strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde essay

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Analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on October 7, 2022

Longman, Green, and Company published Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886 as a “shilling shocker.” Stevenson reputedly developed the storyline from a dream he had about a man forced into a cabinet after ingesting a potion that would convert him into a brutal monster. The composition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde began in September 1885, and the final draft was submitted for publication later that same year. Unlike most 19th century literary works, Stevenson’s manuscript was released in book form instead of being serialized in a popular magazine. The publishers withheld its release until January 1886 because booksellers had already placed their Christmas stock. Within six months, Stevenson’s novella sold more than 40,000 copies in England and America.

Dr. Jekyll (right) and Mr. Hyde, both as portrayed by Fredric March in Rouben Mamoulian’s film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931).

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde debates the conflict between good and evil and the correlation among bourgeois values, urban violence, and class structure. Dr. Jekyll is a seemingly placid character whose often-debated scientific research has nonetheless gained him respect amid his peers. The potion that Jekyll develops causes an unexplainable transformation into the violent Mr. Hyde. The Mr. Hyde alter-ego may represent an uncontrollable subconscious desire driven by anger and frustration toward an oppressive English class structure. Hyde’s numerous rampages include trampling a young girl and murdering the prominent English politician Sir Danvers. Although Jekyll prefers living the life of “the elderly and discontent doctor” (84), he cannot control his urge for “the liberty, the comparative youth, the light steps, leaping impulses, and secret pleasures” that the Hyde persona offers him. Dr. Jekyll’s desired liberty is perhaps caused by the restricted lifestyle that bourgeois cultural codes imposed on English society. Several Victorian social critics maintained that inner-city London dwellers were a debased life form living in junglelike conditions analogous to those in Africa. In 1890, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, claimed that England needed rescuing from its continually degenerating condition since its citizens were gradually turning into “[a] population trodden with drink, steeped in vice, [and] eaten up by every social and physical malady” (quoted in Stevenson, 183). Stevenson’s text describes how hidden desires have always existed in a seemingly perverted civilization.

Literary critics have stressed that Stevenson’s success in the “shilling shocker” market both helped and hindered his career. The rapid success of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde led Henry James to remark that Stevenson’s novella was at first too popular a work to be comfortably called a masterpiece. Henry James was not questioning Stevenson’s talent as a writer but rather was noting that the book’s quick popularity defined it as a story that was easily accessible to the mass public.

Playwright Richard Mansfield produced a stage version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1888. Shortly after Mansfield’s play opened, several East End London prostitutes were murdered by a serial killer nicknamed Jack the Ripper. English newspapers initially termed the slayer the “Whitechapel murderer” and “Leather Apron” before settling on “Jack the Ripper.” Reporters based their stories on the possible correlation between the killings and Mansfield’s theatrical representation of violence. Mansfield’s play was eventually closed because such parallels made it seem as though Jack the Ripper was mimicking the violence depicted in Mansfield’s play, marking the first time that the concept of Mr. Hyde was used in reference to sequential crime sprees. Reports from the Daily Telegraph further damaged the profits for Mansfield’s play by stating that “there is no taste for horror” (17) on the London stage. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde remains a significant canonical text that uses its patchwork narrative to explore the conflation of reality and fictional representation that most postmodern writers still examine.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Caler, Jenni. The Robert Louis Stevenson Companion. Edinburgh: P. Harris, 1980. James, Henry. “Robert Louis Stevenson.” Reprinted in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, edited by Martin A. Danahay, 140–141. Orchard Park, N.Y.: Broadview Literary Texts, 1999. Rose, Brian A. Jekyll and Hyde Adapted: Dramatizations of Cultural Anxiety. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1996. Saposnik, Irving S. “The Anatomy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” In The Definitive Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Companion, edited by Harry M. Geduld, 108–117. New York: Garland Publishing, 1983. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Edited by Martin A. Danahay, 29–91. Orchard Park, N.Y.: Broadview Literary Texts, 1999.

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Robert louis stevenson.

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Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Introduction

Dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: plot summary, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: detailed summary & analysis, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: themes, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: quotes, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: characters, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: symbols, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: literary devices, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: quizzes, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde: theme wheel, brief biography of robert louis stevenson.

Historical Context of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Other books related to dr. jekyll and mr. hyde.

• Full Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• When Written: 1885
• Where Written: Bournemouth, England
• When Published: 5th January 1886
• Literary Period: Victorian
• Genre: Horror, Drama, Victorian Gothic
• Setting: The streets of London
• Climax: Utterson reads the narrative written by Lanyon before his death, which describes the horrific bodily transformation of Mr. Hyde into Dr. Jekyll, explaining everything that has happened so far in an absolutely incredible way.
• Antagonist: Mr. Hyde forms the antagonist of the tale until we realize that he is in fact the double of Dr. Jekyll.
• Point of View: A third person narrator tells the story with an omniscient view of characters but stays mostly with Mr. Utterson, which allows Stevenson to reveal things to the reader with suspense.

Extra Credit for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Strange Beginnings. Robert Louis Stevenson reportedly wrote the draft of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in an astonishing three days in a drug-induced fever.

Expensive Taste. Robert Louis Stevenson was known as “Velvet Jaket” as a young man because of his dandy-fied taste in clothes.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By robert louis stevenson, dr. jekyll and mr. hyde essay questions.

Discuss Jekyll's progression throughout the novel and his fall from grace. What key moments and decisions determine Jekyll's fate? Identify these specific moments and analyze the aspects of Jekyll's character that force him to continue with his experiments.

Discuss the physical descriptions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and their respective homes (Jekyll's main house vs. Hyde's neglected laboratory cabinet) as they relate to major themes of the novel.

Stevenson creates a balance of realism and the supernatural. How does he integrate these concepts?

Discuss the concept of control in regard to Jekyll's relationship with Hyde. Is absolute control possible? Can one choose when to be completely good or evil? What does Stevenson's conclusion appear to be?

Discuss the novel's most violent events, including the trampled girl, Carew's murder, and Jekyll/Hyde's ultimate demise. What if any progression arises here and how does it parallel the progression of the novel?

Discuss the role of the city throughout the novel, both during the day and at night. How does the city contribute to the novel's progression? What role does it play?

Clearly, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an examination of the duality of human nature. Discuss the duality expressed in not only Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but also Utterson, Poole, and the city of London.

How does the notion of loyalty contribute to the novel? Discuss this in reference to Utterson, Lanyon, and Dr. Jekyll. Upon close examination, does loyalty help prevent or expedite violence and tragedy?

Discuss the possible meanings and relevance on the names Utterson, Jekyll, and Hyde in the context of the novel.

Compare and contrast Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll's approaches to scientific pursuits and manipulation of natural laws.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What is the story of Cain and Abel? What does it mean that Mr. Utterson says he inclines to Cain’s heresy in his dealings with others? Explain why you agree or disagree with this way of dealing with your acquaintances.

In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain murders his brother. In the above line, Utterson is citing his belief that one should stay out of other people's business.

3. Look back at chapter 3 (pg 26) – how has Jekyll changed since then?

Jekyll has become unsure of himself, sickly, faint, and desperate. He is not the self-assured, smooth faced man we met at the dinner party in the third chapter.

Sequence the events that happened in Chapter 8 “The Last Night” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

You can check this out in chapter 8 summary below:

https://www.gradesaver.com/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/study-guide/summary-chapters-7-8

Study Guide for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde study guide contains a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Summary
• Character List

Essays for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Frankenstein
• The Collective Mr. Hyde
• The Limitations of Language in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Supernatural and Its Discontents in Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
• The Good Mr. Hyde

Lesson Plan for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Bibliography

E-Text of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde E-Text contains the full text of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• Chapters 1-3
• Chapters 4-6
• Chapters 7-10

Wikipedia Entries for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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Gothic elements in 'the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde'.

The relationship between scientific discourse and the Victorian Gothic is greatly emphasised when reading Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde . The work is now associated with the mental condition of a 'split personality', where two personalities of differing character reside in one person. However, the text was written before the science of psychology was firmly established, and the novella itself appears to be influenced by a variety of scientific theories predominant in the late-Victorian era. Atavism Cesare Lombroso's theory of atavism (discussed in greater detail in 'The Victorian Gothic' essay on this website) appears to have greatly influenced Stevenson's novella. The unsettling, dwarfish appearance of Edward Hyde and the violent behaviour he exhibits are clear atavistic traits. The Italian Criminologist Cesare Lombroso[Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons Jekyll and Hyde is not the only text in which Stevenson manipulates Gothic tropes. In his short story 'Olalla', elements of atavism and heredity curses are woven into the story to create terror; the central protagonist becomes the victim of a bestial attack committed by the atavistic mother of the family with whom he is lodging. Doubling The Gothic element of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is represented via the theme of doubling. This is revealed to the reader by the horrifying transformation of Dr Henry Jekyll into the atavistic murderer Edward Hyde. The transformation is generated by the fear of regression, as both men are revealed to be the same person. Stevenson's depiction of the respectable gentleman Dr Jekyll as capable of the terrible behaviour exhibited by Mr Hyde, is evidence of his manipulation of Victorian anxieties and social fears. It shattered the veneer of class-conditioned respectability that covered and controlled the lives of respectable members of the population. As the text demonstrates, it is not only the impoverished, working classes living in the slum areas of the city that are capable of committing crimes; criminals are also found in educated, wealthy, and seemingly respectable echelons of society. The theme of doubling is symbolised throughout the text. The city of London is split in two. The one side where Dr Jekyll, Mr Utterson and their contemporaries live and work is represented as smart, wealthy and educated area, identified as such in Utterson's referral to Cavendish square - the home of Dr Lanyon - as 'that citadel of medicine.' In contrast, the other side of London is represented by the district of Soho, a slum area of the city that symbolises an atavistic playground, where immoral behaviour is expected and therefore much less noticeable. Mr Hyde has a house in this district, assumedly so his detestable appearance and violent behaviour go unquestioned and unnoticed. Illustration for Jekyll and Hyde showing DoublingBy Chicago: National Prtg. & Engr. Co. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Dr Jekyll's home also represents the Gothic in its double aspects. The house provides a contrasting space, used both for Dr Jekyll's domestic purposes and his scientific experiments. The laboratory at the end of the garden provides a convenient way of concealing his dubious experiments, and the side door onto the back-alley enables an appropriate means by which Hyde can come and go, without disturbing the household or being associated with Dr Jekyll. Stevenson's skilful manipulation of Victorian anxieties is evident in the book's success. As testament to the book's popularity, there appeared in 1887 a stage version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, adapted by T.R Sullivan and Richard Mansfield. Mansfield was cast as the double-lead role, playing both Jekyll and Hyde. The adaptation was staged in London during the spate of unsolved murders committed by the infamous Jack the Ripper in the Whitechapel district. There were multiple theories circulating as to the identity of the murderer, with many suggesting he was highly educated or of royal birth. This fear parallels the shattered social veneer Stevenson presented in his novella thorough the revelation that the respectable Dr Jekyll is also the immoral murderer Mr Hyde. Richard Mansfield depicted in double exposure as Jekyll and Hyde.Similar photographic trickery was used in the promotion of Spiritualism.Photo by Henry Van der Weyde[Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsStevenson's text had resonating influence even in its stage form. Such was the terror felt by the public that Mansfield's ten-week performance at the Lyceum Theatre was shut down; his transformation into Mr Hyde was so convincing that his name was mentioned in the newspapers as a potential suspect. The Use of the Gothic Genre in the Late-Victorian Period Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of many texts in the late-Victorian period that uses the Gothic genre to display Victorian cultural fears. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) employs the theory of atavism to render the central protagonist, Count Dracula himself, all the more terrifying. Like Hyde, the Count is a version of the degenerate. He was once a Transylvanian aristocrat, but the story portrays him in a state of regression killing others and feeding off their blood. The vampire is an embodiment of otherness, and, in Stoker's tale, Dracula becomes the site of Gothic horror, where late-Victorian cultural anxieties are manifested. The degenerate otherness of the Count also reveals a fear of decline and its link to imperial anxieties. Regression and the fear of imperial decline is seen in H.G Well's 1895 text The Time Machine . The novel is narrated by the unnamed Time Traveller, who ends up in the year 802,701. The text expresses a fear over the future and an anxiety over the identity and purpose of human beings. The race of humans the Time Traveller encounters, the Eloi, have degenerated. They have lost the intelligence and scientific endeavour held by the Time Traveller and the human race in general; in the year the Time Traveller finds them, the Eloi are merely a food source for the sinister Morlocks, pale, blind cannibals who have evolved to adapt to their underground environment. Go to the library section to find:

• Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde .
• The Merry Men and Other Tales is Stevenson's collection of short-stories that contain elements of the supernatural, atavism, and Gothic horror.
• On The Origin of Species Darwin's hugely influential text which perpetuated fears of regression.
• Read the introduction to Victorian Gothic fiction here.

If reusing this resource please attribute as follows: Gothic Elements in 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' at http://writersinspire.org/content/gothic-elements-strange-case-dr-jekyll-mr-hyde by Charlotte Barrett, licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA (2.0 UK).

Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde» Essay

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Introduction

Historical context, characterization of the protagonist, film comparison, works cited.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is an investigation into the duality in human character. The novel demonstrates the duality in personality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through the conflict between the good and evil side of human personality.

Dr. Jekyll, a scientist, brews a potion that he tests on himself and brings out the duality in his personality in the form of evil Mr. Hyde. Initially, the emergence of the ‘Other’ in the form of Hyde is harmless, but soon it transforms into murderous chaos. This essay discusses the novel in three different perspectives.

The first thesis is based on the historical context of the novel and I believe that the novel by Stevenson is a resonance of the frustration of many Victorian intellectuals of the stifling social norms that prevented self-expression.

The second thesis is that in the novel, the protagonist in the form of Mr. Hyde is described through narration. The third thesis is that the 2006 film adaption of the novel by John Carl Buechler there are major deviation from the novel in form of the theme, subplots, and the characters .

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a representation of the society in London during the Victorian era, which was the milieu for the novel. In the novel Stevenson, pens down the frustration that Victorian England felt at the early nineteenth century. Initially, the potion made by Jekyll helps him to transform himself from one persona to another at will.

However, as the dosage increases, the ‘Other’ in form of Hyde becomes all-consuming. The initial desire to change into a more daring, revolting, maverick person is an expression of the Victorian frustration with the laid rules and norms of Victorian society. This is in a way is the personification of the Victorian men.

The transformation of Jekyll to Hyde allows the former to do things that the polite society would consider scandalous. The potion that Jekyll takes is a metaphor for opium addiction prevalent in London in late-Victorian era. It was the desire to break the bondage of a constructed behaving pattern of the Victorian era that Jekyll looked for a way of expression of his suppressed, baser animal instincts.

In the Victorian era, there was a pressure to behave in a certain way at the cost of suppression of the instinctive, baser elements of man. Therefore, Jekyll was the personification of the frustration of Stevenson and many others of his time.

Hyde was an escape for Jekyll (as opium was for many Victorian men) to shed the garb of discipline and conforming to a more instinctive, passionate, and unpredictable character. Therefore, the novel can rightfully be dubbed as a fable of Victorian anxieties.

The protagonist in Stevenson’s novel is the scientist cum devil Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. In most part of the novel, the character of both Jekyll and Hyde is developed through narrative description in speeches of other characters like Mr. Utterson or through description in letters or narration of by the author. The character of Jekyll is introduced in the novel through the description of a certain Mr. Enfield:

He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. … He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. he’s an extraordinary looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way.

Hyde are known to the reader through the narration of the other characters of the novel viz. Mr. Utterson, Poole (Jekyll’s butler), Dr. Laylon, Mr. Enfield, Dr. Jekyll and others. Their description of Hyde brings forth the man the readers are encountering. The most important narrations that describe Hyde are the letter of Dr. Laylon and the full statement of Dr. Jekyll which forms the last two chapters if the novel.

Therefore, Stevenson actually does not introduce or develop the character of Hyde who is created through the perceptions of the other characters of the novel.

It is the perception of the other characters that the reader gets the picture of Hyde to be short, evil looking, having a cruel countenance, responsible for all the crimes enacted in the novel. Therefore, the novel follows a narrative style of characterization of its protagonist Mr. Hyde.

This section presents a comparison of Stevenson’s novel and a 2006 film adaptation of the story. On watching the movie, it is apparent that the movie is an adaptation of Stevenson’s novel but only to the extent that the theme of duality of human character and the name of a few of the characters such as Utterson, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Dr. Laylon.

The movie is set in modern times and Dr. Jekyll still shown as a scientist, works on a high-tech bioscience research. Dr. Jekyll in the movie had developed a remedy to cure a rare heart disease in high primates. However, intentionally (like Stevenson’s Jekyll) tests the potion on himself. The experiment has similar results in the modern Jekyll and the evil Hyde emerges.

The adaptation is similar this far, but a few tenets of the Stevenson’s novel are re-sculpted. For instance, all the main characters in Stevenson’s novel were bachelors (for example Utterson, Jekyll, and Laylon). However, in this film, Jekyll is a married man and the story of the murders by Hyde revolving around the café of Jekyll’s wife. Utterson in the film is a police officer instead of a lawyer and is a woman.

However, the biggest deviation that the movie shows is the murders committed by Hyde. In the movie, Hyde is shown to attack young women. He does not only murder them but sexually abuses them before committing murder. This is a definitive deviation from the novel as all the murder victims in Stevenson’s novel were old and distinguished men (for example Carew and Sir Danvers).

The gothic element of the novel is played down in the movie which is set in a modern American town with young and beautiful characters with little dark or weirdness around. The gloomy setting of the novel set in the mists of winter in London is missing in the movie.

For someone who watches the movie without reading Stevenson’s novel would perceive Jekyll to be a sexually repressive character who invokes an alter ego to give force to his darker instincts. Actually, Stevenson’s novel was not confined to the darker sexual desires of man but to the darker side of the soul of human being.

The essay traces the true character of the novel by Stevenson. It shows the historical significance of the novel in showing the repressive frustration among Victorian men and shows that the novel uses a narrative style in characterization of its protagonist.

A comparison with a 2006 movie shows that modern adaption of the novel has deviated largely in subplot and characterization. Overall, Stevenson’s novel helps the readers today to identify the presence of duality in human personality and the need to understand it and use it positively rather than giving it free reign.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . London: Harper Collins, 1895. Print.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . Dir. John Carl Buechler. Perf. Tony Todd. 2006. DVD.

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IvyPanda. (2019, June 4). Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde». https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/

"Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde»." IvyPanda , 4 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde»'. 4 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde»." June 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/.

1. IvyPanda . "Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde»." June 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Human Character in «The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde»." June 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Mr. Utterson Character Analysis in “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”

How Utterson is Presented in Jekyll and Hyde

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Dr. jekyll and mr. hyde, utterson character analysis.

• Comitini, P. (2012). The Strange Case of Addiction in Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Victorian Review, 38(1), 113-131. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/133/article/546074/summary)
• Danahay, M. (2013). Dr. Jekyll's Two Bodies. Nineteenth-Century Contexts, 35(1), 23-40. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08905495.2013.770616)
• Rago, J. V. (2006). Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A. Men’s Narrative” of Hysteria and Containment.” Robert Louis Stevenson: Writer of Boundaries. Eds. Ambrosini, Richard and Richard Dury. Madison, WI: The U of Wisconsin P, 275-85. (https://studylib.net/doc/8040192/rago--jane-v.--dr.-jekyll-and-mr.-hyde--a--men-s-narrativ…)
• Gaughan, R. T. (1987). Mr. Hyde and Mr. Seek: Utterson's Antidote. The Journal of narrative technique, 17(2), 184-197. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/30225181)
• Frank, C. O. (2010). Privacy, character, and the jurisdiction of the self: A “Story of the Door” in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. English Language Notes, 48(2), 215-224. (https://read.dukeupress.edu/english-language-notes/article-abstract/48/2/215/136024/Privacy-Character-and-the-Jurisdiction-of-the-Self)

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said “The battle between good and evil runs through the heart of every man”. This problem is presented in the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley and the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll [...]

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Notes || Exam Prep || Character Profiles || Themes || Additional Reading & Videos

This topic is included in  Paper 2 . You can find notes and guides for it below.

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• How to plan and write a top mark essay
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• Question Bank - Plot
• Question Bank - Setting
• Question Bank - Themes

Additional Reading & Videos:

• The strange double life of Robert Louis Stevenson
• Law, Science, Facts and Morals in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Beast Within
• A Study in Dualism: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Duality in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The effect of Charles Darwin on Victorian literature
• Sigmund Freud and the Psyche

Character Profiles

• Mr Utterson
• Appearance vs Reality
• Secrecy & Reputation
• The Gothic & Supernatural

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AQA English lit GCSE - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Full unit of work. 15 lessons

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

12 August 2024

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Detailed 15 lessons on each chapter and character. Recall activities on quotes, context and themes. Quote analysis of key quotes and support for students completing this. Model essays aiming for grade 7+. Sentence starters/guides for essay questions.

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By Erik Piepenburg

‘Lisa Frankenstein’

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Lisa is a lot like I was in 1989: She lives with her middle-class family in the suburbs, loves staying up late to watch horror movies and has a crush on a cute boy with bangs.

What Lisa (a biting Kathryn Newton) has that I didn’t back then is a boyfriend, played here by Cole Sprouse with dreamy bad-boy appeal. Sure, he’s from the 19th century. Yes he has a too-quick temper and his tears smell “like a hot toilet at a carnival.” But he’s a devoted protector who listens well and never talks , and who wouldn’t want a boy like that, even if he is undead?

That’s the playful setup to Zelda Williams’s big-hearted, “Pretty in Pink” -meets- ”Re-Animator” dark comedy . With snark and whimsy, Williams and the screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Jennifer’s Body”) put a playfully macabre spin on the Frankenstein legend that doubles as a subversive exploration of the universal desire to be loved and understood. Add in a soundtrack that includes the Violent Femmes and the Chameleons, and this cheerfully twisted film is one heck of a Gen X-er’s dream stream.

‘Double Blind’

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For his feature debut, the Irish director Ian Hunt-Duffy starts with a reliable horror convention: He puts a bunch of strangers in a room, introduces a monstrous premise, turns the stakes up to 11 and lets the devil take over. The result is a tense, 90-minute killer-thriller of David Cronenberg-style body horror and science fiction dystopia.

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