PENGUIN READERS

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson Jekyll has been conducting experiments to release the evil
man inside his good self, but the experiments get out of
control. Mr Hyde emerges at will and it takes stronger
doses of chemicals to return to the form of Jekyll. Jekyll
runs out of chemicals and Hyde emerges forever, only to
kill himself before he can be captured.
Chapters 1–3: On one of their regular walks through
London, Mr Enfield, Mr Utterson’s friend, points out a
door to a dark, ugly house. He then tells Utterson a story
about something that happened to him when he was on
his way home one night at three o’clock in the morning.
He saw an ugly, little man step on a child and then walk
away. Enfield ran after the man and caught him. The
About the author crowd of people that had gathered around the little girl
Robert Louis Stevenson was a poet, a travel writer and were very angry and demanded money from the little
a novelist. Though he started training as an engineer man, whose name was Mr Hyde. Hyde went through
and then as a lawyer, he was always interested in writing the door to an ugly house and came back with a cheque
and at the age of twenty-five, began to devote his life to signed by another man, who Enfield knew to be kind and
literature. He was a sickly child who had to spend most of famous for his work. Enfield doesn’t say who this man is,
the winters in bed and his longing for adventure and travel but Utterson believes he knows anyway that the man is
may be partly accounted for by his search for a cure for Mr Hyde.
his illness. At various times in his life, he lived in France, Chapters 4 –5: Utterson has Dr Jekyll’s will. His
the United States and in the South Seas, where he became beneficiary is Hyde, the ugly, little man who nobody likes
known as ‘The Teller of Stories’. This was a fitting title and Utterson is very unhappy about this. He goes to see
for the person who gave the world the children’s classic Dr Lanyon, an old friend of both his and Dr Jekyll’s, to
Treasure Island (1883) and the horror story, The Strange ask if he knows anything about Mr Hyde. Lanyon knows
Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886). Stevenson died, nothing but he tells Utterson that he no longer sees Jekyll
aged only 44, in 1894 in Samoa. very much because of his strange scientific ideas. One day,
Utterson meets Mr Hyde by the door to the old house and
Summary he realizes that there is something evil about the man. He
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a classic horror story. Dr Jekyll asks to see Dr Jekyll, as the door is really a back entrance
is a kindly old doctor, with two very old friends, Utterson to Jekyll’s house, but Hyde says he is not at home. Later,
and Lanyon. Mr Hyde is a smaller, younger man, with Utterson goes to the main entrance of Jekyll’s house, but
a capacity for evil that seems to emanate from him and the servant also says that the doctor is not at home. He
repels everyone he meets. But there are links between tells Utterson, however, that Mr Hyde is free to come and
them. Hyde gives the family of a child he has beaten go in the house and that he can give orders to the servants
a cheque signed by Jekyll. Hyde has a key to the back when Jekyll isn’t there. About two weeks, later after a
entrance to Jekyll’s house, and Hyde can come and go at dinner, Utterson asks Jekyll about Mr Hyde, but Jekyll
will and give orders to Jekyll’s servants. Most disturbing of reveals little and he makes Utterson promise to help Hyde
all for Mr Utterson, Dr Jekyll’s lawyer, is the doctor’s will, with the will if anything happens to him.
which leaves all the doctor’s money to Hyde should the Chapters 6 –7: Nearly a year later, a servant sees an
doctor disappear for three months or die. Clearly, Hyde old man murdered with a stick from her window.
has some power over the doctor, and the lawyer fears he The murderer behaves like an animal and the servant
may murder him for his money. recognizes him as Mr Hyde. She informs the police, who
Gradually, Hyde’s acts of cruelty get worse, culminating find a letter addressed to Utterson in the old man’s pocket.
in the murder of a famous man. Finally, we learn the The police visit Utterson and he takes them to Hyde’s
truth about the two men. They are one and the same. house, but he isn’t there. Utterson then visits Jekyll and

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 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

finds him looking very ill. Jekyll shows Utterson a letter Background and themes
from Hyde in which he says sorry for the things he has The duality of human nature: The major theme of the
done. Later, Utterson shows the letter to his chief clerk, novel is the dual nature of the human psyche. Within
who claims that the handwriting is very similar to that of every person there is a good and bad side. At the end,
Dr Jekyll. Dr Jekyll wants to kill (suggested in his name) the part
Chapters 8–9: For some time, nobody hears anything of himself that he hides (an even clearer name parallel).
about Mr Hyde, and Jekyll begins to socialize again. Good versus evil: The book represents a battle between
One day, however, Jekyll refuse to see Utterson. Utterson the two. It seems that evil triumphs in the end, since
goes to see Lanyon, who is dying. Lanyon tells Utterson Mr Hyde overcomes Dr Jekyll.
that he will know a terrible secret after his death. When The limits of science: Can science go too far and unleash
Lanyon dies, Utterson receives a letter that can only be forces that we cannot control? This fear is perhaps even
opened after Jekyll’s death. Utterson, a good and honest more relevant now, at a time of global warming, genetic
lawyer, puts it in his safe. One day, on a walk with Enfield, modification, cloning and nuclear weapons, than when
Utterson decides to shout up to Jekyll from the courtyard the novel was written.
and invite him to go with them for a walk. They see Jekyll The weakness of human nature: Stevenson seems to
at the window looking very sick. He refuses their offer tell us that evil triumphs because human beings are weak-
kindly, but suddenly Utterson sees a terrible look of fear willed. Does Jekyll keep changing into Hyde because Hyde
on Jekyll’s face. is too strong, or because Jekyll craves the more interesting
Chapters 10–11: Jekyll’s servant visits Utterson and tells and exciting evil personality?
him something is terribly wrong. Utterson goes with the
servant to Jekyll’s house and when they knock on the door Discussion activities
of the doctor’s workroom, they hear a voice that is not Before reading
his. The servant shows Utterson a note, which was left 1 Discuss: Get students to look at the cover and talk
outside the room asking for a chemical. The handwriting about these questions: What can you see? Is it a picture
seems to be Jekyll’s. The servant also says he saw a person of one person or two people? Are the two faces different in
come out of the workroom and he suspects that it’s Hyde. any way? Why are they happy?
2 Guess: Ask students to look at the Word List at the
They break the door down and find Hyde wearing Jekyll’s back of the book and guess in small groups what the
clothes. He’s dead. There’s a letter from Jekyll asking story is about. Get them to write some predictions in
Utterson to read Lanyon’s letter. Lanyon explains that their notebooks.
Jekyll drinks chemicals that transform him into the evil 3 Pair work: Write the following words on the board:
person, Mr Hyde. He says he saw the transformation blood, death, funny, love, flowers, black, murder, happy
ending, prince. Put students in pairs and ask them to
himself in his office.
put the words in the right column of the chart below,
Chapters 12–13: We learn about Jekyll’s story from a depending on whether they always, sometimes or
letter he left for Utterson. When he was a young man, never associate them with horror movies. Then ask
Jekyll realized he had a good side, which wanted to work them to add another ten words. Get feedback,
encouraging students to justify their choices.
hard as a doctor, and a bad side, which had a great love of HORROR STORIES
fun. He began thinking about the possibility of separating
the two sides. Through experiments with chemicals he ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER
managed to do this and Mr Hyde was created. At first,
Jekyll was happy, but then the experiments got out of
control. Hyde began emerging at will, becoming stronger
Introduction
than Jekyll. Jekyll began to worry about the bad things
After reading
that Hyde was doing. Progressively, Jekyll had to take 4 Pair work: Put students in pairs to discuss the
stronger doses of chemicals to become himself again. following questions: What was life like for Robert
Finally, he ran out of chemicals and Hyde emerged forever. Louis Stevenson when he was a child? What did he
Fear of being hung as a murderer, however, makes him study? Where did he live? What type of books did he
commit suicide. write? What gave him the idea for Dr Jekyll and Mr
Hyde? What was he writing about? Do you think people
have a good side and a bad side?
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 PENGUIN READERS
Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Chapters 1–3 After reading
While reading (after Chapter 1) 13 Write, ask and answer: Write ‘What did Utterson
5 Discuss: Put students in small groups to discuss the do on the eighth of January? ’ on the board and
following questions: How were Utterson and Enfield elicit the answer (He had dinner at Jekyll’s house).
different? What did they like doing together? Why do you Now tell students to write similar questions about
think they were friends? Are you different from your Chapters 8–9. Students then mingle with each other,
friends in any way? Is it important to be similar to your asking and answering each other’s questions.
friends?
Chapters 10–11
After reading Before reading
6 Discuss and research: Get students to look back 14 Guess: Put students in pairs and tell one to look at
at the picture on page 3 and discuss how life was the picture on page 31 and the other to look at the
different in this time and place to their lives now. picture on page 37. Students describe their pictures
Get feedback and then ask them to do some research to each other and then together predict what is going
to find out about life in Victorian London. They can to happen.
do oral or written presentations about their findings.
After reading
Chapters 4 –5 15 Pair work: Write the following words on the board:
Before reading knock, God, note, covered, axe, body, will, drawer, gun.
7 Guess: Ask students to make predictions about Mr Ask students to talk about how they were relevant to
Hyde in pairs: Who is he? What does he do? Why did he Chapters 10–11.
have a cheque from a famous and honest man? Why was 16 Discuss: Ask students to discuss why they think Jekyll
he so bad? changed his will.

After reading Chapters 12–13

8 Role play: Refer students back to the paragraph on While reading (p. 39, after ‘But it was too late to
page 12 that begins ‘You should know something.’ change my double life.’)
Put the students in pairs. One is Dr Jekyll and one 17 Pair work: Ask students to make a list of things that
is Mr Hyde. Hyde tells Jekyll about his meeting the serious Jekyll perhaps did and things that the
with Utterson and Jekyll asks questions about what fun-loving Jekyll perhaps did. Get them to discuss
happened. if these things are really good or bad and how often
they do these things. Ask them to discuss what people
Chapters 6–7 consider to be good and bad behaviour nowadays.
While reading (p. 14, after, ‘she immediately called
the police.’) After reading
9 Role play: Put students in pairs. One is the servant 18 Write and guess: Write ‘Jekyll’s family was poor.’
and the other is a police officer. Get them to act out on the board. Elicit which word is wrong from the
the conversation that takes place on the phone. students (rich not poor). Now students choose a
sentence from Chapters 12–13 and rewrite it
After reading changing one word. Students mingle, reading out
10 Discuss: Put students in small groups to discuss these their sentences and the other students have to identify
questions: Do you think the handwriting on Hyde’s and correct the mistake.
letter is really Jekyll’s? How can you explain this? Why 19 Game: Write the following characters on the board:
do people sometimes protect criminals? Dr Jekyll, Mr Hyde, Utterson, Enfield, Lanyon, Poole.
11 Write: Tell students they are Police Inspector Divide the students into small groups and give them
Newcome. Get them to write a report including 10 minutes to think of as many true sentences as they
everything they know about the murder. They must can about the characters without looking back at the
talk about what the servant and Utterson said, finding book. Now play the game. The teams take it in turns
the body and the visit to Hyde’s house. to say a true sentence about a character. They are not
allowed to repeat. If they are wrong or can’t think of a
Chapters 8–9 sentence, they are eliminated.
While reading (p. 22, after ‘They heard stories about 20 Discuss: Ask students to discuss in groups the
his crimes.’) meaning of the story. You can guide them with the
12 Discuss: Put students in small groups to imagine five following questions: Is good stronger than evil in the
different crimes that Hyde committed. book? Is science sometimes dangerous? Are people weak?
Vocabulary activities
For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.

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