In the very first transformation Stevenson uses strong verbs to describe the potion in a dramatic way. Stevenson uses these dramatic words to describe the smell and appearance of the potion. At first it is described as a normal potion, Suddenly when mixed it becomes ‘dark purple’, which fades in to ‘watery green’. The colour change shows how evil the potion really is. Mr. Hyde is so keen for Lanyon to watch this transformation take place because he wants to prove to Lanyon that his ‘transcendental medicine’ actually works, which allows Mr. Hyde to transform. Dr. Lanyon agrees to watch the transformation take place because Lanyon has gone too far to walk away. This transformation scene has both dramatic and terrifying physical changes on Mr. Hyde as he takes the potion, and begins to drink the ugly substance. He immediately feels pain the words ‘cry followed’ and ‘inflected eyes’ describe the agony Hyde is in and the terror of the pain is strong. From this point Mr. Hyde’s physical appearance changes, ‘he began to swell’; his face became suddenly black. All of Mr. Hydes features slowly change as they ‘melted and altered’ showing the painful changes that take effect to his face. The final physical effect on Hyde is that he slowly notices his hands become hairy, ‘hands like an ape’. Dr. Lanyon is terrified in this transformation scene to see Mr. Hyde transform in to Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Lanyon’s reactions to this show it all. Firstly we see the actions from Dr. Lanyon trying to move as far as possible away from Dr. Jekyll.
Dr. Lanyon then immediately raises his hands to shield himself from what he has seen through his naked eye, Dr. Lanyon’s words ;O God ! I screamed, and O God again’,
Show that Lanyon is terrified to see what he has never seen before; he did not expect this. The effects of this on Dr. Lanyon are that it changed his life completely. Dr. Lanyon’s life is so totally shaken by that event, that he can no longer sleep through the thought of terror. Dr. Lanyon is seen to be so terrified at all times of day and night, that his mind can hardly function properly, ‘terror sits by me at all hours of day and night’. Dr. Lanyon’s life is overtaken by terror. As a result of this Dr. Lanyon died, ‘ I feel that my days are numbered, and that I must die’.
The second transformation scene is a flash back in the letter written by Dr. Jekyll, telling of the first time he took the potion. Dr. Jekyll hesitates before taking the potion because he knew he was risking his life. He had never tried the potion before and does not know the effects this could cause to him. As Dr. Jekyll mixes the potion he watches the chemicals fizz and boil and release gasses out of the glass and in to the air. The physical effects on Dr. Jekyll after he took the potion in this scene are seen to be devastating, as Dr. Jekyll suddenly feels some kind of grinding in his bones. This may be the fact that he is transforming in to someone much younger than him, as the bones may be grinding in to shape from the bigger to the younger person. Another physical effect on Dr. Jekyll is described as ‘deadly nausea’. Dr. Jekyll also feels a new spirit in him through the transformation he undertakes. This is also another of the physical effects of the transformation from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, ‘a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death’. Stevenson chooses to make this transformation scene dramatic through the use of words and imagery such as, ‘a grinding in the bones’. This gives an image of what actually happed to Dr.Jekyll from an inside view. As well as physical effects there are also pleasant effects on Dr. Jekyll in this scene, as Dr. Jekyll feels he has undergone a change in to a new person. He also feels younger and very sweet this scene also shows us Dr. Jekyll feeling a lot lighter and happier in body, ‘I felt younger, lighter, and happier in body’. Dr. Jekyll in this transformation scene knows he is wicked. This is liberating because he has no guilt or conscience. This is because of the transformation from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll can commit any crime or bad events, and it would be blamed on Mr. Hyde. When Dr. Jekyll changed in to Mr. Hyde he wanted to be able to see his new appearance. There was no mirror at this time in his room so he crosses the yard to the house to see himself in the mirror. It is safe for him to cross because Dr. Jekyll knows that everyone would be asleep because of the time
12 o’clock mid-night. It was very dark at this time, ‘the morning black as it was’.
Mr. Edward Hyde’s appearance is smaller, lighter and younger in difference from
Dr. Jekyll’s appearance but Dr. Jekyll very much likes his new appearance as
Mr. Hyde. He thinks he is more evil looking than his normal self. Dr. Jekyll very well knows people will be disgusted by his new appearance because he looks pure evil and ugly, ‘I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass’. These show Dr. Jekylls new appearance as being pure evil and ugly towards people.
Back in the time Stevenson wrote these two extracts, Victorian readers would have been shocked. Victorians believed strongly in heaven and hell, and on the surface they were respectable but there was also a lot of corruption and crime. The Victorians would have been shocked by Darwin’s theory of evolution, that man had evolved from apes. This was frightening to the Victorians, as they were very religious and believed in the holy book. When Dr. Jekyll transforms in to Mr. Hyde he becomes more ape like. Hair forms on his hands, he’s smaller in posture. The Victorians had never seen anything like this before and it shocks them when this seems to agree with Darwins idea of evolution. When Stevenson wrote this book corruption in society at this time was high, Stevenson was one of the many who led a double life. Stevenson was a very respectable law student who had two very different life styles. By day he was a respectable student studying law by night Stevenson would become caught up in the life style of those criminals and prostitutes. This is seen to be similar to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is first seen to be a good respectable man, but after transforming he is seen to be pure evil. The transformation in the second extract interested me because of the many ways, which Stevenson presented his terrifying use of verbs to show the effects on Mr. Hyde from the first time he took the potion. This transformation shows the slow trap of pain, which
Dr. Jekyll goes through after taking this terrifying substance, which changed his personality.
