Character Profile: Edward Hyde

Edward Hyde is one of the central characters in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The novella explores themes of duality, morality, and darker sides of human nature. Hyde is introduced as the violent amoral counterpart to the kind and respectable Dr Henry Jekyll. While Jekyll represents the polite and socially acceptable side of Victorian society, Hyde embodies all of Jeyll’s suppressed desires and violent instincts. In the story, Hyde emerges whenever Jekyll takes a special potion, transforming into a different person with a new appearance and personality. 

Physically, Edward Hyde is described a smaller and younger than Jekyll, suggesting his character is underdeveloped, almost like a child or unfinished version of Jekyll. Hyde’s physical smallness reflects that he is not the primary identity, that he represents a dark, hidden part, that was never meant to have power. Hyde’s appearance is disturbing and unsettling to those who see him, even if they cannot identity exactly what makes him so horrific. Enfield says at the end of chapter 1:

‘He’s not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked and yet I scarce know why.’

Stevenson gives only vague details about Hyde’s looks, focusing instead on the unsettling reactions he provokes in others, which leaves much to the reader’s imagination. This heightens Hyde's sense of menace and mystery and keeps him partly hidden.

The relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is not just physical, by psychological and symbolic. Stevenson uses Hyde as a representation of the id, the part of the human psyche that seeks pleasure and avoids pain without regard of morality or consequences. In contrast, Jekyll represents the ‘superego’, the part that is concerned with social rules, ethics, and self-control. Jekyll’s experiment allows him to separate these two aspects of himself, but at a terrible cost. The more he indulges in the freedom that Hyde offers, the more he beings to lose control. Eventually, Hyde starts to appear without the potion, showing how the darker side of Jekyll’s nature is gaining strength and starts to take over.

However, Stevenson also uses Hyde to show the dangers of denying one’s own nature and trying to live a completely divided life. By giving into Hyde’s freedom from responsibility and morality, Jekyll starts down a path that eventually leads to tragedy. Hyde’s increasing power over Jekyll shows that it’s impossible to separate good and evil completely. Hyde’s evil doesn’t remain confirmed but grows stronger. In the end, Jekyll realises he cannot control Hyde, leading to his downfall. 

For students studying Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, it’s important to understand Hyde as more than just a character in a horror story. He represents a deeper, psychological and moral struggle within Jekyll and within society as a whole. Stevenson’s portrayal of Hyde invites readers to question what might happen if people were able to unleash their hidden desires without consequence. Hyde serves as both a cautionary figure and a reflection of the human condition, making him a powerful and memorable character.