GCSE English Literature

Mr Hyde Quotes5 essential quotes with full analysis.

Complete collection of quotes about Mr Hyde for GCSE English Literature, including descriptions of his appearance, violence, and the horror he inspires.

About Edward Hyde

Edward Hyde is the physical embodiment of Dr Jekyll's repressed evil nature. He is smaller than Jekyll because, as Jekyll explains, his evil side was “less exercised” - Victorian respectability kept it suppressed. Hyde represents pure, unrestrained evil with no conscience or empathy.

Stevenson deliberately never gives a clear physical description of Hyde. Characters describe him through feelings - disgust, fear, hatred - rather than specific features. This technique makes Hyde more terrifying, suggesting evil is recognizable instinctively but cannot be rationally explained. His “ape-like” nature connects to Victorian fears about Darwin and human regression.

EvilViolenceDualityAnimalisticGothic Horror

All Mr Hyde Quotes

“If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek”
Mr UttersonChapter 2
SecrecyDuality

Context: Utterson makes this pun after learning about Hyde and resolving to find him.

Analysis

This pun demonstrates Utterson's determination to uncover the mystery. The wordplay on "hide" and "seek" foreshadows the cat-and-mouse nature of the narrative. It also reflects Victorian curiosity conflicting with propriety - Utterson is drawn to investigate despite preferring to avoid scandal.

Language Techniques:

PunForeshadowingFirst-person narrative

Exam Tip

Use this quote to discuss how Stevenson creates mystery and suspense. The pun also shows Utterson's rational, lawyer-like approach to problems.

“ape-like fury”
NarratorChapter 4
ViolenceDualityScience vs Nature

Context: Describing Hyde's attack on Sir Danvers Carew with a cane.

Analysis

The simian imagery connects Hyde to evolutionary theory - he represents devolution, a return to primitive, pre-civilized humanity. Written just decades after Darwin, this taps into Victorian fears about humanity's animal nature lurking beneath civilization.

Language Techniques:

SimileAnimal imageryScientific allusion

Exam Tip

Essential for discussing Darwin's influence. Hyde embodies Victorian fears about regression and the "beast within" that civilization supposedly tames.

“Henry Jekyll stood at times aghast before the acts of Edward Hyde”
Dr JekyllChapter 10
DualityGood vs EvilRepression

Context: Jekyll reflects on Hyde's increasingly violent behaviour.

Analysis

The use of full names emphasizes their separateness, yet they share one body. "Aghast" shows moral horror, but it's passive - Jekyll watches rather than prevents. This illustrates how splitting good from evil doesn't eliminate evil; it removes restraint.

Language Techniques:

Third-person self-referenceJuxtapositionDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Jekyll's horror at Hyde's acts while continuing to become him shows addiction and self-deception - he's complicit, not innocent.

“the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde”
Dr JekyllChapter 3
DualityScience vs NatureRepression

Context: Jekyll reassures Utterson that he can control his relationship with Hyde.

Analysis

This confident assertion proves tragically ironic. Jekyll's belief in control reflects scientific hubris - the assumption that nature can be mastered. The novella systematically dismantles this confidence, showing desire cannot be rationally controlled.

Language Techniques:

Dramatic ironyForeshadowingHubris

Exam Tip

Essential for discussing hubris. Jekyll's confidence that he controls Hyde is his fatal flaw - he underestimates evil's power.

“It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone, that was guilty”
Dr JekyllChapter 10
DualityVictorian HypocrisyGood vs Evil

Context: Jekyll attempts to absolve himself of responsibility for Hyde's crimes.

Analysis

This self-justification reveals Jekyll's moral failure. He denies responsibility for his own actions by claiming Hyde is separate. Yet the novella shows they are one person. This excuse mirrors how Victorians blamed the "lower" self for sins.

Language Techniques:

Self-deceptionMoral evasionDramatic irony

Exam Tip

Use this to critique Jekyll - he never accepts responsibility. His final confession blames Hyde, not himself, for everything.

Explore More Jekyll and Hyde Quotes

View quotes from other characters including Dr Jekyll, Mr Utterson, and Dr Lanyon.

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