Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Study Guide Chapter One "Story of the Door" 1. What does Mr. Utterson do for a living? 2. How does Stevenson describe Utterson's face? 3. What other words does the author use to describe Utterson? 4. According to the author, under what circumstances does Utterson seem most "human," or like a down to earth, decent person? 5. On p. 1, starting with "But he had an approval..." and continuing to the end of the paragraph, summarize the way Utterson treats other people, particularly those who are down and out. This is very important to understand. 6. What do his closest friends have in common? 7. Who is Richard Enfield? 8. What do he and Utterson do together? 9. Why do people find it strange? 10. What do the two gentlemen walk past that reminds Enfield of a story? 11. In the story, what did Enfield see happen as he was walking home? 12. What did Enfield do? 13. How does everyone seem to react to the prisoner? 14. What do they threaten him with? 15. How does he make amends? 16. What is strange about the check the man presents to the girl's family? 17. What does the prisoner say he will do to put their minds at ease? 18. What does Enfield suspect explains the strange check? 19. According to Enfield, why does he never ask questions? 20. What is the name of the prisoner? 21. On p. 7, starting from "He is not easy to describe..." and continuing through the end of the paragraph, summarize how Enfield describes Hyde. This is very important to know! 22. According to Utterson, why has he not asked the name of the man whose signature was on the check? 23. What agreement do Utterson and Enfield make? Chapter Two "Search for Mr. Hyde" 1. What document does Utterson remove from his safe? 2. What does it specify about Jekyll's estate after Jekyll's death?
3. What other circumstance does it give instructions for? 4. How does Utterson feel about this document? Why? 5. To whom does Utterson go to learn more of Hyde? 6. Why have Lanyon and Jekyll fallen out as friends? 7. Why has Utterson's fascination with the Jekyll/Hyde mystery deepened? 8. On p. 12, beginning with "Or else he would see..." and continuing through "...do its bidding," summarize Utterson's guess at the mystery. 9. What does Utterson believe would help release him from the grip of these imaginings? 10. What does Utterson ask of Hyde when they meet? 11. What does Hyde give to Utterson? 12. What does Hyde ask Utterson? 13. How does Utterson describe Hyde on p. 15? This is important to know! 14. Who does Utterson go to see next? 15. What three things does Jekyll's butler, Poole, tell Utterson about Hyde? 16. On what does Utterson blame Jekyll's cursed association with Hyde? 17. How does Utterson suppose he might rid Jekyll of Hyde? 18. What is his greatest fear in letting Hyde remain close to Jekyll? Chapter Three "Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease" 1. Utterson attends a dinner at Jekyll's house and stays after all the other guests have left. According to the author, why do people enjoy Utterson's company? 2. How is Jekyll described on page 19? This is important to know! 3. What subject does Utterson wish to discuss with Jekyll? 4. Jekyll says he's never seen someone as upset by something as Utterson was about Jekyll's will, except for Lanyon. What was Lanyon upset by? 5. How does Jekyll describe Lanyon? Look up and define any words you do not understand. 6. Utterson broaches the subject of Hyde with Jekyll. Have the two men discussed this before? How do you know? 7. What promise does Jekyll make to Utterson about Hyde? 8. What promise does Jekyll ask of Utterson concerning Hyde? Chapter Four "The Carew Murder Case" 1. How much time has passed since the dinner at Jekyll's house in the last chapter? 2. What did the maid servant see from her window? 3. At what time did the maid call the police?
4. What was found at the murder scene? 5. Who is the victim? 6. Why does Utterson recognize the murder weapon? 7. What does Utterson offer to do to help with the investigation? 8. In what sort of neighborhood does Hyde live? 9. What does Hyde's housekeeper tell Utterson and the police about Hyde's habits? 10. How does she react when she learns that Hyde might be in trouble? 11. What does the house look like inside? 12. What evidence does the Scotland Yard detective find in the house? 13. Why is it so difficult for the police to produce a "Wanted" poster for Hyde? 14. What is the only commonality that people who have seen Hyde agree on? Chapter Five "Incident of the Letter" 1. In what part of Jekyll's house does Utterson visit with Jekyll after Carew's murder? 2. How has Jekyll changed since we saw him last? 3. What does Utterson demand to know if Jekyll is doing? 4. What does Jekyll promise Utterson? 5. About what does Jekyll ask Utterson's advice? 6. Who is the letter from and what does it say? 7. What does Utterson get Jekyll to silently admit about Jekyll's will? 8. Who is Mr. Guest? 9. Why does Utterson show him Jekyll's letter? 10. After examining the letter from Hyde and seeing a sample of Jekyll's handwriting, what does Mr. Guest conclude about the handwriting in both? 11. What is the only difference in the two handwritings? 12. What does Utterson think this means? Chapter Six "Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon" 1. An unspecified amount of time has passed since the murder, with no trace of Hyde. How has Dr. Jekyll's life changed during that time? 2. How do things change again in January? 3. The next time Utterson see Lanyon, how has Lanyon changed? 4. On what does Lanyon blame his condition? 5. How does Lanyon respond when Utterson mentions Jekyll? 6. What does this response tell you? Do you have a prediction? 7. How does Jekyll feel about the new break in his friendship with Lanyon?
8. How does Jekyll describe his current circumstances in the letter to Utterson? 9. What, according to Jekyll, is the one thing Utterson can do to relieve Jekyll s suffering? 10. What does Utterson look at the night of Lanyon s funeral? 11. What are the instructions on the envelope? 12. Why doesn t Utterson give in to his curiosity and read it? 13. Why does Utterson stop trying to see Jekyll? Chapter Seven Incident at the Window 1. How does Utterson end up at the back door of Jekyll s laboratory again? 2. Why do they go inside the courtyard? 3. How does Jekyll respond to their invitation to walk with them? Why? 4. What compromise do the men reach? 5. What happens to make Utterson and Enfield leave? Chapter Eight The Last Night 1. Who pays Utterson a surprise visit? Why? 2. What does Poole think has happened to Jekyll? 3. What does Poole ask of Utterson? 4. Why have all the servants gathered in the front hall? 5. What instructions does Poole give to Utterson as they make their way to the lab? 6. After hearing Jekyll reply to his question, Poole takes Utterson back outside. Why? 7. What does Poole want to know? 8. How does Utterson answer? 9. Why is Poole not satisfied with that answer? What does he believe? 10. What happened eight days ago? 11. Why does Utterson doubt that Jekyll has been murdered? 12. What further evidence does Poole give Utterson to support his suspicion that Jekyll is, at least, not in that cabinet (office)? 13. The one time that Poole has seen Jekyll, what was Jekyll wearing on his face? 14. With all of the evidence in place, what conclusion does Utterson come to about Dr. Jekyll s condition? 15. How does Poole dispute Utterson s theory? 16. Who does Poole admit he saw wearing the mask? 17. Where does Utterson send Bradshaw, the footman, and why? 18. What do Poole and Utterson hear coming from the cabinet (office) as they approach? 19. When, according to Poole, does it ever stop?
20. What is the only other sound Poole has heard from the thing in the room? 21. Why does this horrify Utterson? 22. What do they find when they have the door down? 23. How is Hyde dressed? 24. What does Utterson believe they must do next? 25. Why does Stevenson take care to mention several times how cozy the room seemed, with the warm fire, and the easy chair and the tea settings? 26. What is notable about the book beside the chair? 27. How has Jekyll s will been changed? 28. Why does it puzzle Utterson that the will has not been destroyed? 29. What is the second paper to fall out of the envelope? What does it instruct Utterson to do? 30. What is the third enclosure? 31. Why does Utterson decide not to call the police just yet? Chapter Nine Dr. Lanyon s Narrative This chapter is the text of the letter that Lanyon gave to Utterson before his death and instructed him not to read until after Jekyll s death or disappearance. It begins with the text of another letter, one from Dr. Jekyll, requesting Lanyon s help. 1. What is the first thing Jekyll asks Lanyon to do? 2. What does he ask for next? 3. What does Jekyll say would be the consequences of ignoring or deviating from these requests? 4. List the contents of the drawer. 5. What did the book contain? 6. What does Lanyon do to be prepared for the midnight visitor? 7. How was Hyde dressed? 8. How does Lanyon react to him? 9. Why does Lanyon delay giving Hyde the drawer from Jekyll s lab? 10. Once he has the drawer, what does Hyde ask for? 11. What does Hyde do with the glass and the items from the drawer? How does the liquid change? 12. What choice does Hyde offer to Lanyon? 13. What does Lanyon choose? 14. How does Hyde taunt Lanyon before drinking the potion? 15. Describe the transformation.
Chapter Ten Henry Jekyll s Full Statement of the Case This chapter is the text of the letter Jekyll wrote to Utterson immediately before Jekyll s death. In it, he explains how and why he became interested in researching how to split himself into his good and evil sides. He also explains how it got out of his control. 1. As a young man, Jekyll describes himself as inclined by nature to and fond of the of the and. He also believed he would enjoy a and future (64). 2. What, according to Jekyll, was his worst fault? 3. It was hard to reconcile with his desire to and wear a in. 4. Because he always had to hide his, Jekyll knew he was already committed to a in life (64). 5. What does Jekyll believe was true of his particular battle between his good and evil sides as a young man? 6. Why does Jekyll believe that, even as a profound...double dealer, he was not a hypocrite (64)? 7. Which way did his scientific curiosity already lean? 8. According to Jekyll, he discovered the truth that man is not truly, but truly (65). 9. What does he believe science will eventually discover? 10. Even before he began to experiment, what did Jekyll daydream about? 11.If separated into two parts good and evil the might go his way, delivered from the and of his more upright twin; and the could walk and on his path...and no longer exposed to and by the hands of this extraneous (65 66). 12. What two reasons does Jekyll give for not going into the science of how he made the separation possible? 13. Why did Jekyll hesitate to test his theory? What made him do it? ( CRITICAL CHOICE!!! ) 14. How does Jekyll describe the transformation? 15. How did he feel, once the transformation was complete? 16. How does Jekyll explain the fact that Hyde was smaller than Jekyll? 17. What, according to Jekyll, is the lethal side of man (68)? 18. Why did Hyde s body bear a note of deformity and decay (68)? 19. Why was Jekyll not repulsed by the sight of Hyde, as everyone else is? 20. What was Jekyll s theory about why people took an instant dislike to Hyde? 21. What did Jekyll not know before he tested his potion and became Hyde that first time?
22. What problem did Jekyll discover, as far as it relates to the character of Jekyll, that made the experiment a move toward the worse (69)? 23. What quickly began to happen to Jekyll, once he discovered the relative ease of casting off the dryness of a life of study (69)? 24. What did his discovery make Jekyll the first person in history to be able to do? 25. How did Hyde first start to take control? 26. How did Jekyll soothe his conscience, even after Hyde began to do monstrous things (71)? 27. What happened to Jekyll for the first time two months before the Carew murder? 28. How does Jekyll explain this phenomenon? 29. What did he begin to fear? 30. How did his two selves interact with each other (74)? 31. What would happen if he chose Jekyll forever? 32. What would happen if he chose Hyde? 33. What did he choose, and what happened after? 34. How long did he hold out? 35. What is different about the transformation and about Hyde when Jekyll finally gives in and unleashes him? Why? 36. Referring to the murder of Danvers Carew, Jekyll says he was conscious enough to know he'd struck the man simply because he talked too much, like "a sick child might break a plaything" (76), but he was unable to stop himself because he had "voluntarily stripped [himself] of all those by which even the worst of us continues to walk with some degree of among " (76). 37. How does Jekyll admit to feeling during the murder? 38. What does Jekyll decide after the murder? Why? 39. How did he do penance for (make up for) Hyde's crime in the final months of the year? 40. What happened in January of the next year that brought "an end to all things" (78)? 41. After transforming back to Jekyll in front of Lanyon, what is it that frightens Jekyll more than anything? 42. After that night, what keeps Jekyll homebound? Why can he not leave his house? 43. What is different about the transformation itself at this point? 44. How does Jekyll view Hyde by this point? 45. How does Hyde view Jekyll? 46. Why is Jekyll doomed to remain Hyde forever? 47. What did Jekyll learn was responsible for the potion's effectiveness? 48. What moment does Jekyll consider to be his death?