The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson is a Gothic horror novella published in 1886. When London lawyer Gabriel John Utterson investigates strange occurrences involving his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde, he uncovers a disturbing mystery. This defining work of Gothic horror explores the duality of human nature, examining how good and evil can intertwine within a single person. The story's impact endures today, with "Jekyll and Hyde" becoming synonymous with those who possess hidden, shocking darkness.
Contains spoilers for the entire book
- Themes
- Atmosphere
About the book
Published in 1886, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is told largely through the eyes of Mr Utterson, a London lawyer troubled by the will of his friend Dr Henry Jekyll, which leaves everything to a man named Edward Hyde. Hyde is small, repellent and violent, and nobody who meets him can say exactly why he inspires such loathing. Robert Louis Stevenson builds the novella as a mystery, withholding its explanation until the final documents. Beneath the Gothic plot lies a study of Victorian respectability, secrecy and the divided self: a professional man's reputation is guarded by silence, and the respectable streets of London conceal doors that lead somewhere else entirely.
Characters
Gabriel John Utterson — Lawyer
A reserved London lawyer who becomes determined to understand his friend Jekyll’s connection to Hyde.
Dr Henry Jekyll — Physician
A respected and wealthy doctor whose will, and whose behaviour, begin to trouble his friends.
Edward Hyde — Jekyll’s protégé
A small, repellent man whose violence and mysterious hold over Jekyll alarm everyone who meets him.
Dr Hastie Lanyon — Jekyll’s old friend
A fellow doctor who fell out with Jekyll over what he calls unscientific balderdash.
Richard Enfield — Utterson’s cousin
A man about town whose story of a strange door and a trampled child sets the mystery going.
Poole — Jekyll’s butler
Jekyll’s long-serving and loyal butler, increasingly frightened by what is happening in the house.
Sir Danvers Carew — Member of Parliament
An elderly and much-liked gentleman whose encounter in a London street shocks the city.
About the author
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist and travel writer who abandoned the family trade of lighthouse engineering, then the law, for writing, and spent his life moving in search of a climate his lungs could bear. He wrote the first draft of Jekyll and Hyde in a few days after dreaming it, burned it when his wife objected to it, and wrote it again. He settled finally in Samoa, took the islanders' side against the colonial administration, and died there at forty-four. His books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped and A Child's Garden of Verses.