Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Key Quotes (by Theme)

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Friendship

  • "Such unscientific balderdash... would have estranged Damon and Pythias" - Lanyon Chp. 2   Lanyon seems quite arrogant as he thinks of Jekyll's work as rubbish and because of this, they have a hostile relationship. Damon and Pythias were inseparable friends.
  • "At the sight of Mr. Utterson he sprang up from his chair and welcomed him with both hands." - Lanyon Chp. 2 Utterson and Lanyon have a good relationship which must have been why he queried Dr. Lanyon in the first place because he can trust him. 
  • "The doctor gave one of his pleasant dinners to some five or six cronies, all intelligent, reputable men." - Jekyll Chp. 3 Dr. Jekyll seems to be friends with good men only which makes him seem as a Victorian gentleman; hanging around with the right crowd, however, there may be a hint of homosexuality as he is always seen to hang around men.
  • "You could see by his looks that he cherished for Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection" - Jekyll Chp. 3 As you can see, it is very clear the Dr. Jekyll likes Mr. Utterson very much, maybe more that he appears. This is because of the 'cherished' and 'affection' which means love. 
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Victorian Morality and Appearances

  • "A man of a rugged countenance... scanty and embarrased in discourse" - Utterson Chp.1 'rugged countenance shows that he has a harsh exterior; conforms to the rules of a victorian gentleman as he doesn't show any emotions.
  • "I incline to Cain's heresy... I let my brother go to the devil in his own way" - Utterson Chp.1 Here, Utterson lets his colleagues to immoral things as he doesn't care. Again, conforms to being a victorian gentleman as one was not to interfere on other people's business.
  • "His eye lighted up with professional ambition" - Police Chp. 4 The policeman cares more about his gain rather than the death of Carew and justice being done. 
  • It is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it" - Utterson Chp.6 Here, Utterson struggles on what to do. He contemplates where to appease his curiosity or not as it could potentially break his trust with his firend, Lanyon but could ultimately help Jekyll.
  • "I beg your pardon, Dr Lanyon', he replied civilly enough... 'my impatience has shown its heels to my politeness" - Hyde Chp.9 My Hyde is capable of repressing his emotions and impatience in order to achieve his objective. Shows the power and manipulation evil can do.
  • "A large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty"- Dr. Jekyll Chp. 3 This gives the impression of the perfect victorian gentleman; no blemishes = represent his goodness and purity of his soul.
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Secrecy and Concealment

  • "No gentleman but wishes to avoid a scene... Name your figure" - Hyde Chp.1 This quote reflects victorian society; the corruption and hypocrisy as people silenced others with money so their reputation is not ruined. 'No gentleman' shows he still considers him one after what he had done.
  • "Blackmail I suppose; an honest man paying through the nose for some of the capers of his youth" - Enfield Chp.1 Technically, the honest man is not honest as he is paying to keep it secret. Also, 'for some of the capers of his youth' may be inferred as Jekyll's illegitimate son or homosexuality? 'capers' = euphemism = sugarcoats the truth
  • "If he be Mr. Hyde... I shall be Mr. Seek" - Utterson Chp. 2 Mr. Hyde is a homophone for 'hide' and this shows secrecy and Stevenson may have 'deformed' the spelling of his name to add more of an effect to hyde's personality. The quote also shows to what extent Mr. Utterson is going to, to uncover the truth about Hyde and Jekyll = imperative 'shall'
  • "Windows barred with iron" - Jekyll's lab Chp. 5 Here, Dr. Jekyll wants others to keep away from him, to not find out the truth. 'barred with iron' = described as a jail cell = committed crimes and is atoning for them. 'window' = opening of one's soul and since its barred with iron shows extremity to hide secrets.
  • "He dingy windowless structure" - Jekyll's lab Chp. 5 'window(less)' is a repeated motif - hiding secrets. 'dingy' dark and slang for mentally deranged - reflects what's going on inside.
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Secrecy and Concealment

  • "On the hearth there lay a pile of grey ashes, as though many papers had been burned" - Mr. Hyde's house Chp. 4 The fact that Mr. Hyde has destroyed some evidence shows the extremity he will go to, to hide secrets.
  • "I burned it"- Dr. Jekyll Chp. 5 Mr, Hyde has this similar tendency. This also shows duality as 2 completely different people do the same thing. Also shows secrecy.
  • "The door was very stong, the lock excellent"- Dr. Lanyon Chp.9 Again, repeated motif of the door. The fact that the door was 'very strong' and the 'lock excellent' introduces secrecy. 
  • "This document had long been the lawyer's eyesore"- Mr. Utterson Chp. 2 'eyesore' shows that for Utterson, seeing this document hurts. He is also disturbed by the fact that the person recieving Dr. Jeykll's fortune is evil; 'definite presentment of a fiend' fiend = devil
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Victorian Morality and Appearances

  • "insensibly the laywer melted"- Mr. Utterson Chp. 5 Utterson doesn't usually indulge in alcohol but cheap gin. This shows that his connection to mr. Hyde is corrupting him as Mr. Hyde brings out what people want to supress.
  • "I met with one accident"- Dr. Jekyll Chp.10 This quote refers to the 'accident' in chp.1 where Mr. Hyde 'tramples' the girl. This shows a lack of remorse.
  • "It wasn't like man; it was like some damned Juggernaut" - Chp. 1 Mr. Enfield - Juggernaut is a destructive machine with no emotions. Also, doesn't consider Hyde to be man, shows the extremity of the crime.
  • "But carrying it off, sir, really like Satan" - Chp. 1 Enfield - the simile 'like Satan' shows the extent of evil Hyde has.
  • "He must be deformed somewhere" - Relates with the ideas of uncanny; gothic. 'deformed' = grotesque and 'must' indicates he is sure that  he is but 'somewhere' shows he doesn't exactly know where.
  • "Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation" Chp. 2 Mr. Utterson - being 'dwarfish' gives the idea that you are limited to do kind of certain things which makes the reader think he may not be capable of such things. 'nameable malformation' shows that like Enfield, Utterson is unable to locate why he is 
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Violence

  • "trampled calmy"- My Hyde Chp.1 This quote can be interprested as 'r*pe'. Stevenson may be referring to this but had to conceal this because of a fragile Victorian audience. 'trample' = continous harm be treading and 'camly' inidcates he fins it normal/enjoyable.
  • "Nearly a year later... London was startled by a crime of singular ferocity" - Chp.4 Stevenson moves time nearly a year which provides imagination to think about all the crimes Mr. hyde must have committed. Also, Stevenson may not have described his ghastly details because of the frail victorian audience.
  • "Then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the cane and carrying on... like a madman."- Maid Chp. 4 'great flame of anger' indicates the fires of hell = suggest he gets his wickedness from hell. 'Stamping is foot' = stubborness and 'brandish' = shows his excitement as it means to wave/flourish. This almost describes an angry/excited monkey.
  • "There lay the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching... body of a self-destroyer"- Hyde Chp. 8 This image of a dead Hyde/Jekyll is quite disturbing. Dehumanisation of Hyde as he is referred as (by Utterson) a 'self-destroyer'
  • "I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow"- Jekyll as Hyde Chp.10 Dr. Jekyll is enjoying the act of cruelty. 'mauled' shows animalistic imagery and note that Jekyll says 'I' as if he is taking the blame.
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Good Vs. Evil

  • "The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips and there came a blackness about his eyes"- Dr. Jekyll Chp. 3 This quote could be linked to the corruption of Dr. Jekyll as Hyde begins to seep into Jekyll's physcial appearance. Colour 'black' has connotations of death, darkness and evil. Extreme facial change = impact of Mr. Hyde.
  • "The smile struck out of his face and suceeded by an expression of such object terror and despair"- Dr. Jekyll Chp. 7 The boundary bewteen Jekyll and Hyde is blurring away. Hyde is the overpowering one. This was a semi-transformation which shows that Jekyll is losing power over Hyde. 'terror' and 'despair' is usually what Hyde brings.
  • "The hall, when they entered it, was brightly lighted up; the fire was built high" Jekyll's house Chp. 8 This quote shows that  the fire burning brightly to compensate for the darkness about to happen. To fight light (good) with darkness (evil)
  • "I could hear his teeth grate with the convulsive action of his jaw"- Dr. Lanyon about Mr. Hyde Chp. 9 This animalistic imagery shows that Jekyll is coming out as 'convulsive' means suddena nd irregular movement. It is as if Jekyll is warning Dr. Lanyon to say away.
  • "I knew myself to be... tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my orginal sin"- Jekyll Chp. 10 Jekyll already prophesied that Mr. Hyde is evil and 'his orginal sin' - the tendency to evil which is innate in all human beings.
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Good Vs. Evil

  • "An unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul"- Dr. Jekyll Chp. 10 Evil; not the pure good he expected. Also, the fact Jekyll mentions it is from the soul means it is something that all humans are born with.
  • "Jekyll had more than a father's interest; Hyde had more than a son's indifference" Chp. 10 This really emphasis the difference between Jekyll and Hyde as Jekyll is more of a father's concern whereas Hyde is more of a rebellious son.
  • "My lust of evil... my love of life screwed to the topmost peg" Dr. Jekyll is sexually desired to evil and killing. Loves his life by killing and finds this moment the top height of his life.
  • "Evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul"- Mr. Hyde has destroyed the holiest part of the body - the soul. Evil has now managed to empower both sides of the soul.
  • "Only hellish but organic" - This quote describes that Hyde only brings out what is natural for a human.
  • "What was dead, and had no shape, should usurp the offices of life" Hyde was dead (inactive) inside Jekyll and was part of his soul (so had no shape). Jekyll realises that the inhuman can take over the human.
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Duality of Human Nature

  • "Two doors from one corner"- Chp. 1 Two personalities = duality
  • "One house... which wore a great air of wealth and comfort, though it was now plunged in darkness"- Jekyll's house Chp. 2 Dr. Jekyll's house seems to be the most grand and stands out however, it is 'plunged' in the darkness which suggests duality because Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the same.
  • "She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent" Mr. Hyde's maid Chp. 4 Even Hyde's housekeeper is portrayed as evil =  influence of Mr. Hyde. Her manners may be the legacy after being impacted by Hyde.
  • "A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman's face" Chp. 4 The woman is just as sadistic as Hyde as she rejoices in Hyde's downfall. The oxymoron shows duality.
  • "Furnished with luxury and good taste"- Hyde's house Chp. 4 The reader would have expected the opposite. The luxurious imagery cleverly juxtaposes the image created from the despicable and evil Mr. Hyde and demonstrates the idea of duality as the finest things cannot rid the malice.
  • "No sir... Not mad; but it is an odd hand"- Mr. Guest Chp.5 Though his actions are evil, it is not mad which means anyone is capable of doing it. It plays on Victorian fears as what Mr. Hyde has done would be an excuse for madness. If that is not mad, then what is mad? Odd = strange; not something they are used to.
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Duality of Human Nature

  • "I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away" - Dr. Lanyon Chp. 6 This quote acts as a metaphor for the duality of human nature. We have an evil part and if everyone knew this part of ourselves we would want to get away. Victorian readers would not have known the twist so this created suspense and tension.
  • "His clothes... were rich and sober fabric, were enormously too large for him in every measurement"- Dr Lanyon Chp. 9 The fact that the clothes are too big shows that they are not suited for Mr. Hyde; in other words, the finer things do not go fit well with the evil (Mr. Hyde as he cannot fit in them). This shows duality because it is 2 in one.
  • "Man is not truly one; but truly two. I say two" Chp. 10 Jekyll 
  • "Man will be ultimately known for mere polity of multifarious, incongrous and independent denizens" Chp. 10 multifarious = many, denizens = persons, incongrous = out of place, polity = form or civil governmnent. Quote is basically saying that man will soon recognise their own versions of themselves.
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Freud and ID

  • "Even in his dreams; it had no face or one that baffled him and melted before his eyes" Chp. 2 Mr. Utterson (about Hyde). This quote contains elements of the supernatural and gothic as the figure that haunts his dream is fear of the unknown - uncanny. His curiousity is running wild here.
  • "Deep-seated terror of the mind" Chp. 6 could be linked  to Freud and the inner ID that everyone has. The terror is found deeply inside us all. 
  • "Crushing anticipation of calamity" Chp. 8 Utterson. Here, Mr. Utterson has an unshakeable feeling that something bad is going to happen. 'crushing' is by force so he cannot get over it.
  • "My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring" Chp. 10 When finally turned into Hyde he becomes even more ferocious because he has supressed that savage part of himself.
  • "Instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me and raged" Chp. 10 There are many links and references as Hyde coming from hell. 
  • "Mournful reinvasion of darkness, seemed, in the lawyer's eyes, like a district of some city in a nightmare" Chp. 4 The phrase implies that darkness is never far away from our thoughts suggested by 'reinvasion' - constantly appearing and overcoming. Links in with Freud and ID as nightmare suggests its an uncontrollable unconsious feeling; power of evil.
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City of London

  • "The court was very cool and a little damp, and full of premature twilight, although the sky, high up overheas, was still bright with sunset" Chp. 7 - 'Very cool and a little damp' - pathetic fallacy'. 'cool' connotates coldness which is associiated with evil and cold-heartedness. This shows evil taking over, Hyde is becoming more powerful. ' a little damp' conveys that something unwanted is happening at this point. 'premature twilight' - before dark so darkness is approaching which may be foreshadowing soemthign bad. 'still bright with sunset' - shows there is still hope however still unsure how long it will last 'still'.
  • "With a pale moon, lying on her back... The wind made talking difficult, and flecked the blood into the face" Chp. 8 Utterson and Poole - The moon is personified as a female which shows something bad is going to happen, just like the Carew murder case. Pathetic fallacy as wind is very harsh.
  • "It was a fine, clear, January day, wet under foot where the frost had melted, but cloudless overhead; and the Regent's Park was full of winter chirrupings and sweet with spring odours"Chp. 10 - The seasons are changing; from winter to spring representing rebirth so may be foreshadowing another transofrmation into Hyde.
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Science Vs. Religion (& Regression)

  • "God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic" Chp. 2 Utterson - 'troglodytic' = caveman-like. This shows regression and links to evolution. The sentence also has the juxtapositioning ideas of religion and science.
  • "Hissing intake of breath" - Chp. 2 My. Hyde - Animalistic imagery because of 'hissing', connotations to snakes = evil and scheming.
  • "Clubbed him... with ape-like fury... and hailing down a storm of blows" Chp. 4 Hyde - 'clubbed' = caveman imagery as they use clubs; regression. 'ape-like fury' evolution = regression.
  • "Pious work, for which Jekyll had several times expressed a great esteem, annotated, in his own hand with startling blasphemies" - Chp. 8 Utterson (on Jekyll's work) Shows duality and juxtaposing ideas of science vs religion as Hyde has graffitied over Jekyll's work = shows 2 very different personalities and thoughts.
  • "If it was my master, why did he cry out like a rat" Chp. 8 Poole - zoomorphism 'cry out like a rat'. 
  • "That masked thing like a monkey jumped from among the chemicals" Chp. 8 Poole - 'thing like a monkey' = evolution and regression. 'thing dehumanises Hyde and similie like a 'monkey' is zoomorphism.
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Science Vs. Religion (& Regression)

  • "There was something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature that now faced me" Chp. 9 Lanyon - 'creature' dehumanises Hyde and again, the unknown loathing of Hyde.
  • "I could hear his teeth grate with the convulsive action of his jaw" Chp. 9 Lanyon - Shows Jekyll is coming out as 'convulsive' means suddent, violent movement. 'Teeth grating' is animalistic imagery.
  • "Your sight shall be blasted by a prodigy to stagger the unbelief of Satan" Chp. 9 Hyde - Here Hyde is suggesting to Lanyon whether he would go face to face with evil or go home. 'prodigy' = genius. 
  • "Like a man restored from death" Chp. 9 Lanyon compares this transformation to a resurrection. 
  • "Was less robust and less developed than the good which I had just deposed" Chp. 10 Jekyll 
  • "I though I sat beyond the reach of fate" Chp. 10 Thought he was able to play God.
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The Transformation

  • "At first of a reddish hue... to a dark purple... a watery green" Chp. 9 Potion changing - The potion undergoes a transformation just like Jekyll's to Hyde. connotations of red: blood, fire, danger, energy, power. connotations of dark purple: warm, superiority, royalty, magicl, coolness. connotations of green: earth, freshness, natural, greed, jealousy, ambition.
  • "A horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death" Chp. 10 - Shows the transformation is very shocking.
  • "There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably new" Chp. 10 - The sibilance emphasis that evil is leaking out.
  • "A current of disordered sensual images running like a millrace in my fancy" - A taboo of sexuality, lust
  • "I felt younger, light, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness" - Liberation from society's excpection into evil. Happy he is deriving from evil; morally blind.
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Victorian Morality and Appearances

  • "haunting sense of unexpressed deformity with which the fugitive impressed his beholders" Chp. 4 Mr. Hyde - 'fugitive' dehumanises Hyde and again, the idea of 'unexpressed deformity' is unnerving/uncanny.
  • "My master... is a tall, fine build of a man, and this was more a dwarf" - Links in with evolution; humans evolved from small, hunched-back creatures to straight-backed humans.
  • "This ludicrous accoustrement was far from moving me to laughter" Chp. 9 Lanyon - Thinks that Hyde looks like a joke so he does not take him seriously.
  • "This was a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman" Chp. 2 Lanyon -The appearance and personality of Dr. Lanyon and juxtaposes Utterson as he is described as 'hearty' (cheerful), 'healthy', 'dapper' (neat and trim) and 'red-faced' (connotates embarrasment'.
  • "As my pleasures were (to sya the least) undignified" Chp. 10 Jekyll - shows repression of his desires. Now that Jekyll is Hyde, he can dow whatever he wants.
  • "His affections, like ivy, were growth of time" Chp. 1 Utterson - For Mr. Utterson, it takes time to make new friends. 'like ivy' indicates it takes a long time to make friends just as long ivy takes to grow.
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Comments

Rafi3101

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spelling mistakes

ZoeA15

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This was very helpful as I didn't know where to start when it came to quotes. However, please check your documents for spelling before posting. Thanks for the great resource.

epicduckie

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sorry if there are spelling mistakes :( was in a rush when i did these. however, dont have the time to correct this as I have to prepare for my as level mocks :/

AbdullahAfzal.73

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This is perhaps the most exceptional document and means of revision on this website. Very well done.

landrews

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i have my exam on tesday and found this extremely helpful x

emma hughesssss

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so helpful thank you x

elliott1029

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very good thanks

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