Jekyll and Hyde: Overview and Key Scenes

Key Characters

• Mr. Utterson: A respectable lawyer symbolizing honesty and the novella's moral compass.
• Dr. Jekyll: A reputable doctor representing repression and insatiable curiosity.
• Mr. Hyde: Dr. Jekyll's evil counterpart symbolizing man's primal instincts.
• Dr. Lanyon: A respected scientist symbolizing reputability and a foil to Dr. Jekyll.
• Poole: Dr. Jekyll's butler symbolizing loyalty.
• Sir Danvers Carew: An MP whose death indicates Hyde's disregard for authority.
• Mr. Enfield: Utterson's cousin, key to themes of repression and silence.

Overview

• Revision Tip: Read the last chapter for a summary of important plot aspects.
• Plot Summary:
  1. Mr. Enfield narrates a story of a young girl trampled by Mr. Hyde.
  2. Utterson learns Dr. Jekyll is acquainted with Mr. Hyde.
  3. Utterson consults Dr. Lanyon, who has fallen out with Jekyll.
  4. Sir Danvers Carew is murdered by Mr. Hyde.
  5. Lanyon gives Utterson a letter to open after Jekyll's death, then dies of shock.
  6. Poole and Utterson break into Jekyll's lab, finding Hyde's body and a letter from Jekyll.
  7. Lanyon's letter describes Hyde transforming into Jekyll.
  8. Jekyll's confession reveals his experiments with a drug that transforms him into Hyde.

Key Scenes

• Scene 1: Introduction to Hyde, presenting duality and mystery.
  • Themes of duality symbolized by contrasting descriptions.
  • Hyde described with satanic and omnipotent imagery.
• Scene 2: Introduction of Jekyll's will, foreshadowing his ruin.
  • High rank and respectability emphasize Victorian gentleman expectations.
• Scene 3: Lanyon's views on Jekyll, highlighting scientific tension.
  • Reflects historical scientific debates, like Darwin's theory of evolution.
• Scene 4: Carew's murder, showcasing Hyde's disregard for social rank.
  • Animalistic imagery relates to Darwinian themes.
• Scene 5: Lanyon's mysterious death and Jekyll's implication.
  • Gothic tropes of fatalism and sensory deception.
• Scene 6: Climax with the discovery of Hyde's body.
  • Animalistic imagery underpinning Jekyll and Hyde's legacy.
• Scene 7: Revelation of Hyde's true identity.
  • Religious and resurrection imagery contrasting with previous scenes.
• Scene 8: Jekyll's confession, explaining duality and isolation themes.
  • Hyde embodies Jekyll's evil, showcasing Victorian gentleman isolation.

Structure

• Follows a dramatic structure with exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
  • Exposition: Introduction through Hyde's trampling incident.
  • Rising Action: Conflict with Jekyll's will and Utterson's confrontation.
  • Climax: Carew's murder and Jekyll's lab discovery.
  • Falling Action: Lanyon's narrative revealing Hyde's identity.
  • Denouement: Jekyll's letter resolving the mystery.

Form

• Detective Fiction: Subverts expectations by focusing on personal relationships over scientific cases.
• Narration:
  • Multi-perspective narration with Mr. Utterson, Dr. Lanyon, and Jekyll.
  • Use of third and first-person perspectives to create reliability and tension.
• Epistolary Form: Utilizes letters and documents to enhance mystery and investigation.
  • Reflects gothic literature conventions like in "Frankenstein."

Themes

• Duality: Represents human nature's conflict between good and evil.
• Repression: Victorian societal constraints explored through character actions.
• Isolation: Highlighted through Jekyll's separation from societal norms.