Documento 54

31/10/2024
PRACTICAL WORK ENGLISH
COURSE: 2º2da
TEACHER: Macarena Diaz
Casado
Alejo Fanchin_Delfina
Siufe_Justina Fattor_Joaquin
Fernández
Nobel: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
SHORT POST
The novel, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, is set in London and begins with
lawyer Gabriel John Utterson, who is a close friend of Dr. Henry Jekyll. As the story
progresses, Utterson becomes concerned about the growing influence of the
enigmatic Edward Hyde over Jekyll, who has left in his will the majority of his fortune
to Hyde in the event of his death or disappearance.
Utterson, intrigued and alarmed by Hyde's dark behavior, decides to investigate his
past. Through witness accounts and his own observation, he discovers that Hyde is
a violent and cruel character, implicated in several crimes, including the murder of a
politician named Sir Danvers Carew. Jekyll's transformation into Hyde is brought
about by a potion that Jekyll developed in an attempt to separate his good and evil
aspects. The idea behind this is that Jekyll seeks to release his dark side without
losing his reputation.
As Jekyll becomes Hyde more frequently, his life begins to fall apart, and he feels
increasingly trapped. Despite his efforts, Hyde grows stronger. Eventually, Jekyll
realizes he cannot escape Hyde’s control, leading to a tragic end.
BIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on 13 November 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland,
into a family of engineers and religious leaders. He studies engineering and literature
at the University of Edinburgh but later left to become a writer. He first writes essays
and stories for magazines, but his big success came with Treasure Island, published
in 1883. This adventure story follows young Jim Hawkins as he embarks on a
journey to find buried treasure on a dangerous island. Along the way, he meets
pirates, including the famous Long John Silver, who tries to take the treasure for
himself. The story is filled with excitement, danger, and moral lessons about bravery
and friendship. Then, in 1886, he wrote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, which became a famous classic. Other well-known works include Kidnapped
and The Black Arrow. Stevenson married Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, and they
travelled often until they moved to Samoa, where he died on 3 December 1894. In
his work, Stevenson explored themes like the duality of human nature, morals, and
adventure. His style and complex characters influenced many later writers.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
 Dr. Henry Jekyll:
 Physical: A middle-aged man who dresses smartly. He looks healthy and has
a respectable appearance.
 Psychological: Jekyll is a famous doctor, but he had a dark side. He is
obsessed with separating good and bad in people and creates a potion to
understand these sides. As the story continues, his inner conflict gets
stronger; Jekyll wants to be good, but his curiosity about his dark side leads
him to Hyde, and eventually, he loses control.
 Mr. Edward Hyde:
Physical: Smaller and weaker than Jekyll, with a scary appearance.
Psychological: Hyde is cruel and selfish, showing no regret for his actions. He
enjoys hurting others and represents Jekyll’s worst side, without any rules. Over
time, he becomes more dangerous and harder to control, taking over Jekyll more
and more.
 Mr. Gabriel John Utterson: Jekyll’s lawyer and close friend. He does not
fully understand what is happening, but he tries to help Jekyll and solve the
mystery.
 Dr. Hastie Lanyon: A doctor and friend of Jekyll who thinks his experiments
are crazy. When he learns the truth about Hyde, he is very shocked.
 Poole: Jekyll’s loyal butler, who was worried about his strange behaviour. He
goes to Utterson for help when he suspects something is wrong.
 Sir Danvers Carew: An older, respectable man who is an innocent victim
killed by Hyde in a fit of rage, marking an important point in the story.
 Mr. Enfield: Utterson’s young, slightly careless cousin. Early in the story, he
tells Utterson about seeing Hyde mistreat a young girl, which sparks
Utterson’s curiosity about this dark figure.
SOCIO-HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND

POLITICAL CONTEXT
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, written in 1886, reflects the Victorian
era, a time from 1837 to 1901 known for strict morals and social order. British society
during this period focused a lot on appearance and behaviour, though this also
caused some hypocrisy, as many hid desires and actions that went against social
rules.
The Industrial Revolution changes life in the cities, causing fast growth and creating
a new working class. This brought issues like poverty, crime, and bad living
conditions, often ignored by the rich. Stevenson shows this contrast in his novel, with
London representing both the best and the worst of the Victorian era.
In the 19th century, advances in science and medicine led to new ideas about
human nature, raising questions about moral and ethical limits. The story shows this
tension through Jekyll, who tries to separate his dark desires from his good life,
showing a struggle that many faced between their ideals and basic instincts.
MAIN THEME
The main theme of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is human duality.
Stevenson showed us that everyone had a mix of good and bad within. Dr. Jekyll, a
respected man, wants to be good, but he also has dark desires he cannot ignore. To
control these sides, he creates a potion that changes him into Mr. Hyde, his dark
side, who acts without guilt and enjoys causing harm.
As the story goes on, Jekyll loses control over Hyde, showing us that if we try to hide
our bad side without facing it, it can become stronger and even take over. Stevenson
encourages us to think about this battle between good and evil within us and to
accept both sides to understand ourselves better.

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31/10/2024

PRACTICAL WORK ENGLISH

BIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

 Mr. Edward Hyde:

Physical: Smaller and weaker than Jekyll, with a scary appearance.

SOCIO-HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND

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