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The supporting characters in Jekyll and Hyde are not just witnesses to the central drama — they represent different aspects of Victorian society and its values. Understanding their roles and significance is essential for the exam.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Role in novella | Primary narrator / investigator |
| Key traits | Loyal, rational, repressed, discreet |
| Relationship | Old friend of both Jekyll and Lanyon |
| Significance | Represents Victorian respectability and its limitations |
Utterson is the lens through which the reader experiences the novella. He is the detective figure who investigates the connection between Jekyll and Hyde, and his rational, measured perspective makes the horror more powerful by contrast.
Utterson embodies Victorian values:
Examiner's tip: Utterson's self-denial is significant. He mirrors Jekyll in miniature — he is also a man who represses his desires. The difference is that Utterson succeeds in controlling himself, while Jekyll does not. This makes Utterson a foil to Jekyll.
Utterson's rationality is also his weakness. He repeatedly fails to see the truth because his Victorian worldview cannot accommodate it:
| What Utterson does | What it reveals |
|---|---|
| Suppresses the handwriting evidence (Ch 5) | He protects reputation over truth |
| Refuses to read Lanyon's letter (Ch 6) | He respects privacy even when lives are at stake |
| Takes years to investigate (Chs 1-8) | Victorian gentlemen do not pry |
| Quote | What it shows |
|---|---|
| "If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek" (2) | Determination mixed with dark humour |
| "had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years" (1) | Self-denial — he represses his own pleasures |
| "inclined to Cain's heresy ... let my brother go to the devil" (1) | He avoids judging others, maintaining discretion |
| "God forgive us, God forgive us" (7) | A rare moment of genuine horror breaking through |
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Doctor (conventional medicine) |
| Key trait | Rational, orthodox, horrified by transgression |
| Relationship | Former close friend of Jekyll — fell out over science |
| Significance | Represents the limits of conventional science |
Lanyon is Jekyll's scientific opposite. Where Jekyll pushes boundaries and experiments with the unknown, Lanyon represents orthodox, respectable science.
The two doctors fell out because Lanyon considers Jekyll's work "unscientific balderdash" (2). This conflict represents a broader debate in Victorian society:
| Jekyll | Lanyon |
|---|---|
| Radical, boundary-pushing science | Conservative, orthodox science |
| Willing to explore the unknown | Stays within established knowledge |
| Embraces risk and transgression | Horrified by anything unnatural |
| Science without moral limits | Science bound by morality and reason |
When Lanyon witnesses Hyde's transformation into Jekyll, the shock kills him:
"I have had a shock and I shall never recover." (6)
"my life is shaken to its roots" (9)
Lanyon cannot psychologically survive what he has seen. His death represents the destruction of the rational Victorian worldview when confronted with a truth it cannot accommodate.
Examiner's tip: Lanyon's death is symbolic. He does not die from violence or disease — he dies because his understanding of reality has been shattered. This connects to the theme of knowledge being dangerous: some truths are too terrible to survive.
| Quote | What it shows |
|---|---|
| "unscientific balderdash" (2) | Lanyon's dismissal of Jekyll's radical science |
| "I have had a shock and I shall never recover" (6) | The transformation has destroyed his worldview |
| "my life is shaken to its roots" (9) | His entire understanding of reality has collapsed |
| "O God! ... O God!" (9) | Raw horror — the rational man reduced to prayer |
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Relationship | Utterson's cousin — a "well-known man about town" |
| Role | Provides the opening story of Hyde's cruelty |
| Key trait | Sociable, observant, discreet |
| Significance | Another example of Victorian repression and secrecy |
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