The Strange Case of Dr. J ekyll and Mr. Hyde

1. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde By: Robert Louis Stevenson Project by: Matt Dunaj

2. About the Author • Robert Louis Stevenson had nightly dreams that served as inspiration for most of his novels • He was sick for most of his childhood. Seeing as he was stuck alone in bed a lot, he developed a big imagination. This was fueled by his nurse who told him scary stories • Stevenson, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was recognized in 1885 mostly for his travel writing. Though weak in health, Stevenson took to travel as a means to cure his spirit. • Robert Louis Stevenson died of a brain hemorrhage in Samoa in 1894.

3. About the Author • In 1885 the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to Stevenson in a dream • The dream was so intense that he stayed in his room for three days writing this novel • At first it received little notice, but then the novel drew attention from a favorable review in The Times. • The public responded (and still does) to the strange, chilling tale that explored the various sides of human nature.

4. Cultural Milieu • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886. • It takes place at the core period of the Second Industrial Revolution. • Most Western countries were experiencing a large economic boom, due to the mass production of railroads and other more convenient methods of travel. • The modern city and the sky-scraper rose to prominence in this time, contributing to the economic prosperity. • Over all it was a time of great change

5. Information About the Text • The story starts with one man telling Mr. Utterson a story about a mean man he had seen. The man had hurt a woman and was forced to pay a heavy ransom to keep it quiet. The check he gave them was in the name of Henry Jekyll • Mr. Utterson, it turns out, is Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, and as it turns out, in the event of Dr. Jekyll’s death or disappearance, his entire estate is to be turned over to Mr. Hyde. • Mr. Utterson, who is a close friend of Dr. Jekyll, is extremely suspicious of this whole arrangement. He goes into detective mode to figure things out. He hunts down Mr. Hyde and sees just how charming he is. • He then brings it up with Dr. Jekyll who basically tells him not to worry

6. Information About the Text • A prominent politician is brutally beaten to death. The murder is conveniently witnessed by a maid, who points to the charming Mr. Hyde as the murderer. • Everyone tries to hunt him down, but with no success. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll is living the good life. • A few months later, Jekyll falls ill. • Another friend of theirs dies, leaving mysterious documents in Mr. Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr. Jekyll dies or disappears. • Dr. Jekyll remains in seclusion, despite frequent visits from Mr. Utterson.

7. Information About the Text • One evening, Dr. Jekyll’s butler visits Mr. Utterson. He’s worried about Jekyll and is convinced of foul play. The butler persuades Mr. Utterson come to Dr. Jekyll’s house. • They break into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory and find Mr. Hyde dead on the floor, with Dr. Jekyll nowhere to be found. • Mr. Utterson finds several documents left to him, and goes back home to read all the strange documents that have been left to him • This is where we find out what’s really been going on. • We discover (through the documents left by the dead men) that by means of a potion, Dr. Jekyll was able to transform into Mr. Hyde and give in to a world of pleasure and self-serving crime. • In one of the Documents, Dr. Jekyll writes that Mr. Hyde became ever more powerful and ever harder to control – in essence, the dominant personality.

8. What Does It Mean? • Most people aren’t going to be taking some weird potions and unleashing your inner Mr. Hyde anytime soon. But haven’t we all ever tried to be good all the time? Flat-out "pleases" and "thank yous", keeping your room clean, doing charity work, being respectful, minding your parents and your manners, and even eating your brussel sprouts. Anyone who’s tried this, knows how hard it is.

9. What Does It Mean? • Dr. Jekyll admits that one of his flaws is a tendency towards fun and mischief. • Dr. Jekyll opted to be boring guy and before he knew it, his inner wild child was begging to be unleashed. • Enter Mr. Hyde: The perfect alter ego. Edward Hyde, who has a completely different appearance and personality, gets to do all the fun and illegal things that Jekyll, or any normal person, can’t. • Although we don’t get all the details, it’s pretty clear that Mr. Hyde is a pretty perverse, wicked, sinful, foul guy. • The consequence to all this evil-doing, was that Hyde took over. • Tough Guise Connection

10. Favorite Passage • "And now," said he, "to settle what remains. Will you be wise? will you be guided? […] Or has the greed of curiosity too much command of you?" (Stevenson 75). • I find this ironic because Mr. Hyde himself represents greed that was taken control of someone.

11. Works Cited Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. New York: Bantam Classics, 1982. Print. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2012. <http://www.shmoop.com/jekyll-and- hyde/>. "KnowledgeNote™ Study Guide - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." ProQuest Learning: Literature. ProQuest, n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2012. Cohen, Ed. "Hyding the Subject?: The Antinomies of Masculinity in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." ProQuest Learning: Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2012.