Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Setting

Setting Setting is what good writers use to bring their writing to life, it can create an enjoyable read for the reader by showing environments and surroundings which can give a bigger image of what a character is like.

Setting In Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson uses setting brilliantly in Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. Setting is a very important part of the novel. Because it is set in Victorian England it allows the reader to be more sympathetic towards Jekyll as it is understandable why he wanted to let the inner ‘hyde’ loose.

Examples The setting of Victorian England shows the contrast between rich and poor – almost as though Stevenson is making a comment on our own world. Stevenson’s use of setting creates a gothic or morbid novella, for example… Murders Dr Jekyll’s hidden cabinet The door Strange happenings and events Potions and experiments

The Door to the Cabinet The setting of the door makes the reader long to see what is behind it. It shows the reader that there are secrets hidden behind it as the description show there is no handle and no knocker meaning that whatever is behind it does not want to be disturbed.

Where the characters live. Dr Lanyon – Cavendish Square. It is a nice part of London known for it’s wealth. Edward Hyde – Soho A run down part of London known for drug use and crime. Where a character lives can often give the reader a more vivid image of what a character is like.

Events Stevenson has used setting to create a stage for events to happen. In The Carew Murder Case (chapter4) Stevenson creates a setting perfect for a murder to take places by using the moon and the night sky which has influenced Hyde to commit a murder whereas the sun or daylight might not have led him to commit a murder.