A place where you can think about and discuss the characters and their roles in the story.

Lanyon
“ You’ve got to learn to live in this world!”

Compare the way Lanyon is depicted in the novel with the way that he is depicted in the play. How does this affect the two different ways in which he dies?

Poole
“ It’s not right. Something’s not right.”

Poole, Jekyll’s servant, is a man in the novel and a woman in the play. Besides adding a female into the story, why do you think the playwright made that switch? How does this switch allow the story to be interpreted differently?

Newcomen
“ What happened next is hard to explain. And hard to believe.I won’t try to make sense of it.”

Newcomen, only a small character in the novel, becomes the narrator, interrogator, and freedom fighter of the play. Newcomen also accuses Jekyll for the actions of Hyde. How does this character single-handedly affect the nature and message of the story? Does the director’s choice in casting a woman in this role affect the story even more?

Rachel
“ I don’t love him because he needs me or fawns over me or constantlybegs for my attention. I love him because I love him.”

Besides the obvious addition of romance, why does the playwright create the character of Rachel Lanyon.? Why is it significant that she is an artist?

Jekyll
“ I can’t pretend. I can’t turn my back on the truth.”

Do you think Jekyll would have still gone through with his experiments if he knew in advance what the outcome would be? Why or why not?

Hyde
“ Ah, you know exactly what I’d do. I’d have a bit of fun”

How does Hyde’s position of having no past, no family, no responsibilities, no one to report to, and no one to care for help to create the terror of his actions? What else influences the terror of Hyde in the play?

Back to Top