Objectives

• Analyse how Stevenson uses narrative perspective and withheld information in Chapters 1–2 to generate Gothic unease around Hyde.
• Explain how the language used to describe Hyde in Chapters 1 and 2 draws on Victorian degeneration theory to construct him as a threat to bourgeois identity.
• Evaluate how Jekyll's dinner-party scene in Chapter 3 uses the performance of respectability to deepen the novella's central irony about duality.
• Write a fully evidenced analytical paragraph that embeds quotation, comments on specific language choices, and connects to Victorian context.
• Construct an extended argument about how Stevenson presents the theme of good-and-evil across all three chapters, sustaining a line of reasoning across multiple paragraphs.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Sinister Door: First Impressions of Hyde in Chapter 1

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Read the opening paragraph of Chapter 1 that describes Utterson: 'Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance… yet somehow lovable.' Identify three adjectives Stevenson uses for Utterson and, alongside each one, note the opposing quality — the characteristic Utterson appears to lack. Do this quietly in your books before the register is called.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the passage in Chapter 1 where Hyde tramples the young girl: 'the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground.' The adverb 'calmly' carries more weight than 'violently' would—it indicates a lack of emotion rather than just showcasing aggression. This choice aligns with Max Nordau's degeneration theory, which suggests that a degenerate individual lacks moral affect. To help students integrate this analysis into a paragraph, they can use the Point–Evidence–Zoom–Context (PEZC) structure.

   Independent task

   Using the PEZC structure outlined by the teacher, students will craft an analytical paragraph answering the question: 'How does Stevenson portray Hyde as a threat to Victorian society in Chapter 1?' They should choose a quotation from either the trampling scene or Enfield's description of Hyde as 'like a damned Juggernaut,' analyze at least one specific word or phrase, and connect their analysis to a Victorian context (such as degeneration theory, bourgeois respectability, or sensation fiction). The paragraphs will be written in exercise books and submitted to the teacher for assessment at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   On a slip of paper, write one sentence explaining why Stevenson decides to depict Hyde's first act of violence against a child instead of an adult man — how does the victim's vulnerability enhance the reader's perception of Hyde's menace?

2. Lesson 2: Narrative Withholding: What Utterson Cannot See in Chapter 2

   55 min · ch. 2

   Do now

   Open to Chapter 2. Without reading ahead, focus solely on the moment when Utterson first encounters Hyde's face: 'Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation.' Jot down two questions that this description prompts but leaves unanswered, along with one word from the quote that strikes you as particularly vague.

   Teacher input

   Model how Stevenson uses Utterson's limited perspective in Chapter 2 to create narrative withholding. Pay attention to the moment when Utterson asks Hyde to show his face. Hyde complies, yet Utterson still struggles to articulate his disgust: "God bless me, the man seems hardly human! Something troglodytic, shall we say?" Notice how the self-interrupting question, "shall we say?" captures both Utterson's and the reader's difficulty in identifying what is troubling about Hyde. This technique not only builds Gothic suspense but also mirrors Victorian anxieties about degeneration, which could not be openly discussed in polite society.

   Independent task

   Students will revisit the exchange between Utterson and Hyde at the laboratory door in Chapter 2, specifically from 'Will you let me see your face?' to '…he was conscious of some touch of that terror of the law.' Following this, they will compose two analytical paragraphs addressing the question: 'How does Stevenson use Utterson's narrative perspective in Chapter 2 to create a sense of Gothic unease?' The first paragraph should concentrate on a moment of linguistic vagueness in Hyde's description, while the second should discuss how Utterson's role as a lawyer — representing reason and order — makes his inability to identify Hyde's wrongness even more unsettling. Both paragraphs will be submitted at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   If Stevenson had allowed the reader to see Hyde's thoughts in Chapter 2, the sense of mystery surrounding his character would be lost, as it would remove the suspense and ambiguity that keeps the reader guessing about his true nature.

3. Lesson 3: The Mask of Respectability: Jekyll's Dinner Party in Chapter 3

   55 min · ch. 3

   Do now

   Before diving into Chapter 3, take a moment to consider this sentence from it: 'Dr. Jekyll was quite at ease.' Spend three minutes writing about what the word 'quite' could imply here — does it come across as reassuring, ironic, or ambiguous? Draw on your understanding of Jekyll from Chapters 1 and 2 to back up your thoughts.

   Teacher input

   Model a reading of the dinner-party opening of Chapter 3, focusing on the sentence: 'A large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty, with something of a slyish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness.' This sentence captures a man who embodies Victorian bourgeois values, displaying traits like capacity and kindness. However, the use of 'perhaps' and the phrase 'slyish cast' introduce an element of uncertainty, suggesting that there’s more beneath the surface. This hints at the idea that respectability is merely a facade rather than an inherent moral quality. The complexity of this character foreshadows the unfolding of Jekyll's dual existence, where the outward appearance of virtue masks a darker reality.

   Independent task

   Students read the conversation between Utterson and Jekyll in Chapter 3, starting from 'I have been wanting to speak to you, Jekyll' and ending with Jekyll's reply: 'I do sincerely take a great, a very great interest in that young man.' They will then write a structured response consisting of three paragraphs to the question: 'How does Stevenson use the conversation between Utterson and Jekyll in Chapter 3 to present identity as a performance?' The first paragraph should analyze Jekyll's language as he defends Hyde; the second paragraph should explore what Utterson's reluctance to question Jekyll further reveals about the Victorian codes of male friendship and discretion; the third paragraph should evaluate whether the reader is meant to trust Jekyll at this stage in the novella. Responses will be written in books and self-assessed using the PEZC criteria before submission.

   Exit ticket

   Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more about a situation than one or more characters, creating tension or humor. In Chapter 3, the reader suspects that there is a deeper connection between Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, which Utterson remains unaware of.

4. Lesson 4: Duality Across the Novella: Building a Sustained Argument

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Look at these three quotations, one from each chapter: Ch.1 — 'the man trampled calmly over the child's body'; Ch.2 — 'God bless me, the man seems hardly human!'; Ch.3 — 'every mark of capacity and kindness.' Rank them in order of how strongly each supports the idea that Stevenson presents good and evil as inseparable, and include one sentence explaining why you chose the top-ranked quotation.

   Teacher input

   Model how to create a multi-paragraph argument that spans across chapters instead of following a chronological order. Using the question "How does Stevenson present the duality of human nature across Chapters 1–3?", start with a thesis statement that asserts a claim about the entire novella. Then, illustrate how to organize evidence from Chapter 1 (the trampling incident), Chapter 2 (Hyde's unnameable deformity), and Chapter 3 (Jekyll's dinner-party mask) in a way that builds an argument rather than just reiterating points. Emphasize that each paragraph should develop the claim further, rather than merely supporting it with an additional quote.

   Independent task

   Students create a complete essay plan that includes a thesis, three topic sentences, a quotation for each paragraph, and a contextual link per paragraph. They then draft the first two paragraphs of a response to the question: 'How does Stevenson use the character of Hyde across Chapters 1–3 to explore Victorian anxieties about identity and respectability?' This plan is submitted along with the drafted paragraphs, allowing the teacher to evaluate whether the student's execution aligns with their intended approach. Students who complete this task early annotate their second paragraph to indicate where they have focused on language and where they have made connections to context.

   Exit ticket

   Craft a thesis sentence for the essay question in the independent task — a single sentence that articulates a specific, debatable claim about how Stevenson portrays Hyde, without using the term 'shows.'

5. Lesson 5: Fear, Freedom and Despair: Evaluating Stevenson's Vision of Human Nature

   60 min · ch. 1, 2, 3

   Do now

   Revisit Jekyll's line from Chapter 3: 'I would trust you before any man alive, ay, before myself, if I could make the choice.' Spend four minutes writing about what Jekyll means by 'if I could make the choice.' What choice is he talking about, and what could be preventing him from making it? Draw on your understanding of the entire novella's plot to shape your response.

   Teacher input

   Jekyll's character presents a complex interplay of interpretations, particularly highlighted in Chapter 3 when he tells Utterson that the matter is 'one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking.' On one hand, one might view Jekyll as a victim of his own scientific ambition, a man trapped by the very experiments he pursued in the name of progress. His initial intentions were noble, aimed at uncovering the duality of human nature; yet, as he grapples with the consequences of his actions, he seems to be spiraling into despair. However, this interpretation becomes more complicated when considering a second reading: Jekyll consciously embraced the freedoms that Hyde represents, willingly stepping into a life of indulgence and chaos. Now, faced with the fallout of that choice, he attempts to rationalize his guilt by suggesting that some issues cannot be resolved through mere conversation. The choice of the verb 'mended' is particularly telling. It evokes notions of repair and damage, suggesting that there is something broken within him that he cannot fix through discussion alone. This supports the darker reading of Jekyll as a man attempting to justify his moral failings, rather than simply lamenting his fate as a victim of circumstance. Thus, while Jekyll's ambition may have initially victimized him, it is ultimately his own choices and the subsequent rationalization of those choices that reveal a more troubling aspect of his character.

   Independent task

   Students will compose a complete, timed analytical response consisting of four to five paragraphs to the question: "How does Stevenson explore the themes of fear and freedom in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, specifically in Chapters 1, 2, and 3?" At least one paragraph must evaluate two differing interpretations of a single moment in the text, and another paragraph should link their analysis to the Victorian context, such as degeneration theory, bourgeois identity, or the Gothic tradition. Responses will be written under timed conditions and submitted for summative assessment.

   Exit ticket

   In conclusion, Stevenson effectively portrays the complex relationship between fear and freedom throughout the essay. The most compelling piece of evidence from Chapters 1–3 is the transformation of Mr. Hyde, which vividly illustrates how fear can both liberate and imprison an individual. A reader in 1886 might have found this transformation particularly disturbing due to the prevailing societal norms regarding morality and the fear of the unknown, which starkly contrasts with contemporary views on identity and human behavior.

Activities

Assessment

• Lesson 1 exit ticket: checks whether students can articulate the narrative effect of Hyde's victim being a child, not merely identify that a child is present.
• Lesson 1 PEZC paragraph: checks whether students can zoom into a specific word (e.g. 'calmly,' 'Juggernaut') rather than paraphrasing the event.
• Lesson 2 exit ticket: checks whether students understand narrative perspective as a deliberate structural choice, not a neutral feature of the text.
• Lesson 3 exit ticket: checks whether students can define dramatic irony and locate it in a specific moment in Chapter 3, not define it in the abstract.
• Lesson 4 thesis sentence: checks whether students can construct an arguable, specific claim rather than a statement of fact or a plot summary.
• Lesson 5 evaluative paragraph: checks whether students can hold two competing readings simultaneously and reach a judged conclusion rather than simply choosing one side.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.6 — Analyse a case in which grasping a point of view or cultural experience requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that makes a defensible claim about the literary text and supports that claim with relevant evidence.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including connotation and figurative meaning.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view, including the effect of narrative distance and reliability, in a literary text.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of a character, including how character complexity contributes to the meaning of a literary work.
• Context (CON-1) — Explain the relationship between a literary work and the historical, cultural or social context in which it was produced.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written, read and received.
• AO5 — Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to the writer's use of language, form and structure.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including the ways in which texts relate to each other and to literary traditions.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Knowledge, understanding and interpretation: demonstrate detailed knowledge of the text and develop a persuasive interpretation supported by well-chosen references.
• Criterion B — Analysis and evaluation: analyse how the author's stylistic choices (diction, narrative structure, characterisation) create meaning and effect.
• Criterion C — Focus and organisation: sustain a clear, logical line of argument across the whole response with an effective introduction and conclusion.