A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
A Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Booklet
Character Analysis 1 - 15 Chapter Summaries Continued
Dr Jekyll (3) Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease
Mr Hyde (4) The Carew Murder Case
Mr Utterson (5) Incident of the Letter
Mr Enfield (6) Incident of Dr. Lanyon
Dr Lanyon (7) Incident at the Window
Sir Carew (8) The Last Night
Poole (9) Dr. Lanyon’s narrative
Context 15 - 23 (10) Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement
Religion Past Paper Questions 37 - 52
Science
The Gothic
Scotland, England and Victorian Britain
Targeting Grade 8/9
Sigmund Freud and The Psychoanalytical Theory
Lombroso and The Physiognomy Theory
Charles Darwin and ‘The Origin of Species’
Themes 24 - 34
Appearance Vs Reality / Duality
Friendship
Science Vs Religion
Secrecy & Reputation
Repression / Silence
The Gothic & Supernatural
Violence
Chapter Summaries 34 - 37
Robert Louis
(1) Story of the Door Stevenson
(2) Search for Mr. Hyde
1 Published - 1886 -
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
Character Analysis
Dr Jekyll
Dr Jekyll’s character has been purposefully created by Stevenson to symbolise repression
and insatiable curiosity
Dr Jekyll is a well-respected doctor, thought to be based on notorious nineteenth century
individuals William Brodie and John Hunter, and with Jekyll being a prominent upper-class
gentleman, he had a big secret to hide
o His secret is Mr Hyde, who was created as a result of his experimentation – he is
shown to be kind and generous, but shocks Utterson when he decides to change his
will to leave everything he owns to Mr Hyde
o It is implied inexplicitly that he was rather rambunctious and ill-behaved during his
late teens, alongside subtle hints that he may have engaged in homosexual
relationships
He develops a connection which separates the positive and negative characteristics of
himself and creates Hyde, a seemingly separate person which allows him to act in a
disapproved way by society, to fulfil his pleasures
o Jekyll loses control of Hyde as the novel develops, leading Hyde to appear uninvited:
this is perhaps Stevenson commenting on the increasing lack of control individuals
can have over their behaviour after giving into temptation
It could be argued that Jekyll and Hyde are not separate characters, but should be
considered one entity – this conjunction of personalities is what creates the drama within
the novel and the relationships which provides the text’s power
o Whilst he is able to liberate himself of his ‘evil’ side, his own personality remains a
turbulent mix of good and bad traits, serving to question the true nature of ‘good and
evil’
Dr Jekyll is portrayed by Stevenson to have a turbulent relationship with religion
The text suggests he has completed religious work and study – ‘he was now no less
distinguished for religion’
He turns to God for redemption after realising his mistakes – ‘had fallen upon his knees and
lifted his clasped hands to God’
The Theory of Marxism can be subtly applied within the Novella
Dr Jekyll is a member of the bourgeoisie, and, by extension, Hyde could also be considered
a member
The violent actions that take place due to Jekyll’s creation of Hyde could be shown as
Stevenson’s commentary on the behaviour of those with high status in society
o The violent trampling of the girl could be Stevenson commenting on the
bourgeoisie’s behaviour towards the lower classes
o The murder of Carew, a fellow member of the bourgeoisie, could be used by
Stevenson to show the selfishness and lack of loyalty shown by people in those
circles
2
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
Jekyll’s character could have perhaps been influenced by William Brodie
Brodie was a member of the town council so a well respected member of the community in
Edinburg – he often fixed locks on people’s furniture so had the opportunity to copy their
keys which allowed him to steal from his clients at night
o In this respect, he was living a double life – Many believe this influenced Stevenson
to consider the duality of human nature, and this led him to choosing to include the
dual relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jekyll’s character could also perhaps been influenced by John Hunter
John Hunter is often considered Stevenson’s inspiration or the character of Dr Jekyll
o He was a doctor with a high status who was well regarded within his circle of friends
in London
o Hunter’s wife often threw large parties in their house in the fashionable Leicester
Square – however, the other side of the house contained Hunter’s specimens and
student’s accommodation
It was these quarters which backed onto an alley from which grave-robbers
provided hunter with bodies to experiment on
o By having this duality within houses, Stevenson is showing how the upper class in
London are unable to completely isolate themselves from the lower classes
Stevenson develops mystery surrounding Jekyll to present his character
Stevenson purposefully hides facts about Jekyll, portraying the character as secretive and
personal
o Stevenson did this to illustrate to the reader the importance of reputation within a
Victorian Society
o Jekyll kept his unconventional experiments secret due to the controversial views
which would arise if broadcasted to the world – this links to Darwin’s theory of
evolution
The secrecy represents Jekyll as an independent and lonely character, which is not
expressed at the beginning of the novella – this shows the change in Jekyll’s character,
foreshadowing the changes of Jekyll and Hyde themselves
When Utterson asks Jekyll about Hyde, Jekyll refuses to say anything apart from that he
takes an interest in Hyde
o This tells us that he is connected somehow to Hyde and that Jekyll is hiding
something about him, making Jekyll seem secretive
o It is only when Jekyll dies that Utterson finds out the truth about the connection
between Jekyll and Hyde, giving us the impression that when he was alive, he was
always mysterious
Jekyll’s description as a character also appears to suggest that he is mysterious and
secretive
o At the beginning of chapter 3, Jekyll is described as ‘handsome’, and likes Utterson,
but with ‘something of a stylish cast’, giving the impression that although Jekyll
appears kind looking, he may be hiding something
o This relates to when Utterson mentions Hyde; Jekyll ‘grows pale’ and obtains a
‘blackness about his eyes’, seemingly getting uneasy when he is talked about, and
looking like there are secrets being hidden
This ultimately links back to theme of duality, rife throughout the novella
3
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
KEY CHARACTERISTICS –
Jekyll is a moral and honourable character
o He participates in charity-work and is community-minded, although it is implied that
he engaged in some questionable behaviour when he was younger
o This increases the shock experienced by the reader as it is revealed at the end of
the novel the true nature of Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship
It could also be argued that his original aim was to create a drug that could
separate out the good parts of his personality to make himself a better person,
so in fact, he did have good intentions
o He is very social and friendly, demonstrated by his tendency to hold dinner parties
for his friends and acquaintances, however is also quite self-involved, contrasting
Utterson’s outward focus
Jekyll is highly inventive and intelligent character with a curious mind
o He decides to experiment with separating the ‘evil’ side of himself and housing it in
the body of Mr Hyde
o The character of Jekyll symbolises the encroachment of science on religious thought
during the Victorian Era
Jekyll becomes increasingly erratic as the novel progresses, as he is faced with hiding the
existence of Hyde from the rest of the characters
KEY MOMENTS –
CH SIGNIFICANCE
3 Jekyll hosts a dinner party at his house,
OCCURANCE It's obvious that Jekyll is acting unusually and
afterwards Utterson remains behind to it becomes clearer as to why Lanyon has fallen
question him about the change in his out with him. Jekyll is clearly withholding
will. Whilst Jekyll clearly trusts Utterson, information about the strange relationship
he doesn’t reveal much additional between him and Mr Hyde, which may lead
information about Hyde readers to think Jekyll and Utterson’s
friendship isn’t as strong as originally thought
5 Jekyll is visited by Utterson, who thnks This chapter starts to demonstrate the
he looks on the brink of death, causing influence and power that Hyde has begun to
Utterson to wonder what is causing this have over Jekyll
illness. Later, Utterson’s assistant
compares the handwritting of Hyde and
Jekyll and discovers that they are very
similar. This leads Utterson to wrongly
assume that Jekyll has forged a letter
for Hyde
10 In Jekyll’s confession, he describes how Jekyll is the last character who we hear from
Hyde came to be, descending from the novel, which highlights his importance to
scientific curiosity about the human the narrative. His motivations for creating Hyde
nature of good and evil further exemplify his inquisitive nature and
propensity to question stagnant Victorian
beliefs about science, religion and morality
4
A Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Booklet
Character Analysis 1 - 15 Chapter Summaries Continued
Dr Jekyll (3) Dr. Jekyll Was Quite At Ease
Mr Hyde (4) The Carew Murder Case
Mr Utterson (5) Incident of the Letter
Mr Enfield (6) Incident of Dr. Lanyon
Dr Lanyon (7) Incident at the Window
Sir Carew (8) The Last Night
Poole (9) Dr. Lanyon’s narrative
Context 15 - 23 (10) Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement
Religion Past Paper Questions 37 - 52
Science
The Gothic
Scotland, England and Victorian Britain
Targeting Grade 8/9
Sigmund Freud and The Psychoanalytical Theory
Lombroso and The Physiognomy Theory
Charles Darwin and ‘The Origin of Species’
Themes 24 - 34
Appearance Vs Reality / Duality
Friendship
Science Vs Religion
Secrecy & Reputation
Repression / Silence
The Gothic & Supernatural
Violence
Chapter Summaries 34 - 37
Robert Louis
(1) Story of the Door Stevenson
(2) Search for Mr. Hyde
1 Published - 1886 -
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
Character Analysis
Dr Jekyll
Dr Jekyll’s character has been purposefully created by Stevenson to symbolise repression
and insatiable curiosity
Dr Jekyll is a well-respected doctor, thought to be based on notorious nineteenth century
individuals William Brodie and John Hunter, and with Jekyll being a prominent upper-class
gentleman, he had a big secret to hide
o His secret is Mr Hyde, who was created as a result of his experimentation – he is
shown to be kind and generous, but shocks Utterson when he decides to change his
will to leave everything he owns to Mr Hyde
o It is implied inexplicitly that he was rather rambunctious and ill-behaved during his
late teens, alongside subtle hints that he may have engaged in homosexual
relationships
He develops a connection which separates the positive and negative characteristics of
himself and creates Hyde, a seemingly separate person which allows him to act in a
disapproved way by society, to fulfil his pleasures
o Jekyll loses control of Hyde as the novel develops, leading Hyde to appear uninvited:
this is perhaps Stevenson commenting on the increasing lack of control individuals
can have over their behaviour after giving into temptation
It could be argued that Jekyll and Hyde are not separate characters, but should be
considered one entity – this conjunction of personalities is what creates the drama within
the novel and the relationships which provides the text’s power
o Whilst he is able to liberate himself of his ‘evil’ side, his own personality remains a
turbulent mix of good and bad traits, serving to question the true nature of ‘good and
evil’
Dr Jekyll is portrayed by Stevenson to have a turbulent relationship with religion
The text suggests he has completed religious work and study – ‘he was now no less
distinguished for religion’
He turns to God for redemption after realising his mistakes – ‘had fallen upon his knees and
lifted his clasped hands to God’
The Theory of Marxism can be subtly applied within the Novella
Dr Jekyll is a member of the bourgeoisie, and, by extension, Hyde could also be considered
a member
The violent actions that take place due to Jekyll’s creation of Hyde could be shown as
Stevenson’s commentary on the behaviour of those with high status in society
o The violent trampling of the girl could be Stevenson commenting on the
bourgeoisie’s behaviour towards the lower classes
o The murder of Carew, a fellow member of the bourgeoisie, could be used by
Stevenson to show the selfishness and lack of loyalty shown by people in those
circles
2
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
Jekyll’s character could have perhaps been influenced by William Brodie
Brodie was a member of the town council so a well respected member of the community in
Edinburg – he often fixed locks on people’s furniture so had the opportunity to copy their
keys which allowed him to steal from his clients at night
o In this respect, he was living a double life – Many believe this influenced Stevenson
to consider the duality of human nature, and this led him to choosing to include the
dual relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Jekyll’s character could also perhaps been influenced by John Hunter
John Hunter is often considered Stevenson’s inspiration or the character of Dr Jekyll
o He was a doctor with a high status who was well regarded within his circle of friends
in London
o Hunter’s wife often threw large parties in their house in the fashionable Leicester
Square – however, the other side of the house contained Hunter’s specimens and
student’s accommodation
It was these quarters which backed onto an alley from which grave-robbers
provided hunter with bodies to experiment on
o By having this duality within houses, Stevenson is showing how the upper class in
London are unable to completely isolate themselves from the lower classes
Stevenson develops mystery surrounding Jekyll to present his character
Stevenson purposefully hides facts about Jekyll, portraying the character as secretive and
personal
o Stevenson did this to illustrate to the reader the importance of reputation within a
Victorian Society
o Jekyll kept his unconventional experiments secret due to the controversial views
which would arise if broadcasted to the world – this links to Darwin’s theory of
evolution
The secrecy represents Jekyll as an independent and lonely character, which is not
expressed at the beginning of the novella – this shows the change in Jekyll’s character,
foreshadowing the changes of Jekyll and Hyde themselves
When Utterson asks Jekyll about Hyde, Jekyll refuses to say anything apart from that he
takes an interest in Hyde
o This tells us that he is connected somehow to Hyde and that Jekyll is hiding
something about him, making Jekyll seem secretive
o It is only when Jekyll dies that Utterson finds out the truth about the connection
between Jekyll and Hyde, giving us the impression that when he was alive, he was
always mysterious
Jekyll’s description as a character also appears to suggest that he is mysterious and
secretive
o At the beginning of chapter 3, Jekyll is described as ‘handsome’, and likes Utterson,
but with ‘something of a stylish cast’, giving the impression that although Jekyll
appears kind looking, he may be hiding something
o This relates to when Utterson mentions Hyde; Jekyll ‘grows pale’ and obtains a
‘blackness about his eyes’, seemingly getting uneasy when he is talked about, and
looking like there are secrets being hidden
This ultimately links back to theme of duality, rife throughout the novella
3
, A STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE BOOKLET │ GCSE ENG LIT
KEY CHARACTERISTICS –
Jekyll is a moral and honourable character
o He participates in charity-work and is community-minded, although it is implied that
he engaged in some questionable behaviour when he was younger
o This increases the shock experienced by the reader as it is revealed at the end of
the novel the true nature of Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship
It could also be argued that his original aim was to create a drug that could
separate out the good parts of his personality to make himself a better person,
so in fact, he did have good intentions
o He is very social and friendly, demonstrated by his tendency to hold dinner parties
for his friends and acquaintances, however is also quite self-involved, contrasting
Utterson’s outward focus
Jekyll is highly inventive and intelligent character with a curious mind
o He decides to experiment with separating the ‘evil’ side of himself and housing it in
the body of Mr Hyde
o The character of Jekyll symbolises the encroachment of science on religious thought
during the Victorian Era
Jekyll becomes increasingly erratic as the novel progresses, as he is faced with hiding the
existence of Hyde from the rest of the characters
KEY MOMENTS –
CH SIGNIFICANCE
3 Jekyll hosts a dinner party at his house,
OCCURANCE It's obvious that Jekyll is acting unusually and
afterwards Utterson remains behind to it becomes clearer as to why Lanyon has fallen
question him about the change in his out with him. Jekyll is clearly withholding
will. Whilst Jekyll clearly trusts Utterson, information about the strange relationship
he doesn’t reveal much additional between him and Mr Hyde, which may lead
information about Hyde readers to think Jekyll and Utterson’s
friendship isn’t as strong as originally thought
5 Jekyll is visited by Utterson, who thnks This chapter starts to demonstrate the
he looks on the brink of death, causing influence and power that Hyde has begun to
Utterson to wonder what is causing this have over Jekyll
illness. Later, Utterson’s assistant
compares the handwritting of Hyde and
Jekyll and discovers that they are very
similar. This leads Utterson to wrongly
assume that Jekyll has forged a letter
for Hyde
10 In Jekyll’s confession, he describes how Jekyll is the last character who we hear from
Hyde came to be, descending from the novel, which highlights his importance to
scientific curiosity about the human the narrative. His motivations for creating Hyde
nature of good and evil further exemplify his inquisitive nature and
propensity to question stagnant Victorian
beliefs about science, religion and morality
4
