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.)