The story in one page
Mr. Utterson, a lawyer with a penchant for gin and silence, becomes concerned about his friend Dr. Jekyll’s association with a repellent man named Edward Hyde. Hyde is terrorizing London, and when a murder occurs, the physical link between the two men proves catastrophic. Jekyll has been using a secret potion to physically transform into his own darker, primal self. However, the chemistry eventually fails, and he becomes trapped in the cycle of change. With his supply of chemicals exhausted and the police closing in, the doctor writes his final statement to explain why he is about to cease existing.
Who's who
- Henry Jekyll
A physician obsessed with separating his own good and evil.
- Edward Hyde
A small, violent manifestation of the doctor’s worst impulses.
- Utterson
A dry, stoic lawyer trying to make sense of a disappearance.
- Lanyon
A doctor who watches his colleague transform and cannot recover.
- Poole
The doctor's servant who notices the odd behavior in the laboratory.
What it's really about
- Scientific Hubris
- Chemistry cannot solve deep character flaws.
- Social Reputation
- The heavy burden of appearing respectable in London.
Why it's memorable
- A man drinking a glass of chemicals and physically melting into another person.
- The lawyer standing outside a laboratory door, listening to a voice that is not quite human.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The doctor writes his final lines while waiting for his inevitable, permanent change into Hyde. He leaves his confession for Utterson to find as his own life essentially ends.
For your book club
- Is the potion a discovery or merely a mask?
- Why does Hyde feel physically smaller and younger than Jekyll?