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Year 11
Edexcel

Dr. Lanyon in 'Jekyll and Hyde': a curious character

I can make links between the characterisation of Lanyon and Stevenson’s key themes of hypocrisy and concealment.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Dr. Lanyon in 'Jekyll and Hyde': a curious character

I can make links between the characterisation of Lanyon and Stevenson’s key themes of hypocrisy and concealment.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Lanyon may seem like a foil to Jekyll, but ultimately he also succumbs to his curiosity
  2. Lanyon and Jekyll have opposing scientific views: Lanyon more conventional, whereas Jekyll pushes boundaries
  3. By including their two first person narratives at the end of the novella, Stevenson invites comparison between the men
  4. Despite the tension between them, Lanyon continues to protect Jekyll's reputation until after his death
  5. Lanyon makes an active choice to witness Hyde's transformation, suggesting that he shares in the blame for his death

Common misconception

Whether Dr. Lanyon being a foil for Dr. Jekyll is a straightforward answer.

Whether Lanyon is a foil for Jekyll is debatable. They have clear differences (e.g. scientific views) but similarities too (curiosity).

Keywords

  • Foil - In literature, a foil is a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight or accentuate some aspect of the main character.

  • Pedant - A pedant is someone who is excessively concerned with minor details.

  • Rational - If something is based on reason or logic then it is rational.

  • Complicity - Complicity is when someone is involved in an activity with others that is unlawful or morally wrong.

  • Concealment - If you are hiding something or preventing it being known, this is known as concealment.

Dr. Lanyon only makes a handful of appearances in the novella. Consider creating a timeline of his appearances so students are aware of his actions in the novella and when they take place.
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

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match these characters from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' to their professions.
Correct Answer:Lanyon,Doctor

Doctor

Correct Answer:Jekyll,A chemical doctor

A chemical doctor

Correct Answer:Danvers Carew,MP

MP

Correct Answer:Poole,Butler

Butler

Correct Answer:Utterson,Lawyer

Lawyer

Q2.
In what year was the novella 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' first published?
Correct answer: 1886
1896
1876
1866
Q3.
Which of the below best describes the relationship between Lanyon and Jekyll at the start of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?
Correct answer: They were once friends but are no longer.
They are firm friends who see each other regularly.
They were once friends but could now be classed as enemies.
They were never friends, merely old colleagues.
Q4.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', what do Jekyll and Lanyon both have in common?
Correct answer: They both die in the novella.
Correct answer: They both witness the transformation.
Correct answer: They are both doctors.
They both are capable of transformation.
Q5.
What is the definition of the word 'concealment'? Here it is used in a sentence: 'The detective discovered a clever concealment of evidence in the suspect's home.'
Correct answer: Hiding something or preventing it being known.
Publicising something so that it is widely known.
Forgetting about something so that it is never remembered.
Changing something so that it is now different.
Q6.
What is the definition of the word 'rational'? Here it is used in a sentence: 'Making a rational decision requires careful consideration of all available information.'
Correct answer: Based on reason and logic.
Based on assumption and guesswork.
Based on spirituality and mysticism.
Based on experience and past memories.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is being described here: 'a secondary character whose purpose is to highlight or accentuate some aspect of the main character.'?
Correct Answer: foil, a foil, Literary foil, a literary foil
Q2.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Lanyon famously describes Jekyll's scientific work as 'unscientific ...'
Correct answer: balderdash
codswallop
gibberish
nonsense
Q3.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Dr. Lanyon's approach to science is...
experimental and radical.
Correct answer: rational and conventional.
eccentric and wild.
Ridiculous and wrong.
Q4.
In what ways are Jekyll and Lanyon arguably most similar in 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?
Their scientific experimentation.
Correct answer: Their scientific curiosity.
Their scientific ethics.
Their scientific pursuits.
Q5.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', Dr. Lanyon keeps Jekyll's transformation secret therefore also hiding his crimes. Arguably, this is an example of...
Correct answer: complicity.
eccentricity.
duplicity.
innocence.
Q6.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', the extent to which Dr. Lanyon is a foil for Dr. Jekyll is...
Correct answer: debatable, they share similarities but also differences.
clear, they are total opposites.
ridiculous, they are both hypocritical Victorian gentlemen.