Key learning points

1. Victorian morality emphasised strict social codes, outward respectability, and repression of personal desires.
2. Public and private personas were vital: people publicly adhered to societal norms and hid immoral behaviour.
3. Jekyll is portrayed as well-liked and respected, whereas Hyde is presented as primitive, violent, and feared.
4. Contrasting language depicts them, reflecting Victorian anxieties about morality and the dark side of human nature.
5. There are subtle similarities between both Jekyll and Hyde, foreshadowing that they are two sides of the same person.

Keywords

• Façade - a deceptive outward appearance hiding a person's true feelings or character

• Debauchery - excessive indulgence in sensory pleasures, often associated with immoral or corrupt behaviour

• Calvinism - a branch of Christianity emphasising discipline, hard work, self-denial and personal responsibility

• Primitive - relating to an early stage of human development; simple, uncivilised or basic

• Primal instincts - innate, fundamental urges or behaviours, often linked to survival and animalistic drives

Common misconception