These notes contain a breakdown of all the key moments in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that can be used for GCSE analysis and essays, containing key quotes and themes to site as examples within the text, and links throughout the book of symbols, motifs and character arcs that allows an in depth look into ...
, Duality, Appearance vs Reality, Repression and secrecy
● The description of Hyde’s House and the street
○ “Back way to Dr Jekyll’s” The House of Hyde is attached to the back of Jekyll’s
house, mirroring their duality and the back route of it perhaps reflecting the
secrecy of Hyde (...and maybe the gayness).
○ “In every feature the mark of prolonged and sordid negligence” Implication that
Jekyll has put off this part of himself and has tried to hide it from society, rejecting
having it in open view, but after the creation of Hyde’s form, it is now similar to
that of the house, completely open and visible, unable to hide his true nature.
○ “Like a fire in a forest” Not describing the house itself but rather the street on
which it lies. This street is meant to mirror Jekyll himself: Jekyll stands out from
others as respectable, warm and bright, almost burning with noticeability.
However, he is also perhaps dangerous like the fire and those that get too close
get burned- similarly to Dr Lanyon.
○ “Thrust forward its gable on the street” This shows the being of Hyde on this
bright street standing out as a blight and how he is the dark, neglected part of
Jekyll that suddenly is “thrust” into the world by the drinking of this potion. Hyde
stands out from the rest of Jekyll’s “fire” as a darkness, the “discoloured wall”
acting as a contrast to the light from the “fire” of the rest of Jekyll.
○ “The line was broken” This implies that Hyde breaks apart the fragile reputation
of Jekyll by his raw, evil presence and the fall of Jekyll to these repressed desires
breaks apart his life, perhaps foreshadowing his fate ahead.
● Utterson’s dreaming and speculations of Hyde and Jekyll
○ “Great fields of lamps...darkness of the night” Utterson is seen dreaming of Hyde
and his mysterious links to Jekyll. His dream has an image of the bright lamps at
night, the vivid imagery of dark and light used as a juxta position to mirror the
presence of Hyde in Jekyll’s life and Utterson thinking of it as nothing good. The
theme of good and evil appears, as they are offered mirrored by representations
of light and dark, and so by Jekyll and Hyde within the novel- but only to a certain
extent in Jekyll’s case and light.
○ “A figure to whom power was given” Utterson clearly imagines Hyde as having
some kind of influence over Jekyll and Jekyll has given this power to him for
unknown reasons. This draws alarming parallels between the reality and
subconscious ideas of Utterson about the whole matter and foreshadows the
truth which comes out in a much more unexpected way, of Jekyll willingly giving
over to Hyde’s evil.
● Jekyll’s reaction to the mention of Hyde
○ “face of Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips and there came a blackness to his
eyes.” This shows the nerves of Jekyll at having the situation with Hyde brought
up. His original intention was to hide Hyde from the world along with his desires
and to be able to act on them without any outside influence. He “sat beyond the
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