Hyde’s transformation into Jekyll is presented as a seismic scientific breakthrough.

Myriad questions
are used in the first paragraphs in order to persuade Lanyon to observe the transformation and the
great rewards offered to Lanyon manipulate him into staying. These promises of “new province[s] of
knowledge and new avenues to fame and power shall be laid open to you”. The use of the noun
“knowledge” is particularly appealing to Lanyon as he is a scientist and therefore his job is to learn
more about the world. In addition, as a Victorian gentleman, he is also enticed by the opportunity for
building up his reputation though “fame and power”. These riches will be “laid open to” Lanyon and
the use of the verb “laid” suggests that it is all readily available, and the nature of the experiment is
so groundbreaking that it can almost instantaneously enhance Lanyon’s position in society.
Furthermore, slightly later in the extract, Hyde says to Lanyon “Your sight shall be blasted by a
prodigy to stagger the unbelief of Satan.” The use of the verb “blasted” first of all adds to the
semantic field of agony established later but is also a violent action alluding to the downfall of
Lanyon and the fact that he loses his life some days after witnessing this phenomenon. Moreover,
the verb “stagger” has connotations of disorientation, and it could also foreshadow the disbelief of
Lanyon which could be reflected in the general public which would be shaken by this discovery. In
addition, this verb could also reference the fact that this transcendental science is altering the
natural order of the world which religion has established and hence why this science is illustrated as
controversial in the novella. Furthermore, it links to chapter 2 where Lanyon calls Jekyll’s scientific
field “unscientific balderdash”. The prefix of “un” could allude to the fact that Jekyll’s science does
not seem plausible (to Lanyon). Lastly, the reference of “Satan” provides something for the reader
and Lanyon to relate to since religion was quite deeply engrained in Victorian society. Satan had
turned against God and apparently this experiment would cause the impossible to happen (Satan
turning back to God) reflecting on the unfeasible disposition of this scientific discovery. In addition,
the significance of the reference to Satan could link back to chapter 2 where Utterson said that “if I
ever read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend” which could further
accentuate the fact that Hyde’s soul is entirely evil.

Moreover, Hydes’s transformation into Jekyll is portrayed as sinful and going against the natural
order of the world. In the extract Hydes face began to “swell – suddenly turning black and the
features seemed to melt”. The use of the adjective “black” could allude to the corruption of Jekyll’s
soul under the influence of Hyde and also the colour has connotations of death which perhaps could
allude to Hyde sucking the life out of Jekyll which could also link to chapter 5 where “Dr Jekyll [was]
looking deathly sick. […] held out a cold hand […] in a changed voice”. This quotation could illicit the
relationship between Jekyll and Hyde proving that they cannot both have power and that as Hyde
gains control, Jekyll loses it over his life and gives into his addiction more frequently. The
metamorphosis referenced through the verb “changed” is a common gothic trait emphasising the
supernatural attributes of the novella which is also contra religion illustrating the schism between
religion and science. The significance of the verb “melt” could be indicative of the shock intended to
be felt by the reader succeeding the grotesque imagery which is also implicit of the sinful nature of
transcendental science as it goes beyond “God’s plan”. In addition, during Utterson’s nightmare in
chapter 2, whenever he attempted to picture Hyde, his face “melted before his eyes” which is a
direct correlation between both instances and could also supplement the semantic field of agony
later established by the transformation. Additionally, the religious imagery used by Lanyon towards
the end of the extract could be perceived as him turning his back on science and instead screaming
‘“O God” [he] screamed, and “O God!” again and again’. The use of the verb “screamed” in the
Victorian era was typically regarded as feminine and displayed a lack of restraint on the gentleman’s
part. This suggests that Lanyon was in a complete state of hysteria and disbelief that even as a man
of science who was originally enticed by “fame and power”, now was begging for mercy from God
despite not having done anything immoral. This idea also ties into chapter 7 when Enfield and
Utterson witnessed the beginning of the transformation and even that contorted look was enough to
leave Utterson proclaiming “God forgive us, God forgive us”. Again, they has committed no crime but
still felt as though their souls required cleansing from that pure evil creature which they would have
witnessed. Both of these incidents could refer to the duplicity of mankind where Hyde is
representative of the evil aspect which makes up everyone and hence is why everyone who faces
him is confronted by such a repulsion because we are capable of the evil deeds that Hyde does yet
we restrain ourselves.

The transformation of Hyde into Jekyll is depicted as excruciating. The second to last paragraph of
the extract contains a semantic field of anguish through the use of the verbs such as “reeled”,
“staggered”, “clutched”, “gasping” and the noun “a cry”. During the transition between the two
characters, their opposing desires appear to engage in conflict. The noun “cry” could be the persona
of Hyde voicing the fact that he doesn’t want to turn back into Jekyll and the violent verbs
succeeding this could be suggestive of the internal conflict happening in Jekyll’s mind of whether to
be moral in the future and remain and Jekyll or to become Hyde once more so he can fulfil his guilty
pleasures that he craves. The agony of the transformation is described further in chapter 10 however,
as Jekyll takes the potion more regularly, the transformation becomes even easier which could
perhaps imply that the gap between the evil character of Hyde and the more reputable one of Jekyll
had been bridged meaning that Hyde had influenced Jekyll so much so that he too was turning evil
and his soul black. Later on, during chapter 10 when Jekyll describes his transformation of Hyde into
Jekyll after two months of not taking the potion and then murdering Sir Danvers Carew, this process
seems as painful as ever which could suggest that Jekyll’s conscience had begun to repair while he
wasn’t turning into Hyde and so this led to the gap between the personalities of the characters
becoming bigger. Also, what may have contributed to this could be the remorse that Jekyll felt for the
murder compared to Hyde’s complete nonchalance and sadistic pleasure. Moreover, the potion is
depicted to be “tearing him” which could reference the fact that Hyde is feeding off the strength that
Jekyll has and breaking him apart to keep him weak to allow himself to thrive. Lastly, this could relate
to the end of the extract where Lanyon describes Jekyll as “a man restored from death” which
accentuates the idea of Hyde being a poison sucking the life out of Jekyll.