Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde -
Characterisation and Quotes
Dr Jekyll
"a well-made, smooth
faced man of fifty"
Implies that Dr Jekyll is a good-looking man, who is
well respected among his associates and
represents a typical Victorian gentleman.
"but every mark of capacity and
human kindness"
Suggests that Jekyll has an excellent
reputation and is extremely considerate and
thoughtful.
This is the polar opposite of his alternate personality, Mr Hyde.
"his own tastes being rather
chemical than anatomical"
Dr Jekyll is not interested in medical
professions such as surgery and is
fascinated by chemistry and
pharmacology behind medicine.
This was not a typical Victorian doctor's beliefs,
and was believed to be exploring the
supernatural and was often frowned upon by
traditional Victorian physicians, such as Dr
Lanyon.
Determined
Dr Jekyll is determined as he wants his
experiment to succeed. He is so
determined that he risks losing
everything in order for him to succeed -
his friendships, reputation and wealth.
"I do sincerely take a great,
a very great interest in that
young man."
The repetition of 'great' emphasises
how determined Jekyll is and illustrates
how he feels about Mr Hyde. The use of
'sincerely' shows that his
determination and passion are real.
Respected
Dr Jekyll is respected due
to his wealth, reputation as
a charitable man and his
discoveries in science.
"The doctor gave one of his pleasant
dinners to some five or six old
cronies, all intelligent reputable
men, and all judges of good wine."
This shows that he is well-liked and
respected in the society of Victorian
London. As all of the men are judges
of 'good wine', it indicates to the
reader their wealth and
respectability.
Intelligent
Dr Jekyll is intelligent due to his innovative
experiments which are perceived by some
others as worldly and un-godly, particularly by
the conventional scientist, Dr Lanyon.
Henry Jekyll, M.D., D.C.L.,
LL.D., F.RS., etc.
The titles that are attached to Dr Jekyll's
name highlight his intelligence, as he has
many degrees and qualifications. The use
of 'etc.' suggests there are more.
Erratic
Dr Jekyll becomes more erratic as
the novel develops. This is
because he is trying to conceal Mr
Hyde from everyone. He's also
trying to control his experiment,
but failing.
"...before the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such
abject terror and despair, as froze the very blood of the two gentleman below."
This highlights the change in Dr Jekyll's behaviour, as before this quotation, Dr Jekyll was happily
talking to Mr Utterson. However, Stevenson describes a sudden change in Dr Jekyll's behaviour.
The word 'struck' shows that Hyde's appearance has changed Dr Jekyll's behaviour instantly.
Mr Hyde
"snarled into a savage laugh"
'Snarled' implies that Hyde is like a predator, who will go to any lengths to catch his prey.
'savage' implies that Hyde is a violent
man, like that of a primal being.
Such primal beings had animalistic instincts and their sole purpose was to survive.
'Something' implies that Enfield was aware that Hyde was a malicious
man, when he observed him, but he could not tell Utterson what the
detail was.
'Detestable' illustrates the level of resentment that Enfield felt
towards Utterson, even though he had never met or seen him before.
"if ever I read Satan's signature upon a face"
By comparing Hyde to Satan, Stevenson is implying that Hyde is
incapable of feeling compassion or sympathy towards others.
He only feels hatred and bitter resentment and
should not be worthy of the reader's sympathy.
"some damned Juggernaut"
By comparing Hyde to Satan, Stevenson is implying that Hyde is a
human being is incapable of feeling compassion or sympathy towards
others.
Hyde only feels hatred and bitter resentment.
Ugly
He is described as ugly and Stevenson
suggests he has the face of Satan.
Everybody Hyde meets in the novel is
afflicted with his 'nightmarish' appearance.
"There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing,
something downright detestable. I never saw a man so disliked."
This quote from Enfield shows that he is greatly appalled and disgusted by Hyde's appearance, suggesting
that he is other-worldly and doesn't belong in the reputable society of Victorian London. The repetition of
'something' exaggerates how deformed Hyde is, as Enfield can't quite put his finger on it.
Murderous
Hyde murders Carew and
tramples on a little girl
causing her legs to break.
...with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim
under foot, and hailing down a storm of blows.
The use of the simile 'ape-like fury'
describes Hyde as an animal capable of
rages, not a human. This shows that
Hyde doesn't care about his actions and
has no control over his fiery, animalistic
behaviour.
Powerful
Towards the end of the book, Hyde becomes the dominant side to Dr Jekyll's
personality. Each time Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde, Mr Hyde gets stronger and
makes it more difficult for Dr Jekyll to turn to his 'original' self.
"It took on this occasion a double
dose to recall me to myself; and alas!"
This shows that Mr Hyde is getting stronger, as Dr
Jekyll needs to use more drugs to return to his
former self. The use of the exclamation mark
suggests that this surprises and also scares Jekyll as
he is unsure and wary of Hyde's power.