Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Annotations

*in the gross darkness of the night and the curtained room*

"Gross" underlines the evil that takes place at night and in the dark while the curtains in Utterson's room could symbolise the secrets ad lies that surround him.

*I have had a lesson - O God, Utterson, what a lesson I have had!*

AS Jekyll "realises" the terrible mistake he has made he tries to repent from it by learning a lesson from it, however, as the reader later discovers, it is far too late for that

*Only on one point where they agreed; and that was the haunting sense of unexpressed deformity*

Again the idea that Hyde has a 'haunting' sense of ugliness and deformity shows that no matter who it is he meets, he leaves behind a lasting and bad impression

*if I ever read Satan's signature upon a face*

Another comparison between Hyde and the devil himself i both their appearances and characteristics

*his touch of a certain icy pang along my blood*

Any contact with Hyde chills Lanyon to the bone and fills him with dread and fear

*I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again*

As Jekyll swears he will never see his alter ego again, the theme of religion is once again shown, while Jekyll relates himself to God, Hyde is clearly related to the devil.

*A dismal screech, as of mere animal terror*

As Jekyll/Hyde screams out in fear and pain we can once again see the beast that Hyde is but also, that despite his overwhelming evil, he can feel fear

*he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth; and as I looked, there came, I thought, a change- he seemed to swell- his face became suddenly black, and the features seemed to melt and alter*

As Lanyon describes Hyde's metamorphosis into Jekyll he shows the extreme stress Hyde undergoes. The use of the word "injected" might create a bit of fear in the readers mind as it relates to the childhood fear of being injected from a doctor/dentist.

*The square, when they got there, was all full of wind and dust, and the thin trees in the garden were lashing themselves along the railing*

As the weather worsens we see everything dangerous and ominous about the weather being increased. The reader sees the trees damaging themselves as if it were easier to be dead than to face the weather. (minor foreshadow of Hyde's suicide to avoid punishment)

*a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a slyish cast*

Description of Dr Jekyll is an extreme contrast to that of Hyde, underlines the duality of man

*I had taken a loathing to my gentleman at first sight*

Despite Mr Enfield's apparent goodness, the simple act of being near Hyde has caused him to feel an overwhelming sense of hatred towards him

*I find it in my heart to pity him*

Despite everything Hyde has done to hurt Jekyll and the people of London, Jekyll pities the murderer, perhaps because Hyde was his creation and is a reflection of everything evil Jekyll himself wanted

*It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut*

Despite the man's short height he has been described as something of an unstoppable force which can and will stop for nothing, not even a screaming child.

*sat 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*

Dr Jekyll has transformed into this shell of what he once was, now he looks cold and seriously ill, however the use of the word deadly could have a double meaning, it could be a substitute for seriously but it could also help describe the danger he represents towards other people. Through his changed voice the reader can understand the toll Hyde has taken on Jekyll and the power he holds over him

*I say two because the state of my own knowledge does not pass that point*

Dr Jekyll states that while he knows man has two natures, he does not know if any more exist, perhaps there are infinite natures within one body

*his eye lighted up with professional ambition*

Even in the wake of this horrific crime, the policeman (whose duty is to serve and protect the community from dangers), firstly thinks of what this case could do for him, it could bring publicity, a raise or even a promotion. Once gain the eye is used as a window to the soul and shows the man's true desires. Themes of selfishness and the evil within human nature.

*even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly*

Fog appears again and it is getting thicker and lower, perhaps the fog symbolises the evil in London and since the emergence of Hyde, the evil has gotten stronger, symbolised by the thickness of the fog

*Utterson knew he was looking on the body of a self-destroyer*

For nearly every religion suicide is a sin and after committing so many others, in Utterson's eyes, the Devil within Hyde has returned to hell

*This drug is wanted bitter bad*

For some reason, currently unknown to the reader, Jekyll is craving this drug, creates suspicion in the readers mind

*to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil*

From the moment he appeared, Jekyll knew Hyde to be wholly evil however, Hyde only does as the evil that lay within Jekyll wants him to, Hyde is a reflection of everything evil about Jekyll

*That child of Hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred*

Hyde is once again referred to as a devil with nothing human about him, he lacks every feeling except for fear and hatred making him unable to do any good

*Mr Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of breath*

Hyde reacts like a snake would, reaffirming the impression of his animalistic nature. Furthermore, the image of a snake is often related to Satan, the epitome of evil which helps the reader further analyse Hyde's character

*you who have derided your superiors- behold!*

Hyde sees himself as a superior to humanity and thinks his unique "species" is above any other despite his lack of self-control and his scary animalistic qualities

*but there lay his victim in the middle of the lane, incredibly mangled*

Hyde shows no sign of regret or humanity as he leaves Sir Danvers in the middle of the road looking inhumanely mangled and deformed

*a new province of knowledge and new avenues of fame and power shall be laid open to you here*

Hyde takes advantage of Lanyon's desire to be rich, famous and knowledgable, again shows the weakness of this character and the weakness of human nature

*Hence the apelike trick that he would play on me*

Hyde's animalistic qualities are underlined by the way he treats the man who is keeping them both alive, perhaps Jekyll's punishment from hell has already begun on Earth

*we were keeping the women off him as best we could, for they were as wild as harpies*

Hyde's evil air has turned the women of the little girl's family into mythical creatures whose sole purpose is to harm or kill, emphasises the power Hyde commands over the evil within each person

*he felt ( what was rare with him) a nausea and distaste of life*

It is clear Utterson has a comfortable and kind life however, this and the heat of the fire give him no comfort when he thinks of Hyde's face, it has chilled him to the bone.

*there came a blackness about his eyes*

It is often said that eyes are a window into the soul and due to Hyde being 'inside' Jekyll perhaps, his dark and evil character is beginning to show through the good of Jekyll

*Henry Jekyll became too fanciful for me. He began to go wrong, wrong in mind*

It seems the three (Utterson, Jekyll and Lanyon) were all once close friends, however after Jekyll began more adventurous and "unscientific" experiments Lanyon and he had a falling out, and now, Lanyon correctly believes Jekyll's mind is not in the right place.

*Evil besides ( which I must still believe it to be the lethal side of man) had left on that body an imprint of deformity and decay*

Jekyll explains Hyde's inexplicable ugliness stems from the strong evil within him, evil is regarded as ugly and so that is why Hyde is so disturbing to look at.

*pale and shaken and half-fainting and groping before him with his hands like a man restored from death- there stood Henry Jekyll!*

Jekyll has transformed from Hyde into himself and the transformation has taken a huge toll on his strength and health, Lanyon describes him as a man restored from death which could be taken quite literally, perhaps Hyde is the personification of death and evil, momentarily expelled when Jekyll returns

*my pleasures (were to say the least) undignified*

Jekyll realises his fatal flaw was his willingness to give in to his unconventional and disgusting pleasures

*The evil side of my nature, to which I had just transferred the stamping efficacy, was less robust and less developed than the good which I had just deposed*

Jekyll realises the reason why Hyde is inferior physically to him, because his evil side was used and pampered less than his better side, his better side(Jekyll) is greater physically to him(Hyde)

*that man is not truly one, but truly two*

Jekyll recognises that within every person there is a constant battle between the two sides of their nature

*Severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound man's dual nature*

Jekyll recognises the two sides to human nature, there is the good in each person but also the despicable evil which Hyde represents

*we heard him cry out in the name of God*

Jekyll screams out to God which is very uncharacteristic of him, what worries the servants and Utterson is the fact that he does not use his own voice to cry out

*with every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished life*

Jekyll was born into a wealthy family and was given the best education possible, or the reader this would mean Jekyll would have no reason to have anything less than a good and wealthy life, however, this is not the case as Jekyll has become something of a villain

*the door of this, which wore a great air of wealth and comfort*

Jekyll's door is a polar opposite to that of Hyde's, the description of the doors are used to highlight the duality of men and the contrast between Jekyll's and Hyde's natures

*taking in the air with an infinite sadness of mien, like some disconsolate prisoner*

Jekyll's overwhelming sense of sadness and regret fills the street he is looking out onto, he is compared to a prisoner with no happiness or respite but at this point in the novel, the reader questions why he has made a prisoner of himself if it makes him this unhappy.

*It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone, that was guilty*

Jekyll's willingness to shift the blame of his mistakes and his actions shows his characters weakness and again his flaws, Jekyll believes everything that transpired was due to Hyde's evil, but Hyde's evil was fed by Jekyll's own evil and desires

*The quarrel with Lanyon was incurable*

Just like Jekyll's plight of Hyde, the damage done cannot be reversed and now, after being friends for so long, the two doctors wholly hate each other, Hyde has corrupted them both.

*I have since had reason to believe the cause to lie much deeper in the nature of man, and to turn on some nobler hinge than the principle of hatred*

Lanyon believes the cause of his hatred towards Hyde is due to some evolutionary tactic in that modern-day men would hunt their inferiors, in this case, Hyde's unique species

*I can only describe as a disgustful curiosity*

Lanyon realises his weakness but gives in to his curiosity anyway, shows the weakness of human nature and humanity itself

*my soul sickened at it*

Lanyon's entire being and conscience is disgusted by Jekyll and his alter-ego, for him, this transformation is a reversal of the natural way of things and he cannot bear the sight of it

*and hailing down a storm of blows*

Metaphor gives connotations of thunder and lightening which could represent both the horrific noises escaping from the beating and the speed and fury of each strike.

*There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable.*

Mr Enfield finds it difficult to describe Mr Hyde despite him being able to imagine his face. He notes that there is something extremely unnerving and despicable in his appearance. Great contrast to the description of Jekyll.

*like a district of some city in a nightmare*

Mr Utterson now sees London in a different light, he sees it as an evil place shrouded in lies and false promises, he compares it to a place where a nightmare would take place, perhaps this is where Hyde is truelly from

*A flash of odious joy appeared on the woman's face*

Once again the theme of selfishness is explored as, despite the horror of this crime, the woman only cares for the punishment coming to Hyde, this woman is curious and cruel but she is also an example of how Hyde affects these minor characters.

*A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven*

Re-occurrence of fog and the connotations that come with it, the chocolatey colour could metaphorically come from the idea of Carew's blood being mixed with the dark grey colour of the usual fog that covers London

*My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring*

Reference to Satan/the devil and the fact that, despite Hyde being the only tangible devil on the Earth, everyone has one. "roaring" gives connotations of perhaps a big cat, ready to attack, continuing Stevenson's idea of Hyde's animalistic qualities

*lay the body of a man sorely contorted and still twitching*

Refers back to the corpse of Sir Danvers Carew and the state he was left in, Hyde has only just killed himself and Utterson and Poole were only just too late

*I gnashed my teeth upon him with a gust of devilish fury*

Refers to again the devil Hyde is and the horrible way he treats people

*after the expense and strain of gaiety*

Refers to the overall dark and pessimistic tone of the book, the characters find it tiring to remain happy and for them it is easier to hate

*with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim underfoot*

Reinforces Hyde's troglodytic way of movement and temperament. Hyde is solely focused on beating and killing this man who has done nothing wrong. Again shows Hyde's evil as he hates everything good about this man.

*When that masked thing like a monkey jumped from among the chemicals and whipped into the cabinet, it went down my spine like ice*

Relates back to Darwins theory of evolution which is constantly explored in this novel, men have evolved from monkeys/apes but for Hyde, evolution has taken a few steps back, proven by his animalistic mannerisms and traits

*Let us make a bargain ever to refer to this again.*

Relates to one of the main themes of the story, secrecy and the power it holds over others.

*My visitor was, indeed, on fire with sombre excitement*

Relation between Hyde and fire again relates to the fires of hell and the destructive power of this elemental force, Hyde is very serious but at the same time, he cannot wait to be transformed back into Jekyll, where he is safe

*and as he came, he drew a key from his pocket, like one approaching home.*

Shows Mr Hyde's ease at entering this house as if it were his home, hint that perhaps it is.

*London was startled by a crime of singular ferocity*

Shows the entirety of the city of London was shocked by this particularly vicious crime which was made even more noticeable by it's victim and their high profile. Also, 'ferocity' gives the idea that it was a vicious animal who is responsible for the attack.

*the street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well polished brasses*

Shows the immense contrast between this street and its horribly dull surroundings, The happiness of the street beams out like a beacon through the dirty air and tenements surrounding it. Also the connotations that come with fire hint at the danger within this beauty relating to the danger of Hyde within Jekyll.

*a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death*

Shows the immense pain and suffering Jekyll dealt with when first transforming into Hyde, he compares the way he felt to entering the scary unknown at both birth and death

*the dingy windowless structure*

The building is old and seemingly decrepit, it has no windows meaning no-one can see in or out. This building is Jekyll's laboratory from which Hyde enters and leaves and is similar to him in the fact that they are both mysterious and ugly. This is the first time Utterson has seen this part of Jekyll's home and hence this part of Jekyll. (Homes symbolise owner)

*the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming*

The calm cruelty (oxymoron) of this man gives a despicable first impression, hinting that the man is wholly evil. The reader can easily see that this man is animalistic and trully cruel

*I saw the Sawbones turned sick and white with the desire to kill him.*

The case of the doctors is extremely interesting for the reader as Hyde's evil aura has turned men who have dedicated their lives to healing and helping into would be murderers.

*murderous mixture of timidity and boldness*

The contrast of the two traits creates an interesting character who is portrayed as an assailant, unsure whether his target is prey or a greater predator. Utterson notices the combination of the two make something truly evil

*The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained.*

The door is a true reflection of its owner (Hyde), they have both been neglected but also been worn down by the people surrounding them.

*The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city*

The immense fog could literally mean the city was completely covered in the fog, or it could metaphoriccaly show the great amount of lies, secrets and evil that seem to drown out any good in London

*and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence.*

The strong word choice makes the reader imagine perhaps a tenement building that has been abandoned for many a year which is a contrast to the bright and colourful street it is on. Relates to the evil everyone possesses, shown through Hyde, hiding in plain sight.

*a fog rolled over the city in the small hours*

The use of the thick fog gives connotations of evil and secrecy and makes the reader imagine all the dangers that hide within it. Reader notices that with the appearance of Hyde, the fog follows

*the news-boys, as he went, were crying themselves hoarse*

The useof th news-boys helps the author further explore his theme of duality, the news-boys could be crying in sadness for the fallen Sir Danvers, however, it could also be interpreted as they are trying to shout out the tragedy of the crime in an attempt to gain as much money as possible.

*It was a wild, cold seasonable night of March*

The weather is wild and uncontrollable makes the atmosphere ominous. March is the month associated with the start of Spring, this hints that change is coming and the evil within London is about to be removed

*I want you to hear, and I don't want you to be heard*

Theme of secrecy again imposed, Poole wants Utterson to observe without being found out

*this is a private matter, and I beg of you to let it sleep.*

Theme of secrecy is again shown as Jekyll pleads Utterson to leave thing as they were.

*three dusty windows barred with iron*

These three windows were designed to prevent anyone from entering and leaving, makes the reader question why a doctor would need these.

*He had his death warrant written legibly upon his face*

This metaphor is used to highlight the severity of Lanyon's illness and tells the reader death isn't far away from him

*She had an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy; but her manners were excellent.*

This woman is Hyde's landlady amd helps the author convey his idea that everyone has two faces, one they show to the outside world in the hope they will be liked, the other, they keep to themselves and this face shows their deepest and darkest desires

*I stood already committed to a profound duality of life*

Throughout his life Jekyll has been keeping secret his personal life and his dark pleasures, at the time the novel is set in, Victorian men were notorious for keeping double lives and the author is trying to convey that even the 'best' of men hide who they really are

*My discoveries were incomplete*

Underlines Jekyll's curiosity and his rash temperament, he was willing to put his life on the line for something solely for pleasure without knowing all the possible consequences

*Edward Hyde, alone, in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil*

Unlike every other person on Earth who is made up of both good and evil Hyde is made up only of evil which is why everyone hates him on sight, he is different in the worst way possible

*Utterson was amazed to find it a copy of a pious work for which Jekyll had several times expressed a great esteem, annotated, in his own hand, with startling blasphemies*

Utterson is astounded to have found a book, untouched by Hyde and loved by Jekyll, however, Jekyll has annotated this book, suggesting that he thought he could have improved it. Makes the reader question what the book was, perhaps Darwin's theory of evolution which the author was fond of at the time of him writing this novel

*he was humbled to the dust by the many ill things he had done*

Utterson is reminded of all the evil he has done and realises that everyone has done something wrong, no matter how good they appear to be.

*the ghost of some old sin, the cancer of some concealed disgrace*

Utterson puts Jekyll's relationship with Hyde down to some accident in the past that has festered and resulted in Jekyll taking Hyde under his wing.

*If it came to a trial, your name might appear*

Utterson warns his friend of the seriousness of Hyde's crime and the consequences it may bring about

*an ignorant, blatant pedant*

Very accusatory and derogatory comment against who was once a close friend, Jekyll in contrast to Lanyon believes that the reason for their falling out was due to Lanyon not being as brave or as adventurous as Jekyll believes he should have been.

*The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh*

Word choice again shows Hyde's troglodytic characteristics, it dehumanises him but creates fear in the readers mind

*he broke out in a great flame of anger*

Word choice emphasises Hyde's overwhelming rage and anger, gives connotations of a wildfire which would destroy anything and everything in its path, or, the flames of hell, Hyde's supposed home

*walked on once more in silence*

Words are stricken from the two men's mouths and they seem unable to understand what they have just witnessed, the reader later finds out that they reacted similarly to Lanyon when he saw Jekyll's transformation.