Character Analysis in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

“Troglodytic” literally pertains to troglodytes, or cave-dwelling people. Connotatively, the word suggests someone who is asocial, less-than-human, or repellant. This passage offers a brief, initial character sketch of Mr. Hyde.

“A propos” is a Latin phrase meaning to the purpose or fitly. As a lawyer, Mr. Utterson is given to using Latin and legal language in his speech, a token of his class and learning.

In an episode of dark, delirious, late-night imagination, Mr. Utterson envisions the shadowy figure of Mr. Hyde roaming the streets of London. Those lanes and neighborhoods are imaged as “wider labyrinths of lamplighted city,” an allusion to the original labyrinth of Greek mythology. Roaming that maze built deep in the dungeons of the Minoan palace of ancient Crete was the Minotaur, a man with a bull’s head, the king’s own misbegotten son. The Minotaur is a useful analogue for Mr. Hyde on several accounts. Both are disfigured and thus shunned from society. Both periodically prey on the innocent. Both spring from mysterious, suspect origins.

In a humorous turn of phrase, Stevenson suggests that mutual respect between two people does not necessitate mutual enjoyment. In the case of Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson, the two happen to align.

Utterson’s reaction to Jekyll’s will bespeaks the differing character traits of the two men. Jekyll, unconventional as he is, has drafted a will which bequeaths his belongings to a man named Hyde in the event of a three-month disappearance. The conservative Utterson finds such choices improper. Utterson upholds the values of the Victorian era—the “sane and customary sides of life”—whereas Jekyll inhabits the edges of custom and culture, beyond which lies chaos.

Henry Jekyll is a man decorated with numerous academic degrees. In succession, his titles stand for doctor of medicine, doctor of civil law, legum doctor, and fellow of the Royal Society— a prestigious organization of English scientists. This list bespeaks both Dr. Jekyll’s scientific brilliance and his high status and esteem in society. These characteristics are important as the mystery of Jekyll’s relationship with Mr. Hyde unfolds.

Dr. Jekyll’s physical transformations mirror his emotional reaction to Utterson, who has just mentioned Mr. Hyde in discussion. The paleness suggests Jekyll’s fear; the “blackness about his eyes” suggests an obscurity, an unwillingness to reveal the truth. This passage hints at the deep, but thus far mysterious, connection between Jekyll and Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll refers to Dr. Lanyon as a “hide-bound pedant” in response to Lanyon’s opinion that his own scientific work is “balderdash.” “Hide-bound” refers to someone with an overly conservative perspective, and comes from the more literal image of emaciated, skin-and-bone cattle whose flesh lacks flexibility. A “pedant” is someone with a detail-oriented, by-the-book, academic manner.

Mr. Hyde’s landlady is characterized by “an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy.” In Stevenson’s witty phrasing, we get the impression of a woman at once immoral in her actions and yet proficient at lying and concealing those immoral ways. Much of the thematic tension of the story lies in the push and pull between good and evil, as those two moral poles are perceived by the Victorians.

Soho is a neighborhood in the West End of London. In Victorian times Soho was known as the city’s center of prostitution. The word “slatternly” comes from “slattern,” a derogatory word for a promiscuous young woman or prostitute. Soho, it becomes clear in the next paragraph, is where Mr. Hyde lives. It is fitting that Hyde, who represents many of the traits despised by the Victorians, resides in the least reputable quarter of London.

To “trifle” is to fool around and behave frivolously. In this context, Mr. Hyde’s frivolous activity serves as a contrast to his subsequent outburst of violence. This contrast shows Mr. Hyde to be unpredictable and irrational.

In this instance, the moon symbolizes Danvers Carew’s innocence, a connection underscored in the further characterization of his “innocent and old-world kindness of disposition.” In the Western tradition, white images often carry such a connotation of purity. This idea of purity is important here in that it renders Sir Danvers Carew’s murder all the more despicable.

In this letter, Henry Jekyll expresses his desperate struggle with one of the central themes of the story: punishment. The nature of the punishment is psychological, for Jekyll is not punished by the law but rather by his own feelings of remorse and guilt. Jekyll describes a feeling of being “unmann[ed],” a word relevant on multiple levels. To be unmanned is to be stripped of one’s defenses as well as to be reduced of one’s humanity and made less-than-human.

Mr. Lanyon’s cryptic remark runs along the lines of the aphorism that “ignorance is bliss.” As Lanyon suggests, to know more—indeed, to know all—can lead to terror and despair. Lanyon voices the wish to “get away,” we presume, from life. As yet, the source of Lanyon’s despair is a mystery. Suffice it to say, however, that he has learned something deeply troubling.

Henry Jekyll’s ill condition is related through a rich metaphor, that of a “death-warrant written legibly upon his face.” A death-warrant is a legal document which authorizes the execution of a criminal. In this passage, it serves as a figure for Jekyll’s apparently looming death. The metaphor of the death-warrant also evokes the criminal thread of the plot, namely the actions of Mr. Hyde, and calls more deeply into question Jekyll’s involvement therein.

In a moment of startling transformation, Henry Jekyll’s attempts to put on a façade of conviviality crumble, revealing an expression of pure “terror and despair.” Jekyll’s process of unraveling descent has reached a new low. Utterson and Enfield are left speechless, sure only of the direness of Jekyll’s situation.

Mien, pronounced “mean” and from the same root as demeanor, describes a person’s expression, mood, and emotional bearing. After coming out of his seclusion, Henry Jekyll has retreated again into a state of despair and “infinite sadness,” the source of which is as yet unclear.

Utterson refers to the figure in the room—presumed to be Mr. Hyde—as a “malefactor,” which is to say a criminal or wrongdoer. “Malefactor” is a significant word here in that, near the beginning of the story, Hyde is cited as Henry Jekyll’s “benefactor,” the precise antonym. Hyde’s transition from benefactor to malefactor represents the increasingly problematic relationship between Jekyll and Hyde.

Utterson makes particular note of the fact that Poole refuses to drink the wine he has been offered. It may be the case that Poole is too troubled and absorbed by the mysterious events surrounding Jekyll to take notice of the wine or that he wishes to keep a clear head as the investigations continue.

“Moral turpitude” refers to wickedness and vile behaviour. Lanyon does not elucidate precisely why he considers Jekyll’s actions turpid. It seems to be the case, rather, that Lanyon’s judgment arises from his emotional reaction, his “horror” when reflecting on all that has happened.

The word “farrago” refers to a hodgepodge, a jumbled mixture. Dr. Lanyon uses the word to describe the letter Dr. Jekyll has written to him which, in its desperation and lack of detail, strike the doctor as grounds for insanity.

In this passage, we witness the depths of Jekyll’s pain and terror, as well as the full price he has paid for his actions. By giving life to Hyde, Jekyll’s own existence, both body and soul, have deteriorated and become “eaten up and emptied.” As he approaches his final moments, Jekyll is gripped by horror; having decided to confront his dark, repressed side, that darkness has come to consume him.

Though it may seem an easy choice between remaining the monstrous Hyde or the upstanding Jekyll, Jekyll outlines the difficulty in his choice: Hyde, having been stripped of all the better qualities of Jekyll, would not even take notice of what he missed by not remaining Jekyll. On the other hand, Jekyll would also be conscious of having given up the indulgences of Hyde. Like many who choose the moral path, Jekyll finds it difficult to stick to due to personal temptation and lack of control.

Now an offensive term, the noun “fagot” refers to both a bundle of sticks used for fuel and a collection of iron rods bound together to be hammered into one. By invoking this metaphor, Jekyll continues to assert that he is two disparate personalities fastened together, constantly struggling for dominance rather than one harmonious person.

The verb “blazon” means to display prominently. Although others would have indulged their vices or put less consideration into what others thought, Jekyll does not, instead choosing to hide and repress his desires to advance his social standing.