• “cursed with my duality”
• Hyde: “recently chained down…growled”
• “secret sinner” – sibilance of s , shows the problem with Victorian society
• When explaining what led to his final transformation as Hyde, and subsequent death, Jekyll uses the word choice of “fall” repeatedly – this is associated with Adam and Eve and their fall from grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
• “That child of Hell [Hyde]” – oxymoron
• Self destruction
• “unhappy Henry Jekyll” – this is a story of human unhappiness- why? Society/ lack of self acceptance, is it both?

• “I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements.”
• “all that was unbearable” word choice – life as his full self was unbearable. Shows how difficult it was. Shows the absolute rejection of the self by Victorian society.
• Self acceptance was a big problem
• Jekyll talks of: “just could walk steadfastedly and securely on his upward path” Hyde: “disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil”
• Hyde is a homophone for hide
• Basically the book recounts what happens due to : “the agonised womb of consciousness these polar twins should be continuously struggling.”
• Hierarchy of the self: “lower elements of my soul”
• “fortress of identity” – ironic as his identity is not strong
• “grinding of bones” – the description of the transformation is grotesque and show sit to be wholly unpleasant, however this then shows the desperation of Jekyll because he puts himself through this multiple times.
• Repetition of word root “agony”
• On becoming Hyde: “as if I came out a great sickness” “incredibly sweet” “recklessness”
• Hyde is his liberation
• “disordered sensual images”
  Page 44
• Unknown but not innocent freedom of the soul (AO2 – juxtaposition/ oxymoron) dangerous state when Hyde, and a danger to others
• “delighted me like wine”  -word choice of delighted/ metaphor of wine (alcohol/ liberates/ lead to a state of drunkness/ loosing of morality)
• “nine-tenths of my life…virtue and control”
• “I had come forth an angel[Jekyll] instead of a fiend [Hyde]” contrast – religious associations – metaphor..
• “I had not yet conquered my aversion to the dryness of a life of study” – highlights the disappointment of life in that era/ for Jekyll. The word choice of dryness
• “strange immunities of my position” – on being Jekyll and Hyde
• “depravity”
• “sea of liberty” – when transforming into Hyde
• He describes Hyde’s deeds initially as: “undignified” then “monstrous” – he becomes polarised (did society force this?)
• Compare the hand features and descriptive: “white” – peace/ innocence etc “dusky pallor” –
• On Hyde becoming stronger: “the balance of my nature might be permanently overthrown”.
• “I was slowly losing hold of my original and better self , and becoming slowly incorporated with my second and worse”. Surely true of all humanity – a central theme/anchor
• Inner child= Hyde Inner parent = Jekyll
• Pg 49

Hyde	Jekyll
Leaping step Youth liberty	Discontented Elderly

 

• On transforming to Hyde after two months: “My devil had long been caged. He came out roaring”
• Hyde being evil: “I mauled the unresisting body”
• “I clasped my hands to God” – religion’s importance in society but also shows the lack of human kindness and true religion in action.
• “jekyll was my city of refuge… the days passed almost happily” -  not happy, not self fulfilled. Living like a saint but tragically sad. Trying to be good but also good for yourself.

Page 38

• “blood-red liquor” – warning of danger (connotations of red)
• “these covered a period of many years”
• “the more I reflected, the more convinced I grew that I was dealing with a case of cerebral disease” – poignant/sad/ highlights lack of understanding of self in Victorian times even by doctors. Lack of understanding which leads to the creation of Hyde.
• Repetition of references to “London”  - brings narrative to society at large.
• “knocker sounded very gently” (Hyde – his actions constantly defy our expectations e.g. adverb of gently – implies humanity)
• “crouching” (Hyde – suggestions of submission/ vulnerable)
• “policeman…advancing with his bulls eye open” – police represent the watchers and guarders of society “bulls eye”Just as a bull…
• Hyde – “great muscular activity and great apparent debility of constitution” contrast
• “dressed in a fashion that would have made an ordinary person laughable” – scorned by society.
• “he was wrestling against the approaches of the hysteria”
  • exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement:
    "the anti-Semitic hysteria of the 1890s"
    synonyms: frenzy · wildness · feverishness · irrationality · hysterics ·
    [More]
    loss of control · panic · panic attack · alarm · outburst/fit of agitation · loss of reason · fit of madness · neurosis · delirium · derangement · mania · distress · mental distress · the screaming abdabs/habdabs
    antonyms: calmness · self-possession
  • an old-fashioned term for a psychological disorder characterized by conversion of psychological stress into physical symptoms (somatization) or a change in self-awareness (such as a fugue state or selective amnesia).
• “sob” used to describe Hyde (cry but connotations of uncontrollably, childish)
• Hyde says to Lanyon: “been bound by the most narrow and material views”
• Lanyon: “when that sight has faded from my eyes I ask myself if I believe it” – this shows the denial of the whole self by the Victorians.
• “The creature …was..Hyde, and hunted for…as the murderer of Carew”.
• In all of us there is the ability for good and evil, even in Hyde there is humanity – this murderer is capable of “sobbing”
• Jekyll – “every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished future”
• Page 42 – top good quotes. “duplicity”
• Religion heightens the shame and sense of wrong doing
• “I have been doomed to a shipwreck” (ship – metaphor for Jekyll, sea – metaphor for Victorian society)
• “man is not truly one, but truly two”
• “life would be relieved of all that was unbearable”

• Constant references to cold – further links to evil/ hell
• “bible-word” – constant reference to religion and associations with religion
• Stevenson refers to London while Poole and Utterson wait for Hyde – by using a Geographical marker perhaps he is suggesting the drama/ issue at hand is not solely related to these characters, but affects the whole city.
• The description of the environment surrounding Hyde is at odds with our expectations: “quiet lamplight”  “papers neatly set forth on the business table” – insight into Hyde
• Who is responsible for killing Hyde? Utterson and Poole who violently forced their way in or Hyde? Contrasting environments – does this have a double meaning?
• Consider how Utterson and Poole treat Hyde and the surroundings – “All these they [Poole and Utterson] now thoroughly examined.” – so does society treat the ‘Hydes’ of the world.  – Repression
• “a copy of a pious work…with startling blasphemies” – this could be a metaphor for the contradiction of Victorian life. They live ‘ by the book/ religious book’ but yet have issues with and ‘scribble all over it’.
• Gabriel Utterson – angel name of ‘Gabriel’  - positive religious associations.
• “unworthy and unhappy” – This is how Jekyll signs off his suicide note – sums up the problems with Victorian society – that those who really looked at themselves were deeply unhappy and felt unworthy. It was a truly difficult time to be human, Victorian society was not humane. (self awareness)
• Hyde evokes in Lanyon: “disgustful curiosity”. Hyde represents what society has repressed. Oxymoron/Juxtaposition
• List to describe Hyde: “seizing, surprising and revolting” – society’s reaction to Hyde. List (AO2) analyse each word.
• WHAT DOES HYDE REPRESENT TO VICTORIAN  SOCIETY – repressed feelings/ evil/ darkness/ morbidity.

 

Pg 26 The Last Night.

• Needs wine to speak of his worries
• “shut up” – repetition describing Jekyll, hints at repression (Victorian society)
• “Henry Jekyll M.D. D.C.L… “ even the most educated, caring , respectable of people firstly are conflicted, but secondly can pay the ultimate price for not being true to themselves.
• Exploration of the self living and conditioned by the 19^th century/ Victorian Era.
• “I’m afraid” (Poolle)   - creates tension and a fearful tone
• “I may die” – foreshadows Jekyll’s suicide
• “wild, cold…night” pathetic fallacy, word choice of wild.
• Moon – “lying on her back” personification/ sexual associations/ suggestions/ dominance/ being dismissive
• “never in his life had he been so conscious of so sharp a wish to see and touch his fellow-creatures” – highlights the separation between people in Victorian society.
• “Amen Poole” – religious words/link/ theme. The text is brimming with religious references reminding the reader of the strong presence of religion in Victorian Britain.
• Jekyll’s great kitchen: “the fire was out and the beetles were leaping on the floor”
• Repetition of “wild”
• The note Poole shows to Utterson is likened to his life. “So far the letter had run composedly enough; but here, with a sudden splutter of the pen, the writer’s emotion had broken loose.”
  Page 29
• “why had he a mask upon his face” – irony
• Hyde = deviant side of Jekyll
• “this man was more of a dwarf”  = Hyde  Small side, closer to ground/ hell, tall side (Jekyll) closer to heaven. “My master is a tall fine build of a man”
• Repetition of “mask”
• Peril – word choice/ associated
• Hyde – made people feel: “cold”
• Hyde: “rat” “monkey”

 

• Mr Utterson was an odd man but liked: “something eminently human beaconed from his eye”. This shows he is a reliable narrator and his viewpoint can be trusted. Secondly the word choice of beacon furthers the idea that Mr Utterson is a man who is special and trusted in society. Just as a beacon is a bright light guiding others and helping them find their way, has connotations of being  incredibly great and valuable, so Mr Utterson is presented as helpful, a symbol of hope and morally sound. In addition this also implies that society is dark and sinister, as he is a beacon a beacon requires surrounding darkness in which to be a beacon. This presents Victorian society as dark and corrupted, lacking ‘light’ and beacons.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Introduction (AO3)

• The text questions Victorian beliefs
• People were living double lives
• Victorian society was very rigid and strict, and there was a strict moral code in place.
• The story is based on a dream the author, R.L.  Stevenson, had.
• The book was written in 1886.
• The author was born in 1850.
• The story focuses on male friendship.
• It is a dark novel, from the gothic sub-genre.
• It was written during the period of Enlightenment.
• The author studied law at University.
• Queen Victoria was the reigning Queen
• Gothic fiction was becoming very popular. (Why?)

 

A good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EGAcDMSX-s 

• Act 4 Scene 1

Thunder – pathetic fallacy

“something wicked this way comes” – then Macbeth enters. Confirming his evil nature.

The ingredients of the cauldron (“finger of birth strangled babe” highlights  the grotesque, murderous nature of the witches and we are reminded of the evil that Macbeth has conspired with. The alliteration of the plosive b not only highlights the ingredients and so repulses the reader, but it also shows their murderous nature. Macbeth is conspiring with evil.

A03 – Shakespeare wrote this play for Queen Elizabeth – therefore he is not ever going to condone regicide. When Macbeth sees the 8 kings, this is referring to real royal history and the previous 8 kings. Act 4 Scene 1 delves back into royal history.

Macbeth: “Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o the sword his wife, his babes…”

Act 4 Scene 2:

Bird imagery ‘flies’ once again : Lady MacDuff compares herself to a “wren” and the incoming danger an “owl”. AO2

Ross compares life under MacBeth’s rule as a “wild and violent sea”.

Irony is that Lady MacDuff calls her husband a traitor for leaving – she is totally innocent and has no doubts regarding Macbeth. This highlights how barbaric Macbeth’s actions are.

The conversation between Lady MacDuff and her son (repetition of the word “traitor” four times in a few lines) not only highlights her innocence and allegiance to the King, but also provides a stark warning to the Jacobean audience of the consequences of being a traitor.

Peer notes:

Act 3 Scene 4

• Macbeths conscience is catching up with him
• “Our hostess keeps her state”
• Lady Macbeth has realise what she had done whereas Macbeth is on a murderous spree and is taking advantage of the power
• “thou are the best o’s the cut throats” that highlights Macbeths barbarity
• Macbeth thinks that Banquo is in the seat
• “Are you a man” Lady Macbeth sees masculinity as perfection
  . Reference to Act 1 Scene 5 where she says “unsex me”.

• “With 20 mortal murders on their hands” metaphor.
• Lady Macbeth is trying to say to Macbeth you’ve been a fool/ you’re making a idiot of yourself.
• Lady Macbeth is questioning why Macbeth is sane but she is breaking down .
• Root word: Blood
• Throughout the play the word blood is being repeated.
• Blood becomes a metaphor for guilt later on when Lady Macbeth is talking about getting the blood off her hands from murdering Duncan.
• Macbeth mentions night which is associated with Duncan’s murder.
• “I keep a servant fee’d” this tells us that Mabeth is sneaky, cunning etc.
• Macbeth is admirable because of his ambition
• “I am in blood…should I wade no more” the word choice of wade. How many murders Macbeth has committed.

 

 

Act 3 Scene 5

• Pathetic fallacy of thunder when the witches enter
• Hecate is against Macbeth saying that they have given him too much power.
•  “he shall spurn fate, corn death, and bear his hopes ‘both wisdom, grace and fear”
• Onomatoepia “hark”

Exemplar Paragraph that addresses all 3 AOs

Informed response/Quote/Analyse lang/ Historical context

 

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as someone who values loyalty above all else. This is shown when she informs Macbeth that if she had made a promise to him to commit infanticide, she would. Moreover she shows her passionate loyalty by describing graphically how violently she would commit an act tht she had promised him: “I would…have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums”. The word choice of “pluck’d” has connotations of aggression, anger and causing distress, it is an unnatural action this suggests that Lady Macbeth would happily perform an act aggressively, showing her anger and she would without question cause distress (to an innocent child nonetheless). Also this shows how unnatural Lady Macbeth is, as her actions are unnatural as suggested by the word choice of “pluck”. Lady Macbeth is also unnatural in the Jacobean world. Firstly it is unnatural for any woman to wish to kill her child, however even more so in the Jacobean era as a woman’s main role was childbirth and rearing children. She rejects this role, and also shows her disgust at it by describing such a grotesque act thus shocking the audience and highlighting her unease in performing and adhering to the expectations of a Jacobean woman.

Act 3 Scene 1 end

Again heaven is referenced. There are frequent references to heaven and hell/ religion in this play. (Conscience)

Act 3 Scene 2

Both LM and M are worried – guilty consciences are unfolding. They are drifting apart.

Macbeth references “Hecate” – Greek Goddess of magic, communicating with the dead and crossroads.

The word “bloody” is used again

Macbeth refers to the night and wishing the night to conceal his evil crimes: “Come seeling night, scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day”

LINKS TO PREVIOUS

Macbeth: “make our faces vizerds to our hearts, Disgusting what they are”. Here Macbeth is showing awareness of his wrong deeds, he does have a conscience.

Act 3 Scene 3 – the murder of Banquo

Fleance has escaped. (The prophecy can still come true)

 

 

Act 3 Scene 1

(MacDuff is Macbeth’s best friend, Banquo was with Macbeth when the witches delivered their prophecy)

A soliloquy too is a lengthy speech delivered or presented by an individual character of a play. It is not aimed at a particular audience, other characters of the drama or the real audience of viewers, but is shared by the real audience. A soliloquy is presented by a single character to himself/herself as an expression of his/her inner thoughts to himself/herself. Shakespeare considerably used soliloquies and they became outdated when the English drama started to move towards realism.

dramatic monologue (one character speaking to another)

• Banquo – “I fear, thou play’dst moust foully for’t” This shows Banquo suspicion that Macbeth was involved in foul deeds to ascend the throne.
• Banquo – “my duties are with a most indissoluble tie for ever knit” – this highlights Banquo’s loyalty to Macbeth, despite previous acknowledging his suspicion of Macbeth
  We are about to witness the complete dissolving of Macbeth/ “brave Macbeth”.
  (Shakespeare has written a play, with the maind audience of Queen Elizabeth, warning of the dangers of regicide. This is a pro monarchy text)
• Macbeth’s conversation with Banquo shows that Macbeth takes no responsibility for the murder.  He is dealing in lies and dishonesty even to Banquo who was present at the prophecy.
• Very quickly Macbeth in his soliloquy in Act 3 scene 1 justifies his arranged murder of Banquo: “a barren sceptre in my gripe thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand.” Macbeth on assuming the throne is once against consorting with evil and murder. Despite being King, he is not finished with his murderous rampage, showing that ambition and power is never truly attained by someone but it corrupts.
• Control has consumed Macbeth
• Macbeth manipulates the First murderer against Banquo: “it was he [Banquo], in the times past, which held you so under fortune”
• Only a few days Banquo and Macbeth were comrades. The sudden change shows Macbeth real, underlying character.
• Macbeth finally, towards the end of his discussion with the murderers also commands: “Fleance his son…must embrace the fate of that dark hour”. The fact that this is decreed y Macbeth at the end of Act 3 scene 1 shows that Fleance is simply an afterthought to Macbeth showing his careless disregard for life. Furthermore it shows his cunning character as he is trying to destroys the possibilities of the witches’ prophecy regarding Banquo and his children of coming true. In addition Fleance is a child, the fact that Macbeth can order the innocent child’s murder without much thought shows his evil and barbaric nature.