Chapter 5 Notes and Quotes

'Incident of the Letter'

Summary

Utterson goes to visit Jekyll who is in his laboratory looking deathly ill. Utterson questions whether Jekyll is harbouring Mr Hyde. Jekyll claims that Hyde has left and that their relationship has now ended. Jekyll shows Utterson a letter and asks what he should do with it as he fears it will damage his reputation if he gives it to the police. The letter is from Mr Hyde and it assures Jekyll that he has means of escape and that Jekyll should not worry about him.

Utterson takes this opportunity to ask Jekyll if Hyde had forced him to add in the clause about inheriting in the case of Jekyll’s ‘disappearance’ and Jekyll replies that he had. Utterson believes that Hyde had intended to murder Jekyll.

As he is leaving, Utterson questions Poole about the man who delivered the letter. Poole, confused, tells Utterson that no letters were delivered to Jekyll’s house that day. This makes Utterson believe that the letter had been written by Hyde himself in Jekyll’s house.

Over drinks that night Utterson questions Mr Guest (a keen student of handwriting) about the letter from Mr Hyde. He states that the writing is very similar to that of Dr Jekyll’s – he suggests that the writer of the document is Jekyll. Utterson now believes that Jekyll has forged a letter to cover for a murderer.

 

Important Quotations

‘I swear to God I’ll never set eyes on him again’ (Jekyll talking about Hyde)

‘sat Dr Jekyll looking deathly sick’ and ‘He held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice’ (Shows the effect that Hyde’s actions have had upon Jekyll.)

‘I cannot say that I care what becomes of Hyde; I am quite done with him’

 ‘He meant to murder you. You have had a fine escape’ (Utterson discussing Hyde’s stipulation that Jekyll must have a clause about his ‘disappearing’ in his will)

‘Poole was positive nothing had come except by post…Plainly the letter had come by the laboratory door; possibly, indeed it had been written in the cabinet’ (Utterson realises that the post that Jekyll said was delivered that morning had actually been written in the house. This can mean two things; that Hyde wrote it inside the house or that Jekyll forged the letter to protect Hyde.)

‘There’s a rather singular resemblance; the two hands are in many points identical; only different in slope’ and ‘What!’ he thought ‘Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer!’ And his blood ran cold in his veins. (Utterson realises that Henry Jekyll has written both of these letters and the implication is that he has written this letter in order to protect Hyde.)

 

Chapter 4 Notes and Quotes

'The Carew Murder Case'

Summary

Approximately one year later, a maid was staring out her window when she saw two men (one quite well-dressed and one small in stature) walking towards each other. She observes Mr Hyde murder Carew by repeatedly striking him with a cane. On the body, the police find a letter to Mr Utterson and they consequently call the lawyer. In the police station he identifies the body as Sir Danvers Carew.

As Utterson has Hyde’s address, he takes the police to Hyde’s quarters in Soho. Whilst there he muses about why someone who is set to inherit such a huge amount of money would want to live in such a place. Hyde’s evil-looking maid lets the police in to his house and they discover half of the murder weapon (stick) and the burned remains of a chequebook. Hyde still has an account at a local bank and they decide to wait for him there as he will need to go into the branch to cash his cheque. In the days and weeks that follow Hyde does not turn up at the bank.

 

Important Quotations

‘And at that Mr Hyde broke out of all bounds and clubbed him to death’

 ‘A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman’s face.’ (When she learned Hyde was in trouble.) (Hyde’s misfortune makes others happy – suggests that his staff dislike him intensely)

‘At this moment however, the rooms bore every mark of having been recently and horribly ransacked’

 ‘like a district of some city in a nightmare’ (Building up tension surrounding Hyde and setting him up as a character to be feared. Even the place e chooses to live is nightmarish and instils fear.)

‘And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flare of anger stamping his foot and brandishing his cane and carrying on…like a madman’ (The comparison between Hyde and a madman develops his character by showing the audience the level of anger and aggression he is capable of.)

‘The other half of the stick was found behind the door’ (This clue firmly and irrefutably links Hyde to the murder.)

‘Why, money’s life to the man. We have nothing to do but wait for him at the bank.’

Chapter 3 Notes and Quotes

'Dr Jekyll was Quite at Ease'

Summary

The scene takes place at a dinner party in Dr Jekyll’s house. The rest of the dinner party guests leave for the night but Utterson remains behind to speak with Jekyll. He approaches him about the content of his will and begins to suggest that Hyde may not be a good choice of acquaintance – at this Jekyll retorts that he does not want to know any more about Hyde’s character.

Utterson offers his service as a lawyer to free him from the shackles that Hyde has him under but Jekyll responds that he does not need assistance. Jekyll promises Utterson that, should he need to, he can be rid of Mr Hyde at any point. Jekyll reminds Utterson that he takes a great interest in Hyde and makes Utterson promise that if anything should happen to him (die or disappear) that Jekyll’s will would be exacted and everything would be given to Hyde.

 

Important Quotations

‘I am painfully situated, Utterson; my position is very strange – a very strange one. It is one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking’

This statement is vague and causes the audience to question what is strange about Jekyll’s position. Builds tension.

 

‘The large handsome face of Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes. ‘I do not care to hear more’

This quotation shows that speaking about Hyde visibly distresses Jekyll. The way he reacts shows that he is aware of Hyde’s character but that he doesn’t want to be reminded of it.

 

‘I will tell you one thing: the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde’

Utterson thought that Hyde had a control/hold over Jekyll but here Jekyll suggests that the power is his. This statement causes us to question who has the power in their relationship. He is possibly saying this so Utterson doesn’t pursue the topic – to placate /reassure his friend or he could be saying this as it is what he truly believes.

Chapter 2 Notes and Quotes

'The Search for Mr Hyde'

Summary

After his conversation with Enfield, Mr Utterson goes home but can think of nothing else but Mr Hyde. This prompts him to look back at Dr Jekyll’s unusual will. It states that if Jekyll disappears for longer than 3 months or if he dies then all his property should immediately pass over to Mr Hyde. Utterson had long felt that this will was strange and unsettling but now that he knows something of Hyde’s character (he’s heartless and violent – attacked child) the will upsets him even more. He is confused about the relationship between Hyde and Jekyll – he is worried about the fact he’s never heard of Hyde (despite being friends for years) and thinks that Hyde has a power (possibly blackmail) over Jekyll.

In order to unravel this mystery, Utterson goes to Dr Lanyon’s (their old friend) house to speak about Hyde. He asks Lanyon if Hyde was a student of Jekylls but Lanyon replies that he was not. Jekyll and Lanyon had recently fallen out because of scientific reasons.

When Utterson is at home later that evening he has a nightmare in which a faceless man stands beside Jekyll’s bed and commanding him to do things. Utterson decides to wait around near the run-down building where Enfield saw Hyde in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Hyde. After a while, he sees Hyde. Utterson at this point asks Hyde to reveal his face to him so that he can remember him if he sees him again. Hyde agrees and Utterson feels (in exactly the same way as Enfield did) that there was something appalling and somehow ‘wrong’ about him. Hyde then gives his address to Utterson – this worries him as he thinks that Hyde may know about Jekyll’s will.

Utterson pays a visit to Jekyll. We learn that the run-down door is actually the laboratory attached to Jekyll’s house. The housekeepers have been told to treat Hyde like Jekyll and follow his commands and that he has a key to the laboratory so he can come and go as he pleases.

Utterson believes that Jekyll is being blackmailed for wrongdoings in his youth.

 

Character quotations - Mr Hyde

Utterson’s Dream:

‘The figure had no face from which he might know him’

‘The human Juggernaut trod the child down and passed on regardless’

 ‘There would stand by his side a figure to whom power was given, even at that dead hour he must rise to do its bidding’

This dream demonstrates Utterson’s fear of Hyde. He is scared of the power that Hyde has over Jekyll and this is obvious through this dream sequence as Hyde has control over Jekyll even as he sleeps.

Descriptions of Hyde (Street Scene):

‘He was pale and dwarfish’

‘He gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation’

 ‘he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice’

‘he had a displeasing smile’

‘a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness’

‘he felt a nausea and a distaste of life’ (upon thinking about Hyde)

‘God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say?’ (troglodytic = a cave dweller)

‘If ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend’

Stevenson’s descriptions develop Hyde’s character and reinforces his position as a character to be feared. His voice is broken and quiet giving him an air of mystery; his skin pale and his body small and slight - even his smile (normally an example of positive body language) is unpleasant. He seems to be deformed somehow (onlookers have the feeling that there is something ‘wrong’ with him) but there is nothing physical to suggest this – by having his deformity be unidentifiable it helps to build up a clearer picture of Hyde being an enigma and builds the tension surrounding his character.

 

Important Quotations

Jekyll’s Will

‘In case of Dr Jekyll’s ‘disappearance or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar months’ the said Edward Hyde should step into the said Henry Jekyll’s shoes without delay’

‘All his possessions were to pass into the hands of his friend and benefactor, Mr Edward Hyde.’

These quotations demonstrate the peculiar clause of Jekyll’s will – that should he die or disappear, Hyde would inherit all of Jekyll’s possessions. The clause about disappearing is particularly unusual and arouses Utterson’s suspicions that all is not as it may seem with Hyde. Additionally, it backs up Utterson’s suspicions that Jekyll may be being blackmailed by Hyde and that he means to hurt Jekyll in some way.

 

Lanyon’s Opinion of Jekyll

‘But it is more than ten years since Henry Jekyll became too fanciful for me; he started to go wrong, wrong in the mind’

Lanyon reveals that around ten years ago Jekyll stopped being the analytical doctor that he once was and became somewhat whimsical – something changed in his mind and this spoiled the relationship between Lanyon and Jekyll as Lanyon now feels him frivolous with far-fetched beliefs.

‘No never heard of him, not since my time’ (Lanyon has never heard of Hyde)

Lanyon (Jekyll’s childhood friend) has never met or heard of Hyde either, thereby confirming Utterson’s suspicions that Hyde has not been a part of Jekyll’s life for long.

 

Utterson Waits for Hyde

‘From that time forward, Mr Utterson began to haunt the door in the by-street of shops’

This shows that Utterson’s response to the dream is to loiter by the door Hyde was once seen at in the hope of catching a glimpse of Hyde’s face. The word choice of ‘haunt’ is interesting here as it reflects the ghostly nature of the dream that is a lingering presence in Utterson’s mind. Demonstrates the strength of Utterson’s intent to find Hyde.

‘If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek

This pun demonstrates Utterson’s intention to search out Hyde.

 

Jekyll’s House – Hyde’s Privileges

‘We all have orders to obey him’

‘’Mr Hyde has a key’

These quotations demonstrate that Hyde now has significant power within Jekyll’s home. He can command Jekyll’s servants as well as come and go as he pleases. This is worrying to Utterson who has reservations about how much control Jekyll is already passing to Hyde (and further worries regarding his will).

 

Utterson’s Theory

‘It must be that, the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace, punishment coming’

Utterson’s theory is that Jekyll’s chequered youth has caught up with him – that a mistake made in his past is now affecting his present. His suggestion is that Hyde played a part in Jekyll’s past and now has means by which to blackmail him. The word choice of ‘ghost’ continues to build the tension and develop the ‘spooky’ and unnatural air of the piece. Words with negative connotations such as ‘cancer’, ‘concealed disgrace’ and ‘punishment’ provide a sense of foreboding.

Chapter 1 Notes and Quotes

‘The Story of the Door’

Summary

Mr Utterson is a well-respected, wealthy London lawyer who was reserved and, arguably, dull. Despite this, he appears lovable.

Mr Enfield is Mr Utterson’s cousin and good friend whom he enjoys taking long walks with. Whilst on these walks they do not engage in conversation, yet they thoroughly enjoy the time they spend together.

The story begins whilst these two men are out on their weekly walk. They are passing through a quiet, well-presented street and notice a door without a knocker or a bell and the door itself is scratched and stained. The building that is attached to seems run-down and out of place in this respectable neighbourhood. Seeing the door inspired Enfield to relate a story that he had heard in connection with the door.

Enfield had been in the neighbourhood late one night when he witnessed a man knock over, and then trample on, a young girl. At this point Enfield chased and caught the man and brought him back to the assembled crowd and demanded that the man pay one hundred pounds or they would ruin his reputation in London. The man went to the aforementioned door and went inside and reappeared with a cheque for ninety pounds and ten pounds in gold. The cheque bore a different name – that of a well-respected man. Enfield suspected that the cheque would be a forgery and that it would not cash at the bank so he forced the man to wait until morning so they could go to the bank together. Contrary to his suspicions, the cheque was good and was paid. This encourages Enfield to think that the ugly man was blackmailing the bearer of the cheque.

Utterson begins to ask a number of questions pertaining to the detail of the case. Firstly he asks about whether the man had a key and secondly he asks what the man looked like. Enfield cannot describe what the man looks like, despite being able to picture his appearance in his head. He states instead that there is something distinctly awful about him, that he is particularly despicable in some way. He feels a distinct and unavoidable hatred towards him despite barely knowing him. He then asks Enfield what this man’s name was and Enfield reluctantly replies that he is called Hyde.

Enfield has a rule; if something is strange then he chooses not to ask questions. As this case is particularly unusual, both men decide never to talk of this incident again.

 

Quotations

Setting

The setting in chapter 1 is of a street that is small but pleasantly presented. When compared to its neighbouring streets it stands out because of this well-presented nature (the other streets are more run-down). On this street one building stands out because it is considerably less well-presented. We learn that this particular building has been neglected and a conversation about this building that prompts Enfield to relate the story of Hyde to Utterson.

Street:

‘The street was small and what is called quiet but it drove a thriving trade on the weekdays’

‘It instantly caught and pleased the eye of the passenger’

‘The street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood like a fire in a forest with its freshly-painted shutters, well-polished brasses’

‘It was two storeys high; showed no window, nothing but a door on the lower storey and a blind forehead of discoloured wall on the upper; and bore every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence’

‘The shop front stood along that thoroughfare with an air of invitation, like rows of smiling saleswomen.’

Door:

‘The door was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained’

‘The schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings; and for close on a generation no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages’

 

Character - Mr Utterson

‘Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.’

Profession = lawyer. Stutters while he speaks; he is not a good speaker. Old fashioned in his views. Tall and skinny and not particularly good looking. His clothing is old and he is not someone who dresses ‘well’. Despite these negative attributes, there is something friendly and likeable about him.

‘It was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men’

Utterson is prepared to be friends with men whose reputation is falling in the hope that he can help them or continue to be their friend. He does not judge them.

‘His friends were those of his own blood or those he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time’

He didn’t have too many friends but those that he does he is exceptionally close to. The comparison is made to ivy which covers buildings; he similarly covers his friends in the embrace of his friendship.

Hyde:

‘It wasn’t like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut’

‘Wasn’t like a man’ dehumanises him. Makes him seem less relatable – makes him seem somewhat spooky. ‘Juggernaut’ suggests that he has no empathy – he doesn’t care if he hurts people; setting out to destroy things.

‘There is something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing, something downright detestable’

 

‘I never saw a man I so disliked and yet I scarce know why’

 ‘He was perfectly cool and made no resistance yet gave me one look so ugly that it brought out the sweat on me like running’

‘I had taken a loathing to the gentlemen at first sight’

‘He is not easy to describe’

Just by looking at him the audience becomes aware that there is something terribly wrong with him and that he is a bad person. His external appearance reflects his internal horrible personality. He is so wholly bad that his appearance is also affected. This description of his appearance builds tension.

Important Quotations

‘The two ran into one another naturally enough at the corner; and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground’

This quotation explains what happened between Hyde and the girl.

 

Introductions

Hello!

It is my intention to use this blog as a medium for providing you, my lovely National 5 students, with an easy-to-use way to access study materials, keep up-to-date with homework and source help if necessary. 

As well as encouraging you to keep up with revision, homework and regular reading I will also be posting links to study materials, uploading some of my own revision aids and posting electronic copies of any 'hand outs' distributed during class time. I am also going to try my hand at creating some podcasts for those of you who learn best by listening to information.

This resource will hopefully be a valuable addition to your revision over the duration of this course - happy studying!

Miss G x