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Year 11 - English

Considering doors and windows as key motifs in Stevenson's 'Jekyll and Hyde'

Jekyll & Hyde: the divided city

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the importance of settings in 'Jekyll and Hyde'. They first look at how Stevenson subverts our expectations of gothic settings, before looking at different settings and motifs in the novella. They finally do a detailed analysis of the 'Incident at the window' extract.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to analyse the significance of doors and windows in 'Jekyll and Hyde'.

Key Notes

  • Windows and doors are motifs in 'Jekyll and Hyde', linking to themes of liminality, duality and secrecy.
  • The door used by Hyde is "blistered" which suggests the degradation and corruption that character represents.
  • The door to Jekyll's home is opened by a well dressed servant in keeping with his role as a proper Victorian gentleman.
  • Windows provide an ambiguous motif in that they look transparent, but they can be made into a barrier.
  • The door to Jekyll's room has to be forced open showing how hard it is to arrive at the truth.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • duality: The term duality refers to the state of combining two different things.
  • threshold: A threshold is the point between two rooms or the level at which something starts.
  • liminal: We describe things as liminal when they exist in an uncertain space between two distinct spaces.
  • respectable: If you are respectable, your character, appearance or behaviour is socially acceptable.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That Stevenson presents good and evil as complete opposites.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Windows and doors are motifs in 'Jekyll and Hyde', linking to themes of liminality, duality and secrecy. The door used by Hyde is "blistered" which suggests the degradation and corruption that character represents.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'duality'

The term duality refers to the state of combining two different things.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: That Stevenson presents good and evil as complete opposites. Correction: Remind students how easily Hyde and Jekyll blur into one.

More Lessons In This Unit

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