The Strange Case of
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Grade 12
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
Page 1
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
,Table of Contents
Background 3
Important information 4
Characters 5
Structure and Plot 8
Themes 9
Symbols 11
Language 12
Chapter Summaries 13
Important contrasts 24
Page 2
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy, share, or sell our content
without permission.
, Background
AUTHOR: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON BACKGROUND: THE VICTORIAN PERIOD
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. The novel was written during the late nineteenth-century
Suffered from respiratory problems throughout his life. Victorian period.
Studied law because of his father’s wishes, although he Queen Victoria ruled from 1837–1901.
wanted to become a writer. Victorian society expected:
His legal knowledge is evident in The Strange Case of Dr Sexual restraint.
Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Strict behaviour.
Also wrote Treasure Island and Kidnapped. Zero tolerance for crime.
Spent his final years in Samoa and died in 1894 at the age Respectability and conformity.
of 44. People were expected to follow the unwritten rules of
Victorian society.
The middle class became increasingly powerful politically and
SCIENCE AND THE SUPERNATURAL economically.
These social expectations are important because Jekyll wants
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published in to maintain his respectable public identity while secretly
1859. satisfying his darker desires.
Darwin’s theory suggested that all life, including humans,
had evolved from primitive forms.
GOTHIC FICTION
Some people regarded evolutionary science as a threat to
Gothic fiction is associated with:
religion.
Horror.
There was increasing concern that science was interfering
Monsters.
with matters traditionally controlled by God.
Mystery.
At the same time, spiritualism and beliefs in ghosts, magic
Creepy or disturbing settings.
and the supernatural became popular.
The supernatural.
The novel reflects this tension between scientific reason,
Hyde resembles the Gothic monster.
religion and the supernatural.
His appearance and behaviour make him seem unnatural and
Jekyll’s experiments combine scientific methods with
frightening.
mystical/supernatural elements.
He does not fit into the respectable, civilised society around
him.
DUAL NATURE OF HUMANITY
Victorian belief suggested that human beings possessed a
double or dual nature.
Jekyll and Hyde represent the two sides of one human
personality:
Jekyll: rational, moral and good.
Hyde: irrational, instinctive, aggressive and evil.
The novel explores whether the good and evil sides of humanity
can truly be separated.
Page 3
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy, share, or sell our content without permission.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Grade 12
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
Page 1
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
,Table of Contents
Background 3
Important information 4
Characters 5
Structure and Plot 8
Themes 9
Symbols 11
Language 12
Chapter Summaries 13
Important contrasts 24
Page 2
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy, share, or sell our content
without permission.
, Background
AUTHOR: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON BACKGROUND: THE VICTORIAN PERIOD
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. The novel was written during the late nineteenth-century
Suffered from respiratory problems throughout his life. Victorian period.
Studied law because of his father’s wishes, although he Queen Victoria ruled from 1837–1901.
wanted to become a writer. Victorian society expected:
His legal knowledge is evident in The Strange Case of Dr Sexual restraint.
Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Strict behaviour.
Also wrote Treasure Island and Kidnapped. Zero tolerance for crime.
Spent his final years in Samoa and died in 1894 at the age Respectability and conformity.
of 44. People were expected to follow the unwritten rules of
Victorian society.
The middle class became increasingly powerful politically and
SCIENCE AND THE SUPERNATURAL economically.
These social expectations are important because Jekyll wants
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published in to maintain his respectable public identity while secretly
1859. satisfying his darker desires.
Darwin’s theory suggested that all life, including humans,
had evolved from primitive forms.
GOTHIC FICTION
Some people regarded evolutionary science as a threat to
Gothic fiction is associated with:
religion.
Horror.
There was increasing concern that science was interfering
Monsters.
with matters traditionally controlled by God.
Mystery.
At the same time, spiritualism and beliefs in ghosts, magic
Creepy or disturbing settings.
and the supernatural became popular.
The supernatural.
The novel reflects this tension between scientific reason,
Hyde resembles the Gothic monster.
religion and the supernatural.
His appearance and behaviour make him seem unnatural and
Jekyll’s experiments combine scientific methods with
frightening.
mystical/supernatural elements.
He does not fit into the respectable, civilised society around
him.
DUAL NATURE OF HUMANITY
Victorian belief suggested that human beings possessed a
double or dual nature.
Jekyll and Hyde represent the two sides of one human
personality:
Jekyll: rational, moral and good.
Hyde: irrational, instinctive, aggressive and evil.
The novel explores whether the good and evil sides of humanity
can truly be separated.
Page 3
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy, share, or sell our content without permission.
