Character & Key Quotes: Dr Lanyon

Character & Key Quotes: Dr Lanyon in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Description of Dr Lanyon

• “He is a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and decided manner.”
  • This presents Dr Lanyon as a polar opposite of Jekyll which is symbolic of his opposing views on scientific morality.

Relationship with Dr Jekyll

• “I wish to God I had never set eyes on him!”
  • Dr Lanyon is disgusted by Jekyll’s scientific methods and the dire consequences they bring forth.

Discovery of Mr Hyde

• “O God!’ I screamed, and ‘O God!’ again and again, falling on my knees and closing my eyes.”
  • The horror of the transformation amplifies the grotesque and unnatural nature of Mr Hyde.

Reflections on Experiment

• “I have had a shock and I shall never recover. It is a question of weeks.”
  • Upon witnessing the transformation, Dr Lanyon is mortally affected, indicating his utter shock and inability to process the abnormal phenomena.

Character & Key Quotes: Mr Hyde in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

First Impression

• “Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, giving an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation.”
  • The description of Hyde portrays him as a physical embodiment of the evil aspects of Jekyll’s psyche.

His Crimes

• “With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot and hailing down a storm of blows.”
  • His brutal actions of murdering Sir Danvers Carew reaffirm his truly monstrous disposition.

Dr Jekyll on Mr Hyde

• “That child of Hell had nothing human; nothing lived in him but fear and hatred.”
  • Even though Hyde is a part of him, Dr Jekyll sees him as a monstrous entity, devoid of any positive human traits.

His End

• “Suddenly then there was an audible snap - and he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and fell upon the floor in a terrible, deadly, convulsion.”
  • The vivid death of Hyde also marks an end to Dr Jekyll, mirroring the novel’s theme of the duality of man.