Dr Lanyon

Outer characterization

Dr Hastie Lanyon is a secondary character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He is a mutual old friend of both Mr Utterson and Dr Jekyll. He is a successful doctor and scientist, like Dr Jekyll. His appearance is described when Mr Utterson first goes to visit him: “This was a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and decided manner.” (p. 12)

However, later in the story, Dr Lanyon suddenly becomes ill and Mr Utterson is shocked by his appearance: “He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older.” (pp. 28-29). Mr Utterson believes that Dr Lanyon is suffering from “some deep-seated terror o...