Poole is Jekyll's butler, who diligently carries out his
duties and his master's increasingly odd requests. He shows that he is an
independent thinker when he decides to persuade Utterson to uncover the
identity of the person locked away in Jekyll's room, fearing that his master
has been murdered. His loyalty and concern for Jekyll is clear and he is prepared
to face the dangers that lurk behind the door to see if there has been foul
play.
Mr Richard Enfield
Enfield is Utterson's distant relation, a well-known man
about town who accompanies him on his weekly walks. In relating the story of
Hyde trampling over the young girl, he is the first to mention Jekyll's alter
ego. He is, no doubt, a gentleman with a good profession and reputation,
although where he was coming from at 'three o'clock of a black winter morning'
(Chapter 1) is not revealed.
Bradshaw
Jekyll's footman Bradshaw is called to support utterson and
Poole as they break down the door in Chapter 9. He is instructed to wait by the
rear entrance of the laboratory in case the unidentified creature tries to
escape via this route.
Mr Guest
Utterson's head clerk, Mr Guest, is something of a
handwriting expert. Utterson reveals that he frequently confides secrets in Mr
Guest and turns to him for advice regarding the letter supposedly sent from
Hyde to Jekyll. Guest identifies the similarity in the handwriting of Jekyll
and Hyde.
The housekeeper at Hyde's residence
This elderly housekeeper opens the door to Utterson and the
police when they visit Hyde's Soho residence after the murder of Sir Danvers
Carew. Although she has excellent manners, she 'had an evil face, smoothed by
hypocrisy' (Chapter 4). She is portrayed as mean-spirited ('A flash of odious
joy appeared upon the woman's face' (Chapter 4)) and nosey ("he is in
trouble! What has he done?" (Chapter 4)).
Police officer
He visits Utterson to inform him of the murder of Sir
Danvers Carew. When the victim's identity is confirmed as an MP, 'his eye
lighted up with professional ambition' (Chapter 4). in portraying his
motivation as personal gain rather than the pursuit of justice, Stevenson
criticizes the hypocrisy at the heart of the Victorian establishment.
Writing about
character
An understanding of the characters of The Strange Case of Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde is essential. You will need to analyse the characters and
what they represent, and carefully select quotations to support your views
about the text. For example, you could say that Hyde is a metaphor for the evil
that lurked within Victorian society:
Hyde is evil in. pure
form. He is not only the evil unleashed from within Jekyll but is best interpreted
as a metaphor for the evil that lurked below the surface respectability of
Victorian society. This is successfully conveyed when Jekyll says, 'I was the
first that could thus plod in the public eye with a load of genial
respectability, and. in a moment, like a school boy, strip off these lendings
and spring headlong into the. sea of liberty.'
You will also need to identify and then analyse how the
language features used by the writer affect the reader, explaining if you find
them successful or not. Using the quotation above, you could do this in the
following way:
Jekyll makes clear how
he finds his outward respectability, although very important to him, boring. He
uses the verb 'plod' to suggest that this side of his Life lacks excitement and
the thrilling pace of one immoral activity followed by another. He uses the
basic but effective simile 'Like a school boy' to suggest his giddiness at the
prospect of being able to satisfy his darker desires. The metaphor, 'spring
headlong into the. sea. of liberty' successfully suggests the eagerness and
enthusiasm with which he commits himself to this side of his Life. The point is
reinforced with alliteration.
