Characters

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson has a cast of characters who are in many ways quite similar. The narrative follows Mr Utterson, a lawyer who is respectable and dry. He tries to unravel the mysterious relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, who appear to be complete opposites but who turn out to be the same person. Dr Jekyll seems to be a wealthy, charitable gentleman, while Mr Hyde is an evil criminal without proper human feeling. It is eventually revealed that Dr Jekyll has found a drug that will concentrate the evil parts of his character, and by taking it Jekyll transforms into Mr Hyde. In the end, Hyde begins to take over and Jekyll is driven to confess. 

Mr Utterson’s interest in the case begins when he is told a story about Mr Hyde by his cousin Mr Enfield. He also questions Dr Lanyon, another respectable man who was once a good friend of Dr Jekyll, and works with Jekyll’s butler Poole, an old servant. 

Most of the men are described in similar terms; they are all older, respectable, and dry or cautious. They lead quiet lives according to society’s strict expectations. Mr Hyde breaks free of social rules. The fact that Hyde is part of Dr Jekyll suggests that all men have the possibility of evil inside them.