Character Analysis — Jekyll & Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are the most important characters in the novella — and the most complex, because they are the same person. Understanding how Stevenson presents them, both individually and as two aspects of one identity, is essential for the exam.

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Dr Henry Jekyll

Who is Jekyll?

Feature	Detail
Profession	Doctor and scientist
Social status	Wealthy, respected, upper-class gentleman
Appearance	"a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty" (3)
Key trait	A man who suppresses his darker desires
Motivation	To separate good and evil within himself

Jekyll is a pillar of Victorian respectability — wealthy, charitable, sociable, and well-liked. But beneath this polished exterior, he has desires he considers shameful (Stevenson deliberately never specifies what these are).

Jekyll's duality

Jekyll is not simply a good man who accidentally creates an evil alter ego. He is a man who has always been dual:

"I was in no sense a hypocrite; both sides of me were in dead earnest." (10)