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The Daily Insight

What does troglodytic mean in Jekyll and Hyde?

Author

Daniel Lopez

Updated on February 22, 2026

A troglodyte is a cave-dweller, and the word is often used to mean a cave-man or type of troll. Dr Fell is the subject of a nursery rhyme about a person disliked for no obvious reason. The combination of 'less than human' , 'troglodytic' , 'foul soul' and 'Dr Fell' reinforces an impression of something inhumanly awful.

What does the term troglodytic refer to in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Utterson's comments to Jekyll suggest that Hyde is more animal than man. Utterson characterizes Hyde's looks as “troglodytic,” so primitive and animalistic that he seems prehistoric.

What does damned juggernaut mean?

Furthermore, Stevenson uses the simile 'like a damned Juggernaut' to describe Hyde, suggesting that Hyde is a strong and powerful force that is condemned by God. The thought of a powerful juggernaut would have scared a Victorian audience, because it steps into the realm of the occult and supernatural.

What does pale and dwarfish suggest?

It also suggests that ideas like Good and Evil are not distinct from each other, but that we all contain elements of both. pale and dwarfish. Hyde is described as “pale and dwarfish.” These adjectives both relate to him being weak or deformed.

What does the phrase Jekyll and Hyde meaning?

Definition of Jekyll and Hyde

: one having a two-sided personality one side of which is good and the other evil.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Symbols | Robert Louis Stevenson

Is Hyde Jekyll me on Netflix?

Watch Hyde, Jekyll, Me | Netflix.

Was Jekyll and Hyde a real person?

The legendary Deacon Brodie (1741-1788), one of Edinburgh's most fascinating characters, the real life inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

What mental illness did Dr Jekyll have?

Jekyll and his counterpart, Mr. Hyde, could be one of manic depressive psychosis. The diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders and emerging psychological theories during the Victorian Era would have influenced Stevenson and the character of Dr.

Who describes Hyde as pale and dwarfish?

"Mr Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile..." Utterson's description of Hyde echoes Enfield's description. The characters that meet Hyde are all convinced that something is "wrong" with him but cannot pinpoint what it is.

Is Mr Hyde deformed?

Hyde is so terrifying to readers because he is "deformed" — visibly disfigured and physically impaired. She points to Stevenson's dehumanization of Hyde as "hardly human" and a "disgustful curiosity" — he is not so much a person as something to be feared and hated through the lens of his disfigurement.

What does unscientific balderdash mean?

Dr Lanyon describes Dr Jekyll's experiments as 'unscientific balderdash', claiming that Jekyll's experiments are ridiculous and not the 'correct' science. "Unscientific balderdash." This shows that Dr Lanyon doesn't agree with Jekyll's experiments or 'believe' in them, as he calls them 'balderdash'. Stubborn.

What does trampled calmly mean?

Paragraph 5: "the man trampled calmly over the child's body and left her screaming on the ground" - Mr Richard Enfield. Juxtaposing ideas - "trampled" has negative connotations of pain while "calmly" has kinder connotations of gentle and quiet. This shows that the man found it easy to do something so sinister.

What does sordid negligence mean?

We are told that 'bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence'. This suggests that it had undergone a long period of neglect. The place is so disused that tramps and children use the space.

What does troglodytic mean?

1. a. often Troglodyte A member of a fabulous or prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes. b. A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.

Why is Hyde described as a troglodyte?

He goes on to say that he sees 'Satan's signature' on Hyde's face. The language used is of things unnatural. A troglodyte is a cave-dweller, and the word is often used to mean a cave-man or type of troll.

What word class is troglodytic?

/ (ˈtrɒɡləˌdaɪt) / noun. a cave dweller, esp one of the prehistoric peoples thought to have lived in caves. informal a person who lives alone and appears eccentric.

Why is Hyde smaller than Jekyll?

Since Hyde represents the purely evil in man (or in Dr. Jekyll), he is, therefore, symbolically represented as being much smaller than Dr.

Why did Hyde trample on the girl?

The respectable response in the situation is to be naturally apologetic and try to make sure that they are alright but Hyde does not do that; he 'trampled calmly over the child's body'. The fact that Hyde can do this to an innocent child makes him a terrifying character.

How is Hyde presented as a terrifying figure?

Throughout the novel, Mr Hyde is presented as an animalistic figure that lacks empathy for others when committing brutal acts of violence. When attacking the old gentleman, Hyde's “ape-like fury” as he tramples his victim creates a separation from humanity, entering the barbaric during this criminal act.

Does a narcissist have a Jekyll and Hyde personality?

Jekyll and Hyde Behavior means that a person acts a certain way one minute, only to be the complete opposite the nest. Narcissists act similarly because they are one person while in a social setting or around other people, but when they are alone and with someone they trust, a whole different personality arises.

What are the 9 symptoms of BPD?

The 9 symptoms of BPD

  • Fear of abandonment. People with BPD are often terrified of being abandoned or left alone. ...
  • Unstable relationships. ...
  • Unclear or shifting self-image. ...
  • Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors. ...
  • Self-harm. ...
  • Extreme emotional swings. ...
  • Chronic feelings of emptiness. ...
  • Explosive anger.

Is Mr. Hyde a psychopath?

But Jekyll's transformed personality Hyde was effectively a sociopath — evil, self-indulgent, and utterly uncaring to anyone but himself. Initially, Jekyll was able to control the transformations, but then he became Hyde involuntarily in his sleep.

Is the Hulk based on Jekyll and Hyde?

Bruce Banner and his alter-ego, the Hulk. The parallels between The Incredible Hulk and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are not coincidental; Stan Lee in 1974 explicitly stated that he was inspired by Jekyll and Hyde along with characters such as Quasimodo, Frankenstein, and Frankenstein's monster.

What was Dr. Jekyll's first name?

Jekyll, in full Henry Jekyll, fictional character, the rational, humanistic protagonist of the novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson.