Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

'Jekyll and Hyde': writing about Jekyll's culpability in the novella

I can write a nuanced response about the culpability of Jekyll.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

'Jekyll and Hyde': writing about Jekyll's culpability in the novella

I can write a nuanced response about the culpability of Jekyll.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Jekyll makes it clear in his final statement that he was repressed by society and driven to create Hyde.
  2. Some readers may argue that Jekyll shows remorse in his statement, others may disagree.
  3. It can be argued that repression and remorse do not absolve Jekyll of culpability.
  4. Nuanced arguments should acknowledge, and critically dismiss, different ideas.
  5. Tentative language is useful for expressing nuanced ideas.

Common misconception

When analysing, all pupils need is a clear viewpoint.

A clear viewpoint is important, but adding nuance will improve the quality of pupil responses.

Keywords

  • Culpable - deserving blame or being responsible for something wrong or harmful

  • Nuanced - showing a fine and detailed level of understanding

  • Repressed - holding back or suppressing emotions or desires

  • Remorseful - feeling regret or guilt for a wrongdoing

In the second learning cycle, you could stretch and challenge pupils by getting them to write a counter argument to Laura's viewpoint, creating their own paragraph outline.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', at the end of the novella it is revealed Jekyll and Hyde are...
distant relatives.
Correct answer: the same person.
old acquaintances.
Q2.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', it can be argued that most of the characters deeply care about protecting their...
morals
Correct answer: reputation
money
Q3.
In Victorian Britain, Christianity played a large role in both social and aspects of society.
financial
historical
Correct answer: political
Q4.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', it can be argued Jekyll is culpable for the deaths of two characters. What does culpable mean?
Correct answer: deserving of blame
undeserving of blame
deserving of forgiveness
undeserving of forgiveness
Q5.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', describes himself as the "chief of sinners" but the "chief of " also.
Correct Answer: sufferers, Sufferers, sufferers., Sufferers.
Q6.
In Chapter 10 of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Jekyll, on realising 'the truth' about the duality of man, claims that he has been "doomed to such a dreadful ."
Correct answer: shipwreck
nightmare
fate
death

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Jekyll argues that he creates Hyde because he has been by society.
Correct Answer: repressed, Repressed, repressed., Repressed.
Q2.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', it can be argued that Jekyll is culpable for the deaths of Carew and Lanyon. What does this mean?
not guilty or responsible for any wrongdoing; blame-free
Correct answer: deserving blame or being responsible for something wrong or harmful
having good luck or positive outcomes
Q3.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', which of the following quotations could show Jekyll is remorseful for creating Hyde?
Correct answer: “disconsolate prisoner”
“braced and delighted me like wine”
"the most naked possibility of such a miracle”
Correct answer: “chief of sufferers”
Q4.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', which of the quotations is useful for showing Jekyll lacks remorse for creating Hyde?
"Henry Jekyll stood at times aghast before the acts of Edward Hyde”
“sold a slave to my original evil”
Correct answer: “like a schoolboy, [...] spring headlong into the sea of liberty”
Q5.
Which of the following help add nuance to an argument?
Correct answer: using tentative language
having one clear argument
Correct answer: acknowledging, and critically dismissing, a range of ideas
Q6.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', which of the following is not a logical inference from the quotation: "doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck."?
Jekyll has lost control of his immoral desires.
Jekyll believes Hyde was an inevitable result of the duality of man.
Correct answer: Jekyll is completely justified in his decision to create Hyde.