Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-3-mr-edward-hyde

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# Mr Edward Hyde

English Lit: AQA GCSE Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, topic 2.1.3

## Hyde - Evil and Inhumane

Hyde embodies pure evil, and is portrayed as being inhumane and animalistic.

### "Pure evil"

!["Pure evil"](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/e9142fde-a910-4b46-9ab2-10f15b4482c9/shutterstock_739241632.jpg)

- Hyde is **“pure evil”**. Jekyll seems to be a mixture of good and evil. 
- Hyde is Jekyll’s dark side, released from the bonds of conscience and loosed into the world by a mysterious potion. 
- Hyde seems to be violent for the sake of it, and he enjoys violence. The murder of Carew in Chapter 4 is a senseless attack which he takes **“delight”** in as he attacks the poor man with a cane. 
- Hyde's enjoyment and psychopathic tendencies are what shock the reader most.

### Inhumane

![Inhumane](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/72d28c73-d5ab-4ce6-9a36-4f29f0e6508c/shutterstock_710345911.jpg)

- Hyde's appearance leaves **“an imprint of deformity and decay”.** 
- Hyde is clearly not the average human, and he creates a menacing and threatening atmosphere.

### Animalistic

![Animalistic](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/d0f5404e-6246-408a-8d60-a6d75c4b2748/shutterstock_89261605.jpg)

- Hyde is a strange, repugnant man who looks faintly pre-human, and everyone who sees him describes him as ugly and deformed. No one can say exactly why though.
- Hyde moves like an animal rather than a human, and his laugh and mannerisms are evil: **“The other snarled aloud into a savage laugh; and the next moment, with extraordinary quickness, he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.”** 
- Hyde is more savage than he is civilised.

### Context - Darwinism

![Context - Darwinism](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/a0f91ec8-8721-4fae-aea0-b68473ae73ac/shutterstock_708588232.jpg)

- Utterson and Jekyll want to maintain a civilised exterior and to maintain a respectable reputation. 
- Darwin’s theory - that men evolved from apes - was famous during the time the novel was written, so readers would have been shocked at the idea that we could all have a primitive, dark and immoral side.

## Reactions to Hyde

Other characters are disgusted and anxious about Hyde's appearance:

### Failing language

![Failing language](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/e4e87513-459b-4ea9-b51a-2afcc3eee80d/shutterstock_325349966.jpg)

- Language itself seems to fail around Hyde: he is not a being who belongs to the rational world.
- He is often described as a creature: **“There was something abnormal and misbegotten in the very essence of the creature”**.

### Creature of reversed evolution

![Creature of reversed evolution](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/658063b7-9960-4bd2-a81c-0f685daf7253/shutterstock_260710793.jpg)

- Utterson, Enfield and Poole are all horrified by his physical features, although Stevenson does not explicitly describe his exterior in detail.
- The context of Darwinism allows the reader to infer that he is a creature of reversed evolution: **"He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance”.**

## Quick Quotes - Hyde

Here are three short quotes highlighting key aspects of Hyde's character:

### Merciless

![Merciless](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/6bd6f13b-8c4a-4ca2-8caa-1b3a3acde187/shutterstock_458079391.jpg)

- **“A man who was without bowels of mercy”** (2).

### Strange and uneven

![Strange and uneven](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/4077c719-3b21-4576-97c5-6bb62ee8aec3/shutterstock_1032933763.jpg)

- **“He gives a strong feeling of deformity”** (1).

### Selfish

![Selfish](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-04/a202d3bb-ab40-4b76-89dd-b858f0031009/shutterstock_710685457.jpg)

- **“His every act and thought centered on self”** (10).

## Test yourself on Mr Edward Hyde

- Who theorised that men evolved from apes?
- What is Hyde often described as?

[Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/d84e51a0-3ca2-11e8-aa2a-6f57cfa13a6c/section/3227b3c0-3d79-11e8-9b07-931de75ad155/session)

- Previous topic: [2.1.2 Jekyll - Name & Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-2-jekyll-name-and-quotes.md)
- Next topic: [2.1.4 Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapters 1-9](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-4-jekyllhyde-quotes-chapters-1-9.md)

## English Lit: AQA GCSE Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde contents

### 1 Plot Summary
- 1.1 Chapters 1-10
  - [1.1.1 Chapters 1 & 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-1-chapters-1-and-2.md)
  - [1.1.2 Chapters 3 & 4](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-2-chapters-3-and-4.md)
  - [1.1.3 Chapters 5 & 6](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-3-chapters-5-and-6.md)
  - [1.1.4 Chapters 7 & 8](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-4-chapters-7-and-8.md)
  - [1.1.5 Chapters 9 & 10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-5-chapters-9-and-10.md)
  - [1.1.6 End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-6-end-of-topic-test-chapters-1-6.md)
  - [1.1.7 End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/1-1-7-end-of-topic-test-chapters-7-10.md)

### 2 Characters
- 2.1 Jekyll & Hyde
  - [2.1.1 Dr Henry Jekyll](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-1-dr-henry-jekyll.md)
  - [2.1.2 Jekyll - Name & Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-2-jekyll-name-and-quotes.md)
  - [2.1.3 Mr Edward Hyde](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-3-mr-edward-hyde.md)
  - [2.1.4 Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapters 1-9](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-4-jekyllhyde-quotes-chapters-1-9.md)
  - [2.1.5 Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapter 10](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-5-jekyllhyde-quotes-chapter-10.md)
  - [2.1.6 End of Topic Test - Jekyll & Hyde](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-6-end-of-topic-test-jekyll-and-hyde.md)
  - [2.1.7 Exam-Style Questions - Mr Hyde](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-1-7-exam-style-questions-mr-hyde.md)
- 2.2 Other Characters
  - [2.2.1 Mr Gabriel John Utterson](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-2-1-mr-gabriel-john-utterson.md)
  - [2.2.2 Dr Hastie Lanyon](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-2-2-dr-hastie-lanyon.md)
  - [2.2.3 Minor Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-2-3-minor-characters.md)
  - [2.2.4 End of Topic Test - Other Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/2-2-4-end-of-topic-test-other-characters.md)

### 3 Gothic Genre
- 3.1 Gothic Elements
  - [3.1.1 Gothic Conventions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/3-1-1-gothic-conventions.md)
  - [3.1.2 Gothic Settings & Symbolism](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/3-1-2-gothic-settings-and-symbolism.md)
  - [3.1.3 End of Topic Test - Gothic Conventions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/3-1-3-end-of-topic-test-gothic-conventions.md)

### 4 Key Themes
- 4.1 Key Themes & Quotes
  - [4.1.1 Science](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-1-science.md)
  - [4.1.2 Dual Nature of Man](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-2-dual-nature-of-man.md)
  - [4.1.3 Religion & Sin](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-3-religion-and-sin.md)
  - [4.1.4 Violence & Horror](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-4-violence-and-horror.md)
  - [4.1.5 Victorian Gentlemen](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-5-victorian-gentlemen.md)
  - [4.1.6 End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Quotes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/4-1-6-end-of-topic-test-key-themes-and-quotes.md)

### 5 Context & Author
- 5.1 Context & Author
  - [5.1.1 The Victorian Era](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/5-1-1-the-victorian-era.md)
  - [5.1.2 Deacon Brodie & Freud](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/5-1-2-deacon-brodie-and-freud.md)
  - [5.1.3 End of Topic Test - Context & Author](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/5-1-3-end-of-topic-test-context-and-author.md)

### 6 Literary Techniques
- 6.1 Literary Techniques
  - [6.1.1 Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/6-1-1-language.md)
  - [6.1.2 Structure & Form](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/6-1-2-structure-and-form.md)
  - [6.1.3 End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/6-1-3-end-of-topic-test-literary-techniques.md)

### 7 Grade 9 - Key Character & Theme Questions
- 7.1 Key Character & Themes - Linked Questions
  - [7.1.1 Grade 9 - Key Characters & Themes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/7-1-1-grade-9-key-characters-and-themes.md)
  - [7.1.2 Extract Analysis - Jekyll](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/7-1-2-extract-analysis-jekyll.md)
  - [7.1.3 Extract Analysis - Duality](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/7-1-3-extract-analysis-duality.md)

### 8 Recap: Main Quotes
- 8.1 Characters Quotes
  - [8.1.1 Dr Henry Jekyll](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-1-1-dr-henry-jekyll.md)
  - [8.1.2 Mr Edward Hyde](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-1-2-mr-edward-hyde.md)
  - [8.1.3 Mr Edward Hyde 2](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-1-3-mr-edward-hyde-2.md)
  - [8.1.4 Utterson & Lanyon](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-1-4-utterson-and-lanyon.md)
  - [8.1.5 Poole, Enfield & Mr Guest](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-1-5-poole-enfield-and-mr-guest.md)
- 8.2 Text Structure - Quotes
  - [8.2.1 Jekyll's House & London](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-2-1-jekylls-house-and-london.md)
  - [8.2.2 Victorian Repression](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-2-2-victorian-repression.md)
  - [8.2.3 Religion](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-2-3-religion.md)
  - [8.2.4 Violence](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/gcse/english-literature/aqa/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde/8-2-4-violence.md)