Jekyll and Hyde — Themes and Key Quotes

GCSE English Literature · Jekyll and Hyde

Jekyll and Hyde — themes and key quotes

Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) is a Gothic novella about a respectable doctor, Jekyll, who creates a potion that transforms him into his evil alter ego, Hyde. It explores the duality of human nature — that everyone has a good and an evil side.

Context

Written in Victorian England, a society obsessed with respectability and reputation, where people hid their desires behind a polite public face.
Reflects contemporary interest in science (and its dangers), and fears about evolution (the "primitive" side of humans).
A Gothic text: mystery, horror, a sinister city (foggy London), and the supernatural.

Key themes

Duality of human nature: good and evil exist within everyone; Hyde is the evil side of Jekyll.
Reputation and repression: Victorian gentlemen repress their darker desires to protect their public image — which makes them worse.
Science vs the natural/religious order: Jekyll "plays God", with disastrous results.
The city and secrecy: London's fog and dark streets mirror hidden sin.

Characters

Dr Jekyll: respectable but tempted; wants to separate his two sides.
Mr Hyde: pure evil, described as animalistic and deformed — the more he is indulged, the stronger he grows.
Mr Utterson: the rational lawyer through whose eyes we uncover the mystery.

Key quotations

"Man is not truly one, but truly two." — the central theme of duality.
"The animal within me licking the chops of memory." — Hyde's primitive nature.
"Something displeasing, something downright detestable" — reactions to Hyde.
"If he be Mr Hyde… I shall be Mr Seek." — Utterson's investigation.

Worked example (essay approach)

For "How does Stevenson present duality?", analyse how Jekyll and Hyde are two sides of one man, using the quotation "not truly one, but truly two" and linking to Victorian repression. ✓

Common mistakes

Retelling the plot instead of analysing theme and Gothic methods.
Forgetting Victorian context (repression, reputation, science).
Not using precise quotations.

Exam tips

Use duality as the central theme and link Hyde to repressed desire.
Bring in Gothic features (fog, horror, the divided self) and Victorian context.
Analyse Stevenson's language describing Hyde (animalistic imagery).

Quick recap

Jekyll and Hyde = a doctor and his evil alter ego; explores the duality of human nature.
Themes: duality, reputation/repression, science vs nature, secrecy; a Gothic Victorian novella.
Key quote: "Man is not truly one, but truly two." Link Hyde to repressed Victorian desire.