Jekyll & Hyde Flashcards
(39 cards)
Key Word
Hypocrisy
The practice of claiming to have certain standards contrary to ones real character or behaviour
e.g. The hypocrisy of London’s elite is reflected in their willingness to overlook vice so long as it remains hidden
Key Word
Blasphemous
The act of showing lack of respect to God or to a religion
e.g. Hyde’s existance itself is almost blasphemous, an abberation that defies both natural law and divine will, embodying mankind’s most depraved and unrestrained instincts
Key Word
Heinous
A person of act that is odious or wicked
e.g. Stevenson presents Hyde as a figure of pure evil, commiting heinous crimes with no remorse
Key Word
Dichotomy
A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opressed or are entirely different
e.g. The novel explores the dichotomy between good and evil through Jekyll and Hyde’s dual existance
Key Word
Scrupulous
The act of behaving morally
e.g. Utterson is portrayed as a scrupulous character, always seeking to do what is right and avoid scandal
Key Word
Transgression
An act that goes against moral or social codes of conduct
e.g. Jekyll’s transformation into hyde is transgression against both societal and natural laws
Key Word
Transmogrification
The action of changing greatly into something else
e.g. Jekyll’s transmogrification into Hyde represents the physical embodiment of repressed desires
Key Word
Paradoxical
To seem impossible or difficult to understand because of containing two opposite facts or characteristics
e.g. Jekyll’s experiment is inherently paradoxical, as his desire to purify himself of evil only serves to magnify and empower his malevolent alter ego
Key Word
Perversion
A distortion of corruption of morality or nature
e.g. Hyde’s violent nature represents a perversion of the civilised gentleman that Victorian society valued
Key Word
Repression
The action of holding something back by force
e.g. Victorian society’s strict moral codes forced men like Jekyll to repress their secret darker desires
Key Word
Depravity
A state of being morally corrupt
e.g. The murder of Carew is the ultimate demonstration of Hyde’s depravity
Key Word
Duplicity
A state of being double or deceitful
e.g. Utterson suspects Jekyll of some secret vice, but he fails to grasp the true extent of his friends duplicity
Key Word
Archetype
A very typical example of a certain person or thing
e.g. Hyde serves as the archetype of the monstroud villan, embodying pure evil
Key Word
Facade
The act of maintaining a deceptive outward appearance
e.g. Jekyll maintans a facade of a respectable gentleman while secretly indulging in vice
Key Word
Morbid Curiosity
An interest in or curiosity about unpleasent things, especially in death
e.g. Uttersons morbid curiosity drives him to investigate the mystery surrounding Hyde, despite his instinct to avoid scandal
Context
What does “Victorians Did Force Perfection” stand for?
V - Victorian London
D - Darwinism
F - Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
P - Physiognomy
Context for: Victorian London
- Founded in hypocrisy and paradoces
- Repressive and restrictive norms
- Thriving prostitution industry, and drug abuse
- Jack the Ripper murdered 5 women in the streets of London - Was believed to have surgical background
Context for: Darwinism
- Theory of evolution
- Humans evolved from apes
- Led to a rise in science
- Created ambiguity towards religion
Context for: Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
- Broke the brain into three parts:
- Id: Animalistic part of man (Hyde)
- Ego: Mediator between Id and Super Ego (Jekyll)
- Super Ego: Does what is socially acceptable (Utterson)
Context for: Physiognomy
- Suggests ones character can be judged through their outward apperance
- Stevenson’s apperance of Hyde conforms with theory
- Apperance of Jekyll ridicules theory
Stevenson’s Intentions
- Jekyll is a microcosmic for Victorian gentleman, juxtaposing Hyde’s depravity
- Reveals ambiguity, and blurred lines between morality and immorality in Victorian society
- Stevenson satirises (mocks) how this “progressive” society is in reality founded on hypocrisy, duality and suffering
- Novella is a cautionary tale against dangers of moral purification
- Suggests the attempt to deny this inherent duality is not only futile but also detrimental to the individual and society as a whole
- Critiques self-imposed rigidity encouraged by Victorial societal norms
Jekyll Quote
“A large ____-____ smooth-_____ man of fifty .. every mark of ________ and kindness”
“a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty… every mark of capacity and kindness”
Jekyll Analysis
“a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty… every mark of capacity and kindness”
Paradoxical description -
- A fifty-year old man would typically be etched with wrinkles and signs of age
- Paints him as almost artificial
- He seems the archetype of a respectable gentleman
“Kindness” -
- Illustrates why Utterson has such a natural liking with Jekyll
- The placement of “mark” next to “kindness” foreshadows a hidden stain on Jekyll’s morality
Foreshadowing -
- Jekyll’s sanitised appearance becomes ironic
- Barbaric Hyde lurking beneath
Jekyll Quote
“If I am the _____ of _______, I am the _____ of _________ ____”
“If I am the cheif of sinners, I am the cheif of sufferers also”
