GCSE English Literature Revision — Jekyll & Hyde: Key Quotes
Revise Jekyll & Hyde: Key Quotes for GCSE English Literature with a topic explanation, worked example and common mistakes. Check the board notes for specification differences.
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What is Jekyll & Hyde: Key Quotes?
Key quotes in Jekyll and Hyde reveal the novella's core themes of duality and repression. Utterson's observation that Jekyll was 'troubled in mind' and Hyde's description as 'not truly human' highlight the psychological and moral decay at the heart of the story. Jekyll's final confession, 'man is not truly one, but truly two', explicitly states the central theme.
Board notes: AQA expects students to analyse how language and imagery in quotes contribute to the novella's Gothic atmosphere. Edexcel rewards analysis that links quotes to Victorian anxieties about science, evolution, and urban society. OCR requires a focus on how quotes reveal the narrative's secrets and the psychological state of the characters.
Step-by-step explanationWorked examples
Worked example
When analysing the quote 'There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right detestable', a student should connect it to the theme of appearance and reality. A good analysis would explore how Hyde's physical ugliness is a manifestation of his moral corruption, and how the inability of other characters to pinpoint exactly what is wrong with him reflects the mysterious and unnatural quality of his evil.
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Common mistakes
- 1Attributing Jekyll's final statement to Stevenson directly. It is part of Jekyll's confession and represents his own flawed understanding of human nature.
- 2Simply stating that Hyde is 'evil'. You need to use quotes to analyse how his evil is portrayed, for example, through his animalistic imagery and acts of violence.
- 3Ignoring the quotes that describe the setting. The descriptions of the fog-bound London streets create a sense of mystery and concealment that reflects Jekyll's own hidden life.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the quote 'man is not truly one, but truly two' mean?
This is Jekyll's conclusion that every person has both a good and an evil side to their nature. His experiment was an attempt to separate these two sides, but he discovered that they are inextricably linked.
Why is Hyde described as being small and deformed?
Hyde's physical appearance reflects the fact that he represents the repressed, less-developed part of Jekyll's personality. His deformity symbolises his moral sickness and the unnaturalness of his creation.