Dr Jekyll + Mr Hyde - Context
● September 1885, Stevenson experienced a nightmare - the murder of Carew and
the metamorphosis of Jekyll into Hyde
● Stevenson’s nanny told him many horrific and true stories as he grew up - she was
also part of the Presbyterian Church
● Stevenson’s nanny told him the story of church leaders who had committed sexual
offences - the woman was viewed as insane and therefore hanged
● Edinburgh's structure showed the clear divide between rich and poor - the city had
become so overpopulated that it was unsanitary - the middle class built a new part
of the city to separate themselves from the working-class
● Edinburgh although separate contained a bridge connecting both areas, which
allowed the middle class to go to working-class areas and indulge in their
pleasures
● Deacon Brodie - a gentleman and town councillor by day but a gambler by night,
led him into debt so he had to start to commit burglaries of the middle class- his
reputation protected him from suspicion
● Gravedigging became a large industry - needed by surgeons who wanted to
discover more about anatomy
● Wiliam Burke + William Hare - murdered their guests, sold their bodies to the
Royal College of Surgeons
● Why London - John Hunter, lack of anatomical knowledge - purpose-built home
for a double life - identical to Jekyll’s house
● Stevenson himself had to take drugs for tuberculosis - which caused spasms +
hallucinations - made his imagination more vivid
● Wrote a book about prostitution - never published his wife criticised it
● New laws - banning homosexuality both in private and public - Stevenson shows
the dangers of homosexuality
● September 1885, Stevenson experienced a nightmare - the murder of Carew and
the metamorphosis of Jekyll into Hyde
● Stevenson’s nanny told him many horrific and true stories as he grew up - she was
also part of the Presbyterian Church
● Stevenson’s nanny told him the story of church leaders who had committed sexual
offences - the woman was viewed as insane and therefore hanged
● Edinburgh's structure showed the clear divide between rich and poor - the city had
become so overpopulated that it was unsanitary - the middle class built a new part
of the city to separate themselves from the working-class
● Edinburgh although separate contained a bridge connecting both areas, which
allowed the middle class to go to working-class areas and indulge in their
pleasures
● Deacon Brodie - a gentleman and town councillor by day but a gambler by night,
led him into debt so he had to start to commit burglaries of the middle class- his
reputation protected him from suspicion
● Gravedigging became a large industry - needed by surgeons who wanted to
discover more about anatomy
● Wiliam Burke + William Hare - murdered their guests, sold their bodies to the
Royal College of Surgeons
● Why London - John Hunter, lack of anatomical knowledge - purpose-built home
for a double life - identical to Jekyll’s house
● Stevenson himself had to take drugs for tuberculosis - which caused spasms +
hallucinations - made his imagination more vivid
● Wrote a book about prostitution - never published his wife criticised it
● New laws - banning homosexuality both in private and public - Stevenson shows
the dangers of homosexuality
