The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Study Guide Questions

Story of the Door

1.  What hints do we get in reference to plot in this first Chapter? Cite three quotes. What inferences can you make based on these quotes?

2.  Use a t-chart to outline the character of Mr. Utterson- personality and appearance.

3.  Discuss the contrast found in the passage beginning, ‘Well, it was this way…’ and ending with ‘Sir, really like Satan”

4.  Using the same excerpt, outline the reaction people have when they confront this horror of a man.

5.  Read until the end of the chapter. Write a paragraph describing this man, using evidence

from the text.

Search for Mr. Hyde

1.  Define connotations. Describe the new and ominous connotations linked to the name Mr. Hyde found in this chapter.

2.  Re-read the passage starting, ‘Six o’clock struck’ to ‘enduring hatred’ when we read about Mr. Utterson’s nightmares. Look closely at how Stevenson’s choice of language and sentence lengths. How does this passage establish a tone and mood, and what is the tone and mood?

3.  When they finally meet, what is Utterson’s reaction to Mr. Hyde?

4.  Look at the passage beginning, ‘He was wild when he was young…’ and ending ‘…cancer of some concealed disgrace.’ Discuss the concept of Good vs. Evil. Where does Mr. Hyde fall in this spectrum?

5.  In the first chapter, we were only distantly involved with Mr. Hyde. What else do we now know about him?

6.  Based on the text, what labels can be applied to describe Mr. Hyde?

Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease

1.  A fortnight later, Dr. Jekyll invites Mr. Utterson to a dinner party. When the chapter opens, we are provided with a description of the doctor. This is the first time we have actually met him. Begin a character chart detailing the description of his personality and his appearance.

The Carew Murder Case

1.  Nearly a year has passed. What do you think Hyde has been up to in this time?

2.  Look carefully at the excerpt beginning, ‘And as she so sat’ and ending ‘the maid fainted.’ Focus on Stevenson’s use of language and description. Why do you think Mr. Hyde murdered Sir Danvers Carew? Why is this act symbolic?

3.  Look at how the weather reflects events in this chapter. List a few examples. How does this affect the mood?

Incident of the Letter

1.  Discuss the irony in this sentence, “You have not been mad enough to hide this fellow?’

2.  Look at the section, ‘…Dr. Jekyll, looking deadly sick. He did not rise to meet his visitor, but held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice.’ What could Dr. Jekyll’s sickness represent?

3.  What is implied when Poole admits that there was no letter handed in or no messenger?

Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon

1.  What do you think the following statement means: ‘The death of Sir Danvers was, to his way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde’? Do you agree? Why or why not?

2.  Justify Utterson’s reluctance to read Lanyon’s statement until after the death or disappearance of Dr. Jekyll.

Incident at the Window

1.  Describe how Dr. Jekyll’s house and laboratory are situated or arranged. What might this suggest symbolically?

2.  Read the following section again: ‘But the words were hardly uttered, before a smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror as froze the blood of the two gentleman below’ Who are the two gentlemen? Why do you believe Stevenson included this phrase and what might it represent?

Last Night

1.  Explain how the weather anticipates the feeling in Dr. Jekyll’s household. Support your claim with two quotes from the text.

2.  How is the format and point of view of this chapter different from previous chapters?

3.  In this chapter we learn of the broken key and rusty ‘fractures’ (door or key openings). What inference can you make regarding why these fractures are there? What does this suggest about Jekyll before he was completely taken over by Hyde?

4.  How has Dr. Jekyll disappeared?

Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative

1.  In terms of the narrative structure of the novel, finally and for the first time, the reader comes to the realization that: (fill in the blank)

2.  Why is Dr. Lanyon so repulsed by Dr. Jekyll’s actions? How do they differ in their approach to science?

3.  Based on your answer to number one of this section, describe what this novella may be suggesting about society.

Jekyll’s Full Statement

1.  For a few months, Dr. Jekyll tried to lead a normal life. He did not seal up his laboratory, nor did he get rid of Hyde’s clothes. What does this say about Dr. Jekyll?

2.  In your opinion, why does Dr. Jekyll have no control over Hyde?

3.  Jekyll commits the final act of suicide. Although Jekyll commits the act, when his body is dying, Mr. Hyde regains ascendency so that the men find his body and not Jekyll’s. How does this add to the overall theme of the novella?