STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (Illustrated) E-Book

Robert Louis Stevenson

• Herausgeber: Kim Paradowski
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

• This is an illustrated edition featuring atmospheric illustrations, a detailed summary, an author biography, and a complete list of characters.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a gripping tale of duality, morality, and the hidden darkness within the human soul. Set in Victorian London, the story follows the respected scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll, who creates a potion to separate his good and evil sides — only to unleash his monstrous alter ego, Mr. Edward Hyde. As Jekyll’s experiment spirals out of control, the boundaries between man and monster blur, leading to one of the most haunting conclusions in literary history.
This illustrated edition captures the eerie atmosphere and psychological depth of Stevenson’s masterpiece, enhanced by powerful artwork that brings the characters and settings vividly to life. It also includes:
A comprehensive summary to deepen readers’ understanding of the story’s symbolism and moral questions
A biography of Robert Louis Stevenson, exploring his life, imagination, and literary legacy
A character list to help readers follow the intertwined identities and relationships within the novel
A timeless exploration of good and evil, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde remains a cornerstone of classic gothic fiction — perfect for readers who enjoy mystery, suspense, and psychological depth.

Leseprobe

strange case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde

By

robert louis stevenson

ABOUT STEVENSON

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the only child of Thomas Stevenson, a successful lighthouse engineer, and Margaret Balfour Stevenson. From a young age, Robert was a sickly child, often confined to bed due to poor health. During these long periods of illness, he developed a vivid imagination and a love for storytelling, which would later shape his career as a writer. His early exposure to Scottish folklore and ghost stories also had a lasting influence on his work.

Stevenson studied engineering and later law at the University of Edinburgh, but his true passion was writing. He rejected his family’s expectations of becoming an engineer and chose to pursue a literary life instead. His decision caused tension with his father, but Stevenson was determined to follow his artistic calling. During his youth, he traveled widely across Europe, drawing inspiration from the people and places he encountered, which later appeared in his essays and fiction.

His writing career flourished in the 1880s with the publication of Treasure Island, a classic adventure story that brought him instant fame. He followed it with other successful works such as Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, published in 1886. The latter explored the dual nature of humanity — the struggle between good and evil within a single person. This dark and psychological tale became one of his most famous works, showcasing his talent for suspense, imagination, and moral insight.

Stevenson’s health remained fragile throughout his life, and he often traveled in search of a better climate. He eventually settled in Samoa in the South Pacific with his wife, Fanny Osbourne, whom he deeply loved. In Samoa, he became known as “Tusitala,” meaning “teller of tales,” and was admired by the local people for his kindness and generosity. Despite his illness, he continued to write essays, novels, and letters, producing some of his best work during this period.

SUMMARY

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story about the conflict between good and evil within a single person. It follows Dr. Henry Jekyll, a respected scientist in London, who becomes obsessed with separating the good and bad sides of human nature. Through his experiments, he creates a potion that transforms him into a cruel and violent man named Edward Hyde.At first, Dr. Jekyll enjoys his new identity as Mr. Hyde. As Hyde, he can act without guilt or fear of punishment, doing things that Jekyll would never dare to do. However, the more he uses the potion, the stronger Hyde becomes. Hyde commits terrible crimes, including hurting and even killing innocent people, which shocks and frightens the city.Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and friend of Dr. Jekyll, begins to investigate the strange connection between Jekyll and Hyde. He cannot understand why the kind and honorable Dr. Jekyll would protect or give money to such an evil man. The mystery grows deeper when Jekyll suddenly changes his behavior, locking himself in his laboratory and refusing to see anyone.Over time, Dr. Jekyll loses control of his transformations. Even without drinking the potion, he starts to turn into Hyde. Terrified and desperate, he tries to stop the experiments, but it is too late. Hyde’s evil nature completely takes over, and Jekyll can no longer return to his true self. The struggle between the two sides of his personality destroys him from within.In the end, Mr. Utterson and Jekyll’s servant break into the laboratory and find Hyde’s body on the floor. They discover a letter written by Dr. Jekyll explaining everything. The letter reveals that Jekyll and Hyde were the same person all along. The story ends as a dark warning about the dangers of tampering with human nature and the hidden evil that exists inside everyone.

CHARACTERS LIST

Dr. Henry Jekyll – A respected doctor and scientist who creates a potion to separate his good and evil sides, becoming Mr. Hyde.

Mr. Edward Hyde – The dark, violent, and immoral alter ego of Dr. Jekyll; a manifestation of his suppressed evil nature.

Mr. Gabriel John Utterson – A lawyer and Jekyll’s loyal friend who investigates the mystery surrounding Hyde.

Dr. Hastie Lanyon – A respected physician and Jekyll’s old friend who becomes horrified after witnessing Jekyll’s transformation.

Mr. Richard Enfield – Utterson’s cousin and friend who first recounts the strange incident of Hyde trampling a girl.

Poole– Dr. Jekyll’s loyal butler who grows suspicious of his master’s strange behavior.

Sir Danvers Carew – A kind and distinguished gentleman who becomes one of Hyde’s murder victims.

Mr. Guest – Utterson’s clerk and handwriting expert who discovers similarities between Jekyll’s and Hyde’s handwriting.

Bradshaw – A servant of Dr. Jekyll who helps Utterson and Poole break into the laboratory.

The Maid (Witness to the Murder) – A young woman who witnesses Hyde’s brutal attack on Sir Danvers Carew.

Inspector Newcomen – A police officer who investigates the murder of Sir Danvers Carew with Utterson.

The Apothecary (or Chemist) – Mentioned in connection to Jekyll’s scientific experiments and supply of chemicals for his potion.

Story of the Door

Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life. He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. “I incline to Cain’s heresy,” he used to say quaintly: “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.” In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of downgoing men. And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.

No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best, and even his friendships seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good-nature. It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle ready-made from the hands of opportunity; and that was the lawyer’s way. His friends were those of his own blood or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object. Hence, no doubt, the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town. It was a nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common. It was reported by those who encountered them in their Sunday walks, that they said nothing, looked singularly dull, and would hail with obvious relief the appearance of a friend. For all that, the two men put the greatest store by these excursions, counted them the chief jewel of each week, and not only set aside occasions of pleasure, but even resisted the calls of business, that they might enjoy them uninterrupted.

It chanced on one of these rambles that their way led them down a bystreet in a busy quarter of London. The street was small and what is called quiet, but it drove a thriving trade on the weekdays. The inhabitants were all doing well, it seemed, and all emulously hoping to do better still, and laying out the surplus of their gains in coquetry; so that the shop fronts stood along that thoroughfare with an air of invitation, like rows of smiling saleswomen. Even on Sunday, when it veiled its more florid charms and lay comparatively empty of passage, the street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well-polished brasses, and general cleanliness and gaiety of note, instantly caught and pleased the eye of the passenger.

Two doors from one corner, on the left hand going east, the line was broken by the entry of a court; and just at that point, a certain sinister block of building thrust forward its gable on the street. It was two storeys high; showed no window, nothing but a door on the lower storey and a blind forehead of discoloured wall on the upper; and bore in every feature, the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence. The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained. Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels; children kept shop upon the steps; the schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings; and for close on a generation, no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages.

Mr. Enfield and the lawyer were on the other side of the bystreet; but when they came abreast of the entry, the former lifted up his cane and pointed.

“Did you ever remark that door?” he asked; and when his companion had replied in the affirmative, “It is connected in my mind,” added he, “with a very odd story.”

“Indeed?” said Mr. Utterson, with a slight change of voice, “and what was that?”