Plot Summary

Knowing the plot of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde inside out is non-negotiable at GCSE. This lesson provides a detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdown, identifies key turning points, and maps the narrative structure so you can write confidently about any moment in the novella.

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Narrative Structure Overview

The novella has an unusual structure — it is not told chronologically. Instead, the reader pieces together the mystery through multiple perspectives. The full truth is only revealed in the final two chapters.

Chapters 1-8: The Mystery Builds
  (Utterson investigates the connection between Jekyll and Hyde)
     /\
    /  \
   /    \       Chapter 9: Dr Lanyon's Narrative
  /      \      (Lanyon witnesses the transformation — he is horrified)
 /        \
/  Rising   \
/  tension   \         Chapter 10: Henry Jekyll's Full Statement
/  and clues  \         (The entire truth from Jekyll's perspective
/               \        — the novella's climactic revelation)
/                 \
--Exposition--------\----->
(Ch 1: Enfield tells
 Utterson about Hyde)

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Chapter 1: "Story of the Door"

Utterson and his cousin Enfield are on their regular Sunday walk. They pass a sinister door in a by-street. Enfield tells Utterson a disturbing story:

• A small, deformed man (Hyde) trampled a young girl in the street at 3 a.m.
• When confronted, Hyde showed no remorse but agreed to pay compensation.
• Hyde entered the sinister door and returned with a cheque signed by a respectable gentleman (later revealed to be Jekyll).

"I saw that Sawbones turn sick and white with the desire to kill him." (1)

Key points:

• Hyde inspires instinctive revulsion in everyone who encounters him.
• Enfield and Utterson agree never to discuss the matter again — secrecy and repression.
• The two doors symbolise Jekyll's dual nature — the respectable front and the hidden back.

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Chapter 2: "Search for Mr Hyde"

Utterson reads Jekyll's will, which leaves everything to Edward Hyde in the event of Jekyll's death or "disappearance." This troubles Utterson deeply.

He visits Dr Lanyon, an old friend of Jekyll's, who has fallen out with Jekyll over what Lanyon calls "unscientific balderdash."

Utterson stakes out the sinister door and finally meets Hyde. He is repulsed:

"Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation." (2)

Examiner's tip: Notice that no one can describe exactly what is wrong with Hyde's appearance. This is deliberate — Stevenson uses vagueness to make Hyde more terrifying. The horror comes from something felt rather than seen.

Key points:

• Utterson fears Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll — this is the rational explanation.
• The will's mention of "disappearance" is deeply ominous.
• Hyde gives Utterson his Soho address — he is confident, even brazen.

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Chapter 3: "Dr Jekyll Was Quite at Ease"

Two weeks later, Jekyll hosts a dinner party. Utterson stays behind and raises his concerns about Hyde and the will.

Jekyll becomes agitated but insists Utterson should not worry:

"the moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde." (3)

He asks Utterson to honour the will and look after Hyde if anything happens to him.

Key points:

• Jekyll believes he is in control — dramatic irony, since the reader later learns he is not.
• Jekyll's agitation hints that the situation is more complex than blackmail.
• The phrase "the moment I choose" reveals Jekyll's fatal overconfidence.

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Chapter 4: "The Carew Murder Case"

Nearly a year later, Hyde commits the novella's most violent act: the murder of Sir Danvers Carew.

A maid witnesses the attack from her window:

• An elderly gentleman (Carew) approaches Hyde politely.
• Hyde suddenly erupts in savage violence, beating Carew to death with a walking stick.
• The stick breaks in two from the force of the blows.

"with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim underfoot and hailing down a storm of blows" (4)

Utterson identifies the broken stick — it was a gift he gave to Jekyll years ago.

The police search Hyde's Soho rooms and find:

• The other half of the broken stick
• Evidence of a hasty departure — burned papers, destroyed cheque book
• Signs of luxury alongside signs of depravity

Key points:

• This is the turning point of the novella — Hyde has crossed from cruelty to murder.
• "Ape-like fury" connects to degeneration theory and Darwin.
• The broken stick is a physical symbol of the broken connection between Jekyll and respectability.

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Chapter 5: "Incident of the Letter"

Utterson visits Jekyll, who looks deathly ill. Jekyll shows Utterson a letter supposedly from Hyde, promising he has escaped and will never return.

Jekyll asks Utterson if the letter will damage his reputation. Utterson takes the letter.

Later, Utterson's clerk Mr Guest notices that Hyde's handwriting is remarkably similar to Jekyll's — just with a different slant.

"What! Henry Jekyll forge for a murderer!" (5)

Key points:

• The similar handwriting is a crucial clue that Jekyll and Hyde are connected.
• Jekyll's concern about his reputation — not the murder itself — reveals Victorian priorities.
• Utterson suppresses the discovery rather than investigating further — another act of repression.

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Chapter 6: "Remarkable Incident of Dr Lanyon"

Jekyll seems to recover. For two months he is sociable, healthy, and charitable. Then he suddenly shuts himself away again, refusing all visitors.

Utterson visits Lanyon, who has suffered a terrible shock:

"I have had a shock and I shall never recover." (6)

Lanyon is dying. He refuses to discuss Jekyll. He gives Utterson a sealed envelope, only to be opened after Jekyll's death or disappearance.

Utterson writes to Jekyll, who replies that he has "brought on himself a punishment and a danger" and must live in seclusion.

Key points:

• Lanyon has witnessed something so horrifying that it is literally killing him.
• The sealed letters and conditions of opening create suspense and reinforce the theme of secrecy.
• Jekyll's seclusion signals that he is losing control over the transformation.

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Chapter 7: "Incident at the Window"

A brief but chilling chapter. Utterson and Enfield pass Jekyll's window during a walk. Jekyll is sitting there looking miserable.

They try to cheer him up. For a moment, Jekyll smiles. Then:

"the smile was struck out of his face and succeeded by an expression of such abject terror and despair" (7)

Jekyll slams the window shut. Utterson and Enfield walk away in horrified silence.