Character & Key Quotes: Dr Jekyll

Character & Key Quotes: Dr Jekyll

Character Analysis: Dr Jekyll

• Dr Jekyll is a protagonist character in the novella who is a well-respected doctor.
• He is portrayed as a socialite who enjoys the company of his peers.
• Yet, Jekyll harbors a dark side, which leads to the creation of Mr Hyde.

Key Quotes of Dr. Jekyll

Identity and Repression

• “I concealed my pleasures…” - This quote reflects on Jekyll’s dual personality and his inner conflict between his desire for morality and his craving for immoral enjoyment.

• “With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to that truth…” - Here, Jekyll reveals his struggle of maintaining a balance between his ethical values and immoral thoughts.

Creation of Hyde

• “I hesitated long before I put this theory to the test of practice. I knew well that I risked death…” - This quote highlights Dr. Jekyll’s desperation and his conscious decision to take risks to bring Hyde into existence.

• “The drug had no discriminating action; it was neither diabolical nor divine…” - This quote signifies the neutral nature of the drug that transforms Jekyll into Hyde.

Transformation and Desolation

• “I had but to drink the cup, to doff at once the body of the noted professor, and to assume, like a thick cloak…” - This quote portrays the dramatic transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.

• “I became, in my own person, a creature eaten up and emptied by fever…” - This quote suggests the drastic downfall and the resulting desolation of Dr. Jekyll because of his immoral actions.