this block, Mr. Enfield recalls that one evening at three he was returning home through that section of the city when he saw a man run into a little girl. He notes that "the man trampled calmly over the...
A year later, a maid sees from her window Mr. Hyde club an older man to death. After the police find a sealed envelope at the scene addressed to Utterson, they bring it to him the next morning. Later, Utterson identifies the body as Sir Danvers Carew. Utterson also recognizes the stick the murderer used as belonging to Jekyll. When Utterson and the police go to Hyde's residence, they discover the other half of the broken stick in his ransacked rooms. The next afternoon, Utterson finds Jekyll "looking deathly sick," and with a "feverish manner." Jekyll insists he is done with Hyde, who...
One evening Poole arrives at Utterson's home and tells the lawyer that Jekyll has been shut up in his room all week. Poole is certain that there has been "foul play." When the two return to Jekyll's home and try to get him to come out of his room, Jekyll, in a changed voice, refuses. Poole tells Utterson that all week the person in the room has been begging for "some sort of medicine." Utterson breaks down the door and finds the dying Hyde "sorely contorted and still twitching." Jekyll is nowhere to be found. Utterson finds a note from Jekyll asking him to read Lanyon's letter as well as...
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Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary How It All Goes Down
The novel begins with "Mr. Utterson the lawyer" going for a walk with his friend and relative Mr. Enfield. They walk past a door, which somehow prompts Mr. Enfield to tell a sad story: a brute of a man knocked down a little girl, everyone yelled at the rude man, the man offered to pay a lot of money and disappeared through the door only to return with a large check drawn from Dr. Jekyll’s bank account. The nasty man? None other than Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson, it turns out, is Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, and we find out that in the event of Dr. Jekyll’s death or disappearance, his entire estate is to be turned over to Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson, who thinks highly of Dr. Jekyll, is extremely suspicious of this whole arrangement. He resolves to get to the bottom of this mystery. He hunts down Mr. Hyde and is suitably impressed with the evil just oozing out of Hyde’s pores. He then asks Dr. Jekyll about these odd arrangements. Dr. Jekyll refuses to comment, and there the matter rests until "nearly a year later."
Cut to "nearly a year later." A prominent politician is brutally beaten to death. The murder is conveniently witnessed by a maid, who points to evil-oozing Mr. Hyde as the culprit. Everyone tries to hunt down this evil man, but with no success. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll is in great health and spirits; he entertains his friends (among them one Dr. Lanyon), gives dinner parties, and attends to his religious duties. Two months later, both Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll fall terribly ill, and claim to have irrevocably quarreled with each other. Dr. Lanyon dies, leaving mysterious documents in Mr. Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr. Jekyll dies or disappears. Dr. Jekyll remains in seclusion, despite frequent visits from Mr. Utterson.
Finally, one evening, Dr. Jekyll’s butler visits Mr. Utterson at home. He’s worried about his master and is convinced of foul play. The butler persuades Mr. Utterson to return to Dr. Jekyll’s house, where they break into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory. They find Mr. Hyde dead on the floor, with Dr. Jekyll nowhere to be found.
Mr. Utterson finds several documents left to him, and goes back home to read both Mr. Lanyon’s narrative and Dr. Jekyll’s narrative, which, it turns out, are two parts of the same story. Since we’re at the end of the story, author Robert Louis Stevenson figured it was about time to tell us what happened at the beginning. So we discover (through the documents left by the dead men) the following: by means of a potion, Dr. Jekyll was able to transform into Mr. Hyde and give in to a world of pleasure and self-serving crime. In his narrative, Dr. Jekyll writes that Mr. Hyde became ever more powerful and ever harder to control – in essence, the dominant personality.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 1 Summary
We’re introduced to Mr. Utterson who, despite being rather dry and boring, is a good friend and good-natured man.
We’re introduced to his friend and relative Mr. Enfield. The two of them take long walks every Sunday that are slightly mysterious.
One Sunday they walk past a door, which prompts Mr. Enfield to tell a story. Naturally. Mr. Enfield’s story goes like this: Early in the morning, he sees a man trample over a little girl. Mr. Enfield corners the
man. The man is evil-looking and deformed. The entire crowd wants to kill the man, who responds with something along the lines of
"I’ll give you lots of money if you don’t kill me." He disappears inside and emerges with a "cheque" for almost 100 pounds, drawn from
the bank account of a well-respected man. The check is genuine. Mr. Enfield speculates that the evil man is blackmailing the well-respected man. Mr. Enfield says that he calls the place with the door "Black Mail House." The two men then speculate about the door, and Mr. Enfield finally says that his policy
on odd events is not to ask any questions of any kind. Mr. Utterson has no such policy; he asks Mr. Enfield for the name of the man who
trampled the child. It is Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson then declares that he knows the name of the well-respected man. This whole story hits home for him.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 2 Summary
Mr. Utterson goes home, and instead of his usual evening routine, he goes to a safe and takes out a set of documents.
The documents decree that if Dr. Jekyll is to die or disappear in any way, his entire estate is to be passed over to Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson seems to think that something is rotten in the estate of Dr. Jekyll. In lieu of further solitary pondering, he decides to go hang out with his good friend Dr.
Lanyon. Turns out Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Lanyon, and Mr. Utterson were once good friends. It also turns out that Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll have had a huge argument about
science. Mr. Utterson asks if Dr. Lanyon has heard of Mr. Hyde. Answer is no. That night, Mr. Utterson can’t sleep. He dreams crazy dreams about Mr. Hyde and
speculates about the evil man’s hold over Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson basically starts stalking the door to Black Mail House, in an effort to catch
Mr. Hyde. The two finally meet, and Mr. Utterson is totally repulsed by Mr. Hyde’s terrible
manners and appearance. Mr. Utterson goes directly to Dr. Jekyll’s house and asks to see his friend. Dr. Jekyll is
not home. Mr. Utterson gossips with the butler about Mr. Hyde, and discovers that all the servants
have orders to obey this mysterious, evil man. Mr. Utterson goes home pretty sad and distraught and afraid for his friend, because
nothing is worse than being potentially blackmailed by a horrible man who oozes evil out of his pores.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 3 Summary
Two weeks later, Dr. Jekyll gives a dinner party for five or six old men. Mr. Utterson is the guest who deliberately stays later than everyone else. He asks about Mr. Hyde and the strange will. Dr. Jekyll begs Mr. Utterson to let the issue drop, saying that he’s taken an interest in
Mr. Hyde. And that’s that. It’s all very mysterious.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 4 Summary
Almost a year later, everyone in London is shocked by a terrible crime. A maid saw everything. Her testimony ran as follows: She was sitting in her window and saw a sweet and gentle and kind old gentleman
asking a young man for directions. She recognizes the young man as Mr. Hyde. Suddenly, Mr. Hyde beats the old gentleman to death. The maid faints.
Hours later, she finally calls the police. The old man has a letter on him addressed to Mr. Utterson. Mr. Utterson (who seems to be everybody’s lawyer) accompanies a police officer to the
crime scene. He recognizes the body as Sir Danvers Carew, and the broken walking stick (read:
murder weapon) as one that he had given to Dr. Jekyll some years before. Mr. Utterson offers to take the police officers to Dr. Jekyll’s house, where they poke
through everything but are unable to find Mr. Hyde.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 5 Summary
Mr. Utterson goes to visit Dr. Jekyll, who looks extremely sick. Mr. Utterson asks if Dr. Jekyll is harboring Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jekyll swears that he will
never see or contact Mr. Hyde again. Dr. Jekyll gives Mr. Utterson a letter written by Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson shares it with his head clerk, Mr. Guest, who just happens to be a
handwriting expert. A messenger happens to deliver an invitation written by Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Guest declares that the two pieces of writing were written by the same hand. Mr. Utterson goes to bed very disturbed, convinced that Dr. Jekyll forged the letter from
Mr. Hyde.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 6 Summary
Despite a massive manhunt, Mr. Hyde is nowhere to be found. Dr. Jekyll becomes well and happy, throwing dinner parties and engaging in charitable
works. Mr. Utterson dines with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lanyon on the eighth of the month, and all is
well, but on the 12th, 14th, and 15th, he is denied admittance to the doctor’s house, on the grounds that Dr. Jekyll is ill.
Mr. Utterson calls on Mr. Lanyon, who looks near death. So both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Lanyon are ill.
Mr. Lanyon claims that his friendship with Dr. Jekyll is over. Mr. Utterson writes to Dr. Jekyll, who replies with a similar message. A week later, Mr. Lanyon, confined to his bed, dies. In the spirit of the novel and its mysterious documents, Mr. Lanyon left Mr. Utterson
with an envelope before he died. Upon opening it, Mr. Utterson finds…yet another envelope. This one is not to be
opened until the death or disappearance of Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson is totally tempted to open up this mysterious envelope, but he resists. Mr. Utterson longs for the company of his old friend, Dr. Jekyll, but on every visit the
servants say that Dr. Jekyll has shut himself up in his laboratory. Mr. Utterson finally begins to suspect that Dr. Jekyll himself has engaged in some evil
doings.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 7 Summary
Mr. Utterson, on his weekly walk with Mr. Enfield, passes by the door that started this whole novel. (That would be the Black Mail Door – remember?)
Turns out the door is a back way to Dr. Jekyll’s house. The two friends step into the courtyard with all the windows, and chance to see Dr.
Jekyll at the window, looking sickly and pale. They chat briefly before Dr. Jekyll completely freaks out, slamming the window and
Poole announces Mr. Utterson’s presence. Dr. Jekyll refuses to see his old friend. Same old song and dance.
Based on the voice coming from behind the door, Poole is convinced that the man in the room is not Dr. Jekyll.
Poole and Mr. Utterson chat about the events of the past week. Dr. Jekyll, or whoever is inhabiting the room in the laboratory, has been issuing chemical orders via slips of paper. He hasn’t been able to obtain whatever it is that he’s looking for.
Poole is convinced that the man inside the room is really Mr. Hyde. Using an axe and a kitchen poker, Poole and Mr. Utterson break into the room. Inside the room, everything is very neat and clean and in perfect order. Except for the
body of a man lying on the floor and "twitching." It’s Mr. Hyde. He has committed suicide. The two men search the area, looking for Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson finds a will naming him as the heir to Dr. Jekyll’s estate. Mr. Utterson, in a seemingly endless tirade of paper discovery, finds yet two more
documents. The first instructs him to read Dr. Lanyon’s narrative, and the second is a narrative written by Dr. Jekyll.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 9 Summary
Dr. Lanyon receives a letter from Dr. Jekyll, asking him, in the name of their long and esteemed friendship, to perform a complicated favor.
The favor involves breaking and entering into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory and giving some potions to a messenger that will arrive at Dr. Lanyon’s house at midnight.
Dr. Lanyon does as the letter requests. Mr. Hyde shows up eager to take the chemicals. He’s wearing clothes that are much
too big for him. He takes the chemicals and transforms into Dr. Henry Jekyll. This is quite a disturbing sight, especially for a man of science such as Dr. Lanyon.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 10 Summary
Dr. Jekyll starts his letter by explaining the two sides of his character: on the one hand, he loves being sober, dignified, and respectable, yet on the other hand he craves pleasure and debauchery.
In his research, he discovers how to split these two natures into two men. He takes a potion, and immediately feels both extreme pleasure and extreme
wickedness. This heathen-ness is accompanied by a transformation into Mr. Edward Hyde. He takes the potion and transforms back into Dr. Jekyll. He therefore does not succeed in creating someone wholly good and someone wholly
evil, but rather himself and a wholly evil version of himself. He makes various arrangements for his new self: a house, a housekeeper, a new will,
etc. You need stomping grounds for the evil version of yourself. Then he goes nuts as Edward Hyde – unfortunately, he gives us no descriptions
beyond "wickedness." His conscience does not trouble him, because as Dr. Jekyll, he continues being
respectable.
When he knocks over the child as Mr. Hyde, he has to use Dr. Jekyll’s bank account to not get killed by the angry mob. Soon after, he opens a bank account in Mr. Hyde’s name.
Two months before the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, Dr. Jekyll wakes up one morning as Mr. Hyde.
This is disconcerting, to say the least, and Dr. Jekyll begins to feel that he has to make a choice between his two personas.
For the next two months, he lives a respectable life as Dr. Jekyll. But he longs to become Mr. Hyde again. So one evening, he takes the transformative
potion. Then he beats Sir Danvers Carew to death. Horrified, he breaks the key to his laboratory and potions, and resumes a sober life as
Dr. Jekyll. But the secret urges remain, and one day, sitting in the park, his thoughts grow evil and
he transforms into Mr. Hyde. Away from his potions, and wearing the face of a wanted murderer, Dr. Jekyll sends a
note to Dr. Lanyon with specific instructions. It works: Mr. Hyde transforms back into Dr. Jekyll, but Dr. Lanyon’s friendship is lost
forever. But all is not solved. One day thereafter, Dr. Jekyll is walking in his courtyard and
transforms AGAIN into Mr. Hyde. He runs into his laboratory, but it takes a double dose to restore himself to the
appearance and personality of Dr. Jekyll. Six hours later, he again transforms. Dr. Jekyll rapidly gets sicker and sicker, and Mr. Hyde grows more powerful and more
insistent. Then he runs out of potions. Panicking, he sends his servants all around London
looking for a specific kind of salt. None of them works, convincing Dr. Jekyll that there must have been some unknown
impurity in the first sample that lent the potions its efficacy. He ends his letter by saying Dr. Jekyll has most certainly died, and he can only
speculate on what will happen to Mr. Hyde. He says he is bringing "the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end," but we never really know if Jekyll killed himself (and Hyde) before Hyde took over, or whether Hyde, for some unknown reason, killed himself.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary How It All Goes Down
The novel begins with "Mr. Utterson the lawyer" going for a walk with his friend and relative Mr. Enfield. They walk past a door, which somehow prompts Mr. Enfield to tell a sad story: a brute of a man knocked down a little girl, everyone yelled at the rude man, the man offered to pay a lot of money and disappeared through the door only to return with a large check drawn from Dr. Jekyll’s bank account. The nasty man? None other than Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson, it turns out, is Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, and we find out that in the event of Dr. Jekyll’s death or disappearance, his entire estate is to be turned over to Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson, who thinks highly of Dr. Jekyll, is extremely suspicious of this whole arrangement. He resolves to get to the bottom of this mystery. He hunts down Mr. Hyde and is suitably impressed with the
evil just oozing out of Hyde’s pores. He then asks Dr. Jekyll about these odd arrangements. Dr. Jekyll refuses to comment, and there the matter rests until "nearly a year later."
Cut to "nearly a year later." A prominent politician is brutally beaten to death. The murder is conveniently witnessed by a maid, who points to evil-oozing Mr. Hyde as the culprit. Everyone tries to hunt down this evil man, but with no success. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll is in great health and spirits; he entertains his friends (among them one Dr. Lanyon), gives dinner parties, and attends to his religious duties. Two months later, both Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll fall terribly ill, and claim to have irrevocably quarreled with each other. Dr. Lanyon dies, leaving mysterious documents in Mr. Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr. Jekyll dies or disappears. Dr. Jekyll remains in seclusion, despite frequent visits from Mr. Utterson.
Finally, one evening, Dr. Jekyll’s butler visits Mr. Utterson at home. He’s worried about his master and is convinced of foul play. The butler persuades Mr. Utterson to return to Dr. Jekyll’s house, where they break into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory. They find Mr. Hyde dead on the floor, with Dr. Jekyll nowhere to be found.
Mr. Utterson finds several documents left to him, and goes back home to read both Mr. Lanyon’s narrative and Dr. Jekyll’s narrative, which, it turns out, are two parts of the same story. Since we’re at the end of the story, author Robert Louis Stevenson figured it was about time to tell us what happened at the beginning. So we discover (through the documents left by the dead men) the following: by means of a potion, Dr. Jekyll was able to transform into Mr. Hyde and give in to a world of pleasure and self-serving crime. In his narrative, Dr. Jekyll writes that Mr. Hyde became ever more powerful and ever harder to control – in essence, the dominant personality.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Chapter 1 Summary
We’re introduced to Mr. Utterson who, despite being rather dry and boring, is a good friend and good-natured man.
We’re introduced to his friend and relative Mr. Enfield. The two of them take long walks every Sunday that are slightly mysterious.
One Sunday they walk past a door, which prompts Mr. Enfield to tell a story. Naturally. Mr. Enfield’s story goes like this: Early in the morning, he sees a man trample over a little girl. Mr. Enfield corners the
man. The man is evil-looking and deformed. The entire crowd wants to kill the man, who responds with something along the lines of
"I’ll give you lots of money if you don’t kill me." He disappears inside and emerges with a "cheque" for almost 100 pounds, drawn from
the bank account of a well-respected man. The check is genuine.
Mr. Enfield speculates that the evil man is blackmailing the well-respected man. Mr. Enfield says that he calls the place with the door "Black Mail House." The two men then speculate about the door, and Mr. Enfield finally says that his policy
on odd events is not to ask any questions of any kind. Mr. Utterson has no such policy; he asks Mr. Enfield for the name of the man who
trampled the child. It is Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson then declares that he knows the name of the well-respected man. This
whole story hits home for him.
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Themes Little Words, Big Ideas
Good vs. Evil
Good vs. evil is basically the novel’s biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men, and about our s...
Repression
Repression is indisputably a cause of troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here
is that of Victorian England: no sexual appetites, no violence, and no great expressions of
emotion, a...
Friendship
Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from human
curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his
friendship with D...
Appearances
Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to keep
up a well-respected façade, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal s...
Science
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, science becomes a cover and justification for supernatural
activities. Dr. Jekyll ostensibly derives his potion in some sort of scientific manner as opposed
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is
either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotation;
instead,...
Lies and Deceit
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by secrecy and deception; Mr.
Utterson doesn’t know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find
ou...
Violence
This novel details two crimes of violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little
girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the
que...
Religion
God and Satan figure prominently in this text, as well as many general references to religion
and works of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various
religio...
Women and Femininity
Most female characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are passive and weak. The first female we
see is a young girl mowed over by Mr. Hyde. Although she is "not much the worse, more
frightened," she st...
http://www.shmoop.com/jekyll-and-hyde/themes.html
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeIn A Nutshell
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886 and was instrumental in launching the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, to literary fame. The novel, a mystery thriller about a respectable man who takes a potion to occasionally become a dark and evil character, was written as a "shilling shocker." Popular during the Victorian era (the mid-1800s to about 1900), shilling shockers were short, graphic, and inexpensive books eagerly consumed by the masses –like those cheap romance novels you find in the supermarket. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been in continual publication for over 120 years.
We know, you’re not going to be taking some weird potions and unleashing your inner Mr. Hyde anytime soon. But seriously – have you ever tried to be good all the time? Flat-out "pleases" and "thank yous" and keeping your room clean and doing charity work and being respectful and eating your brussels sprouts and minding your parents and your manners? Many people would go crazy being "good" all the time.
Dr. Jekyll admits that one of his "flaws" is a tendency towards, as best we could figure out, happiness. Dr. Jekyll opted to be a grave, somber man, and before he knew it, his inner Wild Child was begging to be unleashed. So he came up with a perfect little solution: he created an alter ego. Except, instead of a Peter Parker/Spiderman deal, Dr. Jekyll went in the opposite direction and created an evil alter ego via some mysterious potion. His alter ego, Edward Hyde, who has a completely different appearance and personality, gets to do all the fun and illegal things that Jekyll, or any normal person, can’t. Although we don’t get the juicy details, it’s pretty clear that Mr. Hyde is a pretty perverse, wicked, sinful, foul guy – all around NOT the kind of person you want to meet in a dark alley.
Apparently there’s some sort of consequence to all this evil-doing, what with Hyde taking over and everyone dying. So it’s best not to try Dr. Jekyll’s experiment at home. Read the text instead, because if you haven’t figured it out already, the point of this book is so sharp we could spear fish with it. What with being a "shilling shocker" and all (tabloid stories not unlike trashy romance novels), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a clear-cut (if still Victorian ) manner and clocks in at fewer than 150 pages. So in a shameless rip-off of Nike: Just read it.
Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist...)
Tools of Characterization
Characters Dr. Henry Jekyll Mr. Edward Hyde Mr. Gabriel Utterson Dr. Hastie Lanyon Mr. Enfield Poole
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Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist...)Character Analysis
Protagonist
Dr. Jekyll
Who gets top billing in the title of the book? That’s right, Dr. Jekyll. We don’t even "physically" meet him until the third chapter, but this is a book about Dr. Jekyll and his very human fallibility. He’s the guy that makes stuff happen, and he’s the only guy that can shine a light onto this dark mystery. That’s why we’re prepared to argue that he’s the protagonist.
Antagonist
Mr. Hyde
Obviously. Antagonist means "bad guy." Also, "guy who opposes the good guy." Good guy in this book? Dr. Jekyll. There you have it. Besides, there’s that whole "juggernaut embodiment of all that is evil" thing.
Foil
Mr. Enfield and Dr. Lanyon
These guys are the salt and pepper to Jekyll and Utterson’s meat and potato. They provide variety and color to the cast of characters, as well as alternative points of view. Dr. Lanyon shows us that Dr. Jekyll’s scientific practices are not necessarily widely shared or respected, and Mr. Enfield shows that some people are passive, inactive, and not likely to be overwhelmed by curiosity any time soon.
Dr. Jekyll is a good guy who plays by the rules. He reads books about religion, he does charity work, and although he throws dinner parties for his bachelor friends. The focus of Dr. Jekyll’s bachelor parties is science, religion, and literature. But Dr. Jekyll does have one nasty little secret: he longs to be evil and give way to many unspecified "appetites." His name perhaps provides a clue: "Je" in French means "I," while "kyll" = kill. The question is, what or whom does he kill? Himself? His appetites? His good side? His evil side?
After contemplating and analyzing these appetites of his, Dr. Jekyll decides that all men are both good and evil, and the clear thing to do is to try separating these two opposing facets. Dr. Jekyll – who is apparently a scientist as well as a doctor – experiments with a variety of potions with this goal in mind. He eventually mixes a potion that, when consumed, turns him into Mr. Hyde. Instead of a "large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty […] with every mark of capacity and kindness," he morphs into another person entirely – an evil person.
It’s important to note that Dr. Jekyll has a conscience. He knows what he’s doing is bad. He even admits that as Dr. Jekyll, he sometimes works to fix the harm that he caused as Mr. Hyde. But eventually, he just can’t help himself. He has to participate in a world of pleasure no matter what it costs him.
Dr. Henry Jekyll Timeline and Summary
*This timeline is based on Dr. Jekyll’s final account. Dr. Jekyll lives a comfortably well-off, respectable life, but he has hidden desires for
pleasure and sin. He becomes convinced that man has a dual nature, best described as good and evil. In his laboratory, he experiments with a number of potions designed to separate these
two natures. He succeeds in creating a potion that transforms him into evil Mr. Hyde, and vice versa. For a while, he maintains a respectable existence as Dr. Jekyll and a disreputable
existence as Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde commits several violent crimes, leading to Dr. Jekyll renouncing the life of Mr.
Hyde. But Dr. Jekyll can’t help himself. In his own persona, he commits some sin that
"destroys the balance of his soul." Dr. Jekyll grows weaker; Mr. Hyde grows stronger. Finally the transformations begin
occurring without the potions, whenever Dr. Jekyll’s mind turns to evil thoughts. In despair, Dr. Jekyll locks himself in his laboratory and keeps trying to transform his
body back. He runs out of potion, and sends his servants around town for more supplies, but he
can’t seem to duplicate his original potion. Dr. Jekyll pens his confession right before (presumably) Mr. Hyde takes full control of
his body. Or possibly right before he kills himself and Hyde.
Mr. Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s evil alter ego who indulges in various undisclosed vices. He’s smaller, younger, more energetic, and just basically a malevolent, villainous guy. He’s frequently compared to a monkey or an ape, suggesting a certain inhumanity or bestiality. Although no one can really pinpoint a particular deformity, they all agree that he has one – one that makes him a twisted, dark man who manages to inspire fear, disgust, and loathing even from afar. He is also described repeatedly as "timid yet bold."
He indulges in many undisclosed pleasures, but the main characteristic we see is that of violence. Mr. Hyde, to put it mildly, likes to beat people up. Based on the crimes we see, his predilection for violence isn’t like a gang member’s, because he doesn’t hold any affiliations or have any conception of honor and respect. Nor is he really like a schoolyard bully, because he’s not particularly bigger or stronger than the people he beats up – not to mention that he doesn’t do it in front of crowds or to make himself look good. No, he simply likes beating people up. He feels pleasure when he engages in violence.
Mr. Hyde’s name is also significant, as he is both a hidden man and a persona that Dr. Jekyll hides behind. Mr. Utterson notes the significance of the name in Chapter Two: "‘If he be Mr. Hyde,’ he had thought, ‘I shall be Mr. Seek.’"
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Mr. Hyde to discuss is his death. We aren’t really sure at the end how Mr. Hyde died. Well, suicide, you say, but who committed the suicide? We know that Hyde is afraid of death (and probably the Hell which, according to Victorian England, awaits him), and that the threat of suicide is Jekyll’s one weapon against him. So one would think Jekyll somehow killed himself and Hyde right after writing out his tale. That’s the easy explanation.
Jekyll did say that Hyde was taking over, growing stronger and whatnot. If the last thing Jekyll was able to pull off was writing his last "document," then it sounds like Hyde took over before the death occurred. So did Hyde kill himself? And does that mean he killed Jekyll? You could say that Jekyll was already dead by that time, that Hyde had taken over completely. After all, it is Hyde’s dead body that we see, not Jekyll’s.
Lastly, you could say that it’s irrelevant to ask who killed himself, or who killed whom, because at the end of the day, Hyde and Jekyll aren’t separate entities. They share the same body, and the same memory. You could even go so far as to say that Jekyll’s attempted division failed; man can’t be separated simply into two halves.
At some unknown point in time, Mr. Hyde comes to life when Dr. Jekyll drinks a special potion.
For a time, Mr. Hyde comes to life whenever Dr. Jekyll doesn’t feel like being respectable.
Mr. Hyde participates in "undignified" pleasures that soon turned to the "monstrous." Then he tramples the child, witnessed by Mr. Enfield. He writes a check in Dr. Jekyll’s name, then opens a bank account for himself – the
signature is merely Dr. Jekyll’s handwriting, sloped backwards. Two months before the murder of Sir Danvers, Dr. Jekyll goes to bed and then awakes
as Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll notes that Mr. Hyde’s body has been growing larger, as if from "a more
generous tide of blood." He is also stronger-willed. For two months, Dr. Jekyll refrains from drinking the potion, and Mr. Hyde remains
hidden. In a moment of "moral weakness," Dr. Jekyll drinks the potion and Mr. Hyde emerges
stronger than ever. The beast is out of the cage. When a passerby stops him, Mr. Hyde beats the man to death. Dr. Jekyll resolves to lay Mr. Hyde to rest forever, but commits some sin that "tips the
balance of his soul" towards evil. Mr. Hyde takes control of Dr. Jekyll’s body one day at Regent’s Park. Away from his potions and a wanted man for murder, Mr. Hyde runs into a hotel and
stays there after penning messages to Dr. Jekyll’s friend (Dr. Lanyon) and Dr. Jekyll’s butler, delivering a complex series of instructions.
Mr. Hyde goes to Dr. Lanyon’s house to get the potion. Warning Dr. Lanyon that he is about to see something extraordinary, Mr. Hyde drinks
the potion and transforms into Dr. Jekyll. The next morning, Dr. Jekyll is relieved and walking in his courtyard, on his way to the
laboratory, when he again transforms into Mr. Hyde. It takes a double dose to recall Dr. Jekyll. Six hours later, Mr. Hyde again takes over. From that point on, Mr. Hyde is the dominant personality, and Dr. Jekyll struggles
helplessly to assert himself. At this point Dr. Jekyll realizes that Mr. Hyde is afraid of death, and that only fear of the
gallows allows Dr. Jekyll to resume his identity. However, because Dr. Jekyll really dislikes Mr. Hyde at this point, Mr. Hyde begins to
really hate Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Hyde plays lots of tricks on Dr. Jekyll, like defacing his favorite books and burning
his letters. But since Mr. Hyde is afraid to die, he fears that Dr. Jekyll will simply commit suicide.
Because of this, Dr. Jekyll pities Mr. Hyde. Because Dr. Jekyll runs out of potion, Mr. Hyde is given full rein. Mr. Hyde eventually kills himself, and is found (dead) by Mr. Utterson and Poole.
Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist...)
Tools of Characterization
Characters Dr. Henry Jekyll Mr. Edward Hyde Mr. Gabriel Utterson Dr. Hastie Lanyon Mr. Enfield
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Tools of CharacterizationCharacter Analysis
Physical Appearances
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde look differently, so they must be different people. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have markedly different physical characteristics. Dr. Jekyll is described as middle-aged, distinguished-looking, and a large man. Mr. Hyde is younger, more energetic, and described by just about everyone as seeming to have a deformity. No one can pinpoint exactly what this deformity is, but they unanimously agree that it’s there, and that it’s definitely evil.
Thoughts and Opinions: Approaches to Mystery
Mr. Enfield remarks that "the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask." He’s talking about odd phenomena. While Mr. Enfield looks at a mystery and says, "oh, that’s strange," his friend Mr. Utterson looks at a mystery, says, "oh, that’s strange – I wonder what’s going on." Indeed, this is their main point of differentiation.
Thoughts and Opinions: Approaches to Science
Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll have different approaches to science – therefore, they’re different men. Lanyon says something like "I believe in logic and science and rules" and Jekyll replies "I’m going to mess with science until it approaches a weird and supernatural form of abuse."
Stevenson isn’t one for subtlety. He gives us details on the characters without romance or innuendo. For example, his very first paragraph is an extremely lengthy description of Mr. Utterson – "cold, scanty, and embarrassed in discourse…yet somehow lovable."
Actions
Remember that paragraph early in the book where Stevenson details Mr. Utterson’s usual nighttime ritual? That whole description can be summed up like so: Mr. Utterson is a boring man of routine.
Speech and Dialogue
Subordination
When speaking to Mr. Utterson, both Mr. Guest and Poole frequently use the term "sir." Poole refers to Dr. Jekyll as "my master." This is obviously not a classless society. Servants are present to be loyal and helpful, but they always defer to the gentlemen. Once again, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde becomes a portrait of its times.
Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist...) Tools of Characterization
Characters Dr. Henry Jekyll Mr. Edward Hyde
Mr. Gabriel Utterson
Mr. Gabriel Utterson Timeline Dr. Hastie Lanyon Mr. Enfield Poole
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Mr. Utterson is not a fun guy. He is not the life of the party, or even anywhere on the same planet as the life of the party. He’s a guy that sits with his host after the party and makes him sober and God-fearing again. He’s the perfect gentleman. He reads "dry divinity," goes to bed no later than midnight, has perfect manners, and is systematic, rational, and conscientious. Think of Mr. Utterson as the Victorian ideal (minus his penchant for staying friends with sketchy characters).
Mr. Utterson’s friends are either related to him, or he’s known them since he was a kid. His friendships exist because they’ve stood the test of time. Moreover, once you’re friends with the guy, he’s seriously loyal. When it comes down to it, he’s reliable, trustworthy, and surprisingly not judgmental. He lets his friends go their own ways, and even if they screw up, he doesn’t cut them out of his social life. His pursuit of the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde mystery was motivated largely because of concern for his friend
Character Roles (Protagonist, Antagonist...) Tools of Characterization
Characters Dr. Henry Jekyll Mr. Edward Hyde Mr. Gabriel Utterson Mr. Gabriel Utterson Timeline Dr. Hastie Lanyon Mr. Enfield Poole
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Mr. Utterson is out for his usual Sunday afternoon walk with Mr. Enfield when they come across a door that prompts Mr. Enfield to tell a story about a wicked man named Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson has heard this name before. When he goes home, he examines Dr. Jekyll’s will, which instructs the entire estate to be handed over to Mr. Hyde.
Mr. Utterson’s curiosity is aroused, so he visits Dr. Lanyon and asks him about both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson are two of Dr. Jekyll’s best and oldest friends.
Dr. Lanyon has no knowledge of Mr. Hyde, but admits that he is no longer close with Dr. Jekyll.
Mr. Utterson’s curiosity is now really aroused, so he stalks the door until he meets Mr. Hyde.
They exchange words, and Mr. Utterson comes away thoroughly convinced of Mr. Hyde’s wickedness.
Afraid of what kind of hold Mr. Hyde could have over Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Utterson ruminates on his own past sins.
He resolves to try and help Dr. Jekyll if he is indeed in trouble. Mr. Utterson goes to dinner at Dr. Jekyll’s house and contrives to stay later. He asks Dr. Jekyll about the will. Dr. Jekyll knows that Mr. Utterson doesn’t like the
situation. Mr. Utterson brings up the terrible character of Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Jekyll begs his guest
to drop the matter. A year later, a prominent client of Mr. Utterson’s is murdered while carrying documents
addressed to Mr. Utterson. Mr. Hyde is responsible for the murder; Mr. Utterson identifies the body and the murder
weapon. Mr. Utterson takes a police officer to Mr. Hyde’s house. They talk to the housekeeper and search the house. It is ransacked. Mr. Hyde is
nowhere to be found. Mr. Utterson pays a visit to Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson asks if Dr. Jekyll has been
harboring Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll says no, and hands Mr. Utterson a letter written by Mr. Hyde. Mr. Utterson has dinner with his head clerk, Mr. Guest, and asks if Mr. Guest would do
a handwriting analysis of the letter. Mr. Utterson’s servant enters with a note from Dr. Jekyll. Based on Mr. Guest’s analysis, Mr. Utterson believes that Dr. Jekyll is a forger. Mr. Hyde disappears, and Mr. Utterson is happy. His friend Dr. Jekyll resumes his old,
contented ways. On the 8th of January, Mr. Utterson dines at Dr. Jekyll’s with Dr. Lanyon. Everything is
still good. Mr. Utterson calls on Dr. Lanyon, who is deathly ill and says he has had a terrible
shock. Mr. Utterson notes that Dr. Jekyll is also ill, and Dr. Lanyon promptly shuts down any
mention of Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson writes to Dr. Jekyll, asking what the deal is. Dr. Jekyll writes back,
confirming that he and Dr. Lanyon are irreconcilable, and that he has resolved to lead a life of complete seclusion from now on.
Dr. Lanyon dies, leaving a document in Mr. Utterson’s possession. Mr. Utterson opens the envelope only to find another envelope, this one to be opened only in the event of Dr. Jekyll’s death or disappearance.
Mr. Utterson is tempted to open the envelope, but refrains.
Mr. Utterson visits Dr. Jekyll frequently, but Poole always tells the same story: Dr. Jekyll has confined himself to the cabinet over the laboratory and refuses to see anyone.
Mr. Utterson decreases his visits. Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield go for their usual walk. They pass under a window where Dr. Jekyll is sitting. They chat until Dr. Jekyll stops smiling, freaks out, and shuts the window. Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield are horrified.
Dr. Hastie LanyonCharacter Analysis
Dr. Lanyon is described as a "hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and undecided manner." He is a gentleman of equal social stature to Mr. Utterson and Dr. Jekyll – in fact, the three of them have been friends since childhood. He and Dr. Jekyll, however, had a massive scientific argument about ten years before the events of the book take place, and their friendship is more civil than friendly. At one point Dr. Jekyll refers to Mr. Lanyon as "a hide-bound pendant" – from which we can deduce that he’s more rational, scientific, and systematic than his former friend.
So what’s up with his death? Well, having just said all that about Lanyon being a man of science and a firm believer in logic, you can imagine it would be pretty shocking for such a gentleman to watch his best friend undergo a supernatural switcheroo from decent and God-fearing to evil-oozing. Such a sight would be difficult for Lanyon to believe. So, rather than believe it, he dies.
Dr. Hastie Lanyon Timeline and Summary
Mr. Utterson visits Dr. Lanyon to ask about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Lanyon admits that his relationship with Dr. Jekyll is no longer a close one. Dr. Lanyon has never heard of Mr. Hyde. After the death of Sir Danvers, Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon dine at Dr. Jekyll’s house,
and all seems well. Several days later, Dr. Lanyon is near death. He looks much older and paler and
terrified. Two weeks later, he dies and leaves a narrative with Mr. Utterson. The narrative details his witnessing the transformation from Mr. Hyde to Dr. Jekyll. Most likely, the disturbing scene of watching Jekyll become Hyde was too much to
bear, causing the death of poor Mr. Lanyon.
Mr. EnfieldCharacter Analysis
Mr. Enfield is yet another ideal gentleman of the Victorian age – he has a strong sense of morals and good manners. Although he kicks off the novel, he plays a relatively minor role. We
see him twice in the text, both times on his usual Sunday afternoon walk with his distant relative and friend Mr. Utterson. Also, on both walks they pass by the curious door that prompts Mr. Enfield to tell the "story of the door." Sounds like this character is here to serve one purpose and one purpose only. Mr. Enfield’s one other notable characteristic is a severe lack of curiosity regarding the unusual. He seems to be okay with weird men that "trample" small children, as long as they pay up afterwards. In the classic "foil" sense, of course, Mr. Enfield’s lack of curiosity comments on Mr. Utterson’s extreme curiosity.
Mr. Enfield Timeline and Summary
Coming back from "some place at the end of the world," Mr. Enfield is walking home at three in the morning when he spies a human Juggernaut on a collision course with a young girl.
After the Juggernaut knocks the girl over, Mr. Enfield apprehends the man and brings him over to a group of people fussing over the child.
Mr. Enfield is struck by the fact that every single person in the group, including the doctor, absolutely loathes the criminal on sight.
The criminal offers to pay reparations, then pops into a door and comes out with a check for 100 pounds, drawn from someone else’s bank account.
Mr. Enfield is suspicious, but the check is genuine. When Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson pass by the door, Mr. Enfield relates the whole
story to Mr. Utterson, remarking on the oddness of the whole situation: the criminal is obviously a despicable man, but the money he paid was drawn from the account of an extremely well-respected member of society.
The two men discuss the issue. Mr. Utterson asks for the name of the criminal, and Mr. Enfield tells him that it’s Mr.
Hyde. He then describes the man’s appearance. They agree never to speak of it again. Some time later, the two men are again on their walk when they pass by the door. They chat about it, happy that Mr. Hyde has disappeared. They go past Dr. Jekyll’s window, and chat with him for a while, before Dr. Jekyll looks
absolutely terrified and sad and slams down the window. Mr. Enfield and Mr. Utterson are aghast and horrified.
PooleCharacter Analysis
He may as well be called Jeeves since he’s the ultimate butler – polite, loyal, and knowledgeable about his master to a tee. Seriously, he claims to know Dr. Jekyll’s voice and footstep, and he probably does, seeing as he’s been with the guy for twenty years. Poole is our old reliable; he isn’t much of a three-dimensional character himself, but this is so we can simply get information from him without having to question his motivations, reasoning, etc. He’s a tool for the author, in other words.
Poole Timeline and Summary
Poole doesn’t really have a timeline. At the end of the novel, he precipitates the finding of Mr. Hyde when, concerned for his master, he appeals to Mr. Utterson for help.
