KS4 English Literature

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

The Carew Murder Case

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What does the Carew murder
reveal about Hyde?

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 Part One: Key Vocabulary

Part Two: Summary and Recap

Part Three: Reading & Questions

Part Four: Applying our Learning

Part Five: Review Quiz

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Part One:
Key Vocabulary

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 Key Vocabulary

In this lesson we will be learning the words metaphor and boundary.

Metaphor

Definition: a figure of speech that is used to compare two things that

aren’t necessarily alike but have something in common.
Example 1: He had a heart of ice.

Example 2: Hyde broke out into a great flame of anger.

5 Image: [Fire] - [Pxfuel]

 Key Vocabulary

In this lesson we will be learning the words metaphor and boundary.

Boundary (Geographic/ Behavioural)

Definition:
Geographic: a real or imagined line that marks the edge of something.
Behavioural: The limit of what someone considers to be acceptable behaviour.
Example 1 (Geographic): Hadrian's wall used to be a boundary between Scotland and England.
Example 2 (Behavioural): Hyde broke the boundaries of acceptable human behaviour.

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Applying Key Vocabulary

Which of the sentences below is an example of a

metaphor?
1. Her legs felt as heavy as stone.
2. He ran like the wind.
3. Her husband was a weed she needed to uproot.

Resume once you’re finished

Check your answer

3. Her husband was a weed she needed to uproot.

Resume once you’re finished

Which of these is not something that breaks social
boundaries of behaviour?

1. Screaming at a shop assistant.

2. Throwing food at someone in a restaurant.
3. Shouting while at a football match.
4. Hitting someone.

Resume once you’re finished

Which of these is not something that breaks social
boundaries?

3. Shouting while at a football match.

Resume once you’re finished

Part Two:
Summary and Recap
Dr. Henry Jekyll: Key Quotations
Here are some key quotations about Dr. Henry Jekyll from the chapter, ‘Dr. Jekyll was quite
at ease’.

● Jekyll is described at the start of the chapter as ‘a large, well made, smooth faced man of fifty’.
● He ‘cherished for Mr. Utterson a sincere and warm affection’.
● He is very angry with his friend Dr. Lanyon who he calls ‘an ignorant, blatant pedant.’ They
have disagreed about a scientific matter that Lanyon views as a ‘heresy’.
● Jekyll’s appearance changes with the mention of Hyde. He becomes ‘pale and there came a
blackness about his eyes.’
● He loses the ability to speak clearly after Utterson talks of Hyde and develops ‘an incoherency of
manner.’

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 Now match the points to the correct quotations.

1. Stevenson describes Jekyll’s physical A. ‘An ignorant, blatant pedant’.

appearance before the mention of
Hyde.

2. Jekyll tells Utterson he is very angry B. ‘Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips and there
with their friend Lanyon.
came a blacknes about his eyes’. nt’
3. Jekyll’s physical appearance changes C. ‘An ‘incoherency of manner’.
when Utterson says he has been
learning about Hyde

4. Jekyll loses the ability to speak D. ‘A large, well-made, smooth faced man of fifty’.
clearly when talking about Hyde

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 Check to see that you have matched correctly!

1. Stevenson describes Jekyll’s physical D. ‘A large, well-made, smooth faced man of fifty’.
appearance before the mention of
Hyde.

2. Jekyll tells Utterson he is very angry A. ‘An ignorant, blatant pedant’..

with their friend Lanyon.

3. Jekyll’s physical appearance changes B. Dr Jekyll grew pale to the very lips and there came
when Utterson says he has been
learning about Hyde. a blacknes about his eyes.

4. Jekyll loses the ability to speak C. An ‘incoherency of manner’.

clearly when talking about Hyde.

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Who is telling the story?
So far, the narrator tells the story from the point of view of Mr.
Utterson.
TASK: Considering these facts, why is Utterson’s point of view
valuable?

● He is a lawyer.
● He is a well respected Victorian gentleman.
● He is well liked - ‘somehow loveable’.
● He is ‘tolerant’ of others and their ‘misdeeds’.
● He is ‘austere with himself’ (ie he is able to exercise self-
restraint).
● He is loyal to his friends.
● He disapproves of gossip. 15 Image: [The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde] -
[Charles Raymond Macauley]
Possible answers:
Here are some of the things you could have said for reasons why Utterson’s character gives a
useful perspective.

● Lawyer: Utterson the lawyer is used to collating evidence and working out the order in which
things happen. He wants to solve the mystery!
● Well respected: This means the reader feels they can trust his perspective
● Well liked: Other characters trust him.
● Tolerant: He tries not to judge.
● Loyal: He wants to find out what is wrong so he can help his friend Dr. Jekyll.
● Disapproves of gossip: He wants to get to the truth before others so he can save his friend
Jekyll’s reputation.

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Part Three
Chapter 4: The Carew Murder Case
A maid witnesses a horrific murder scene from her window.
Nearly a year later, in the month of October, 18--, London was startled by a
crime of singular ferocity and rendered all the more notable by the high Glossary:
position of the victim. The details were few and startling. A maid servant ● Rendered =
living alone in a house not far from the river, had gone upstairs to bed about made.
● Ferocity =
eleven. Although a fog rolled over the city in the small hours, the early part
aggression and
of the night was cloudless, and the lane, which the maid's window
fierceness.
overlooked, was brilliantly lit by the full moon. Never (she used to say, with
streaming tears, when she narrated that experience), never had she felt more
at peace with all men or thought more kindly of the world.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
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And as she so sat she became aware of an aged beautiful gentleman with
white hair, drawing near along the lane; and advancing to meet him, another Glossary:
● Accosted =
and very small gentleman, to whom at first she paid less attention.
approach and
When they had come within speech (which was just under the maid's eyes) the
speak to.
older man bowed and accosted the other with a very pretty manner of
politeness. It did not seem as if the subject of his address were of great
importance; indeed, from his pointing, it some times appeared as if he were
only inquiring his way; but the moon shone on his face as he spoke, and the
girl was pleased to watch it, it seemed to breathe such an innocent and old-
world kindness of disposition, yet with something high too, as of a well-
founded self-content.

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Presently her eye wandered to the other, and she was surprised to recognise in him a certain Mr.
Hyde, who had once visited her master and for whom she had conceived a dislike.
He had in his hand a heavy cane, with which he was trifling; but he answered never a word, and
seemed to listen with an ill-contained impatience.
And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing
the cane, and carrying on (as the maid described it) like a madman. The old gentleman took a step
back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that Mr. Hyde broke out of all
bounds and clubbed him to the earth.

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And next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his
victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under
which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped
upon the roadway. At the horror of these sights and sounds, the
maid fainted.

Glossary:
● Audibly = Loud
enough to hear

Credit: [ navaneethKN] - [flickr

A maid sits at a window and witnesses an horrific
murder scene.

Which of these statements is true?

1. The maid thinks the old man looks like a criminal.

2. The street is well lit by a full moon.
3. The maid recognises Mr. Hyde who she has met and
liked.
4. The maid recognises Mr. Hyde as the murderer.

22 Image: [Wikipedia] - [Domestic worker] - [Constant Puyo 1906]

A maid sits at a window and witnesses a horrific
murder scene.

Which of these statements is true?

1. The maid thinks the old man looks like a criminal. - FALSE. She thinks he is a polite
gentleman.
2. The street is well lit by a full moon. - TRUE.
3. The maid recognises Mr Hyde who she has met and liked. - FALSE. She recognises him
but she does not like him.
4. The maid recognises Mr Hyde as the murderer. - TRUE.

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Now let’s think about the imagery used to describe the
murderer, Mr. Hyde.
‘Storm of blows’
‘Ape like fury’
‘Like a madman’

‘Trampling his
‘Broke out of all
victim’
bounds’
‘Audibly shattered’ ‘Broke out in a great
flame of anger’

24 Credit: [Deviantart] - [Starmooncow]

 Now let’s think about the imagery used to describe the
murderer, Mr Hyde.

Hyde breaks all boundaries of acceptable behaviour

‘Broke out of
when he murders Mr. Danvers Carew.
all bounds’ The phrase ‘broke out’ conveys the idea of
escaping. The fact Hyde ‘broke out of all bounds’ is
also frightening as it suggests there is nothing to
‘Broke out in a regulate or control his behaviour.
The phrase ‘broke out’ is repeated to emphasise
great flame of
this transgression and give the sense that a
anger’ dangerous force has become free.

25 Credit::[pxfule]
 Now let’s extend our analysis.

Task: Explain what else is effective

about the metaphor: ‘Broke out in a
great flame of anger.’

(e.g. What does it tell us about the

character of Hyde?)

26 Image: [AngerGames2 Day 2] - [Album 1] - [Flickr]

 Here are some points you might have noted.

‘Broke out in a great flame of anger’.

● A flame is a dangerous and destructive force. Stevenson is
suggesting that Hyde, like a flame, has the ability to inflict
damage and harm. Fire is also very difficult to control, and
Stevenson is conveying that Hyde’s behaviour is now past
regulating. The adjective ‘great’ is also emphasising the scale
of Hyde’s rage. The image conveys the sense that Hyde is a
powerful and deadly force.

27 Image:: [flickr] - [AngerGames2, Day 2, Album 1]

Let’s look at another image

What do we associate with an ape?

● Man evolved from them.
● They can be overcome by rage.
● They are strong.

Task: What is effective about the simile ‘ape-like fury’? (What

do we learn about Hyde from it?).

Credit: [ navaneethKN] - [flickr]

 Let’s look at another image
Task: What is effective about the simile ‘ape-like fury’?
(What do we learn about Hyde from it?)

The simile ‘ape-like fury’ suggests Hyde is behaving in an animalistic way and that he has
crossed the boundary of acceptable human behavior. Apes can be dangerous animals that
are both strong and fierce and so by comparing him to one, Stevenson is alerting the reader to
the sheer force of Hyde’s rage. Man is also said to have evolved from apes, so the
comparison here could even suggest that Hyde has regressed to a primitive state.

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Part Four:
Applying our Learning
 What does the Carew Murder Case reveal about Hyde?

Write a short response to the question above. Spend at least 15

minutes writing. Words to include:

You may wish to mention:

Metaphor
● The phrase ‘broke out’. Boundary
● The simile ‘ape like fury’. Animalistic
● The metaphor ‘broke into a great flame of anger.
● The fact his behaviour is becoming increasingly horrifying
(first he attacked a little girl, now he has murdered an old
man).

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Example answer:
When Hyde murders Danvers carew, we realise that his character knows no boundaries and is both
dangerous and horrifying. He has become progressively more harmful, moving from ‘trampling’ a
young girl to ‘trampling’ and murdering an old man. Stevenson repeats the verb ‘trampled’ in this
chapter to remind us of the violent action in Hyde’s past. Hyde is also described using the metaphor
‘[broken] out into a great flame of anger’. The phrase ‘[broken] out’ is effective as it suggests
something has been containing the full power of Hyde’s rage but now he has escaped this, crossed the
boundary of acceptable behaviour and unleashed a dangerous force. The metaphor ‘great flame of
anger’ also suggests that Hyde is out of control. Hyde’s rage, like a flame, is both dangerous and
destructive. The adjective ‘great’ also emphasises the power of Hyde’s actions.

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Developed answer:
The murder of Danvers Carew is a turning point in the novel. Previously, Hyde has shown himself to be
uncivilized and volatile. He ‘tramples’ a young girl which shows his capacity for violent action. However,
the murder of Carew shows that he has ‘[broken] out’ of all boundaries of acceptable behaviour and his
‘ape-like fury’ is no longer subject to any constraints. The image of Hyde ‘[breaking] out’ compares him to
an ape, suggesting that he is both animalistic and wild. It is as though Hyde has regressed into a primitive
state. Stevenson is tapping into Victorian fears about evolution here, with the idea that man has the
potential to devolve. The savage force with which Hyde ‘audibly shatters’ the bones of Carew certainly
demonstrates the frenzied and ferocious nature of the attack, with the verb ‘shattered’ conveying the idea
of total destruction. Hyde’s ‘great flame of anger’ is both deadly and out of control and the consequences
of his actions here are horrifying.

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Part Five:
Review Quiz