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- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: the plot
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: the plot
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Stevenson's 1886 novella is a mystery. The reader, like the lawyer Utterson, only learns the truth at the end.
The mystery begins
Enfield tells Utterson how a man named Hyde "trampled calmly over the child's body" and paid the family with a cheque signed by a respectable man.
Utterson is worried because his friend Dr Jekyll's will leaves everything to Hyde.
Utterson vows: "If he be Mr Hyde... I shall be Mr Seek."
Utterson is worried because his friend Dr Jekyll's will leaves everything to Hyde.
Utterson vows: "If he be Mr Hyde... I shall be Mr Seek."
Murder and fear
A maid sees Hyde beat the MP Sir Danvers Carew to death "with ape-like fury".
Jekyll claims he has finished with Hyde, but a letter in Hyde's name is in handwriting very like Jekyll's.
Dr Lanyon has a terrible shock and dies, leaving a letter to be opened later.
Jekyll claims he has finished with Hyde, but a letter in Hyde's name is in handwriting very like Jekyll's.
Dr Lanyon has a terrible shock and dies, leaving a letter to be opened later.
The truth
Jekyll's butler Poole fears something is wrong in Jekyll's laboratory. He and Utterson break in and find Hyde dead, apparently by suicide.
Lanyon's narrative reveals he saw Hyde turn into Jekyll.
Jekyll's full statement explains he made a potion to separate his good and evil sides, but Hyde grew stronger until he could not change back.
Lanyon's narrative reveals he saw Hyde turn into Jekyll.
Jekyll's full statement explains he made a potion to separate his good and evil sides, but Hyde grew stronger until he could not change back.
Why does Stevenson save the explanation for the last two chapters?
- The story is told mostly through Utterson, who does not know the truth.
- Clues build mystery and suspense.
- The final documents reveal the shocking truth all at once.
Answer: To keep the mystery and suspense until the end, so the revelation is more shocking.
Enfield's story, the will, Utterson's search, Carew's murder, the letter, Lanyon's shock and death, the break-in, Hyde's body, and the final narratives of Lanyon and Jekyll.
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