Jekyll's Will and Its Revisions

The legal documents that drive the plot, from the original will favoring Hyde to the revised will naming Utterson.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Original Will

The Original Will A Strange Document Mr. Utterson has long been troubled by Jekyll's will. It leaves everything to Edward Hyde, and includes a clause that in case of Jekyll's disappearance for more than three months, Hyde inherits immediately. Utterson finds it offensive and mad. The Lawyer's Objection Utterson refused to help in the making of the will. He now fears that it is the result of some scandal or disgrace. He cannot understand why Jekyll would so favor a man like Hyde. The Will as a Clue The will is the first major clue that there is a connection between Jekyll and Hyde. It raises the question of why Jekyll would trust Hyde so completely.

The Second Will

The Second Will A New Testament After the break-in, Utterson finds a second will on the business table. It is drawn in the same eccentric terms, but in place of Hyde's name, it reads Gabriel John Utterson. Utterson is amazed. The Implication Hyde, who had been in possession of the cabinet for days, had not destroyed this document. He must have raged to see himself displaced, but he left it. Utterson realizes that Hyde must have been prevented from destroying it. The Mystery Deepens This new will suggests that Jekyll was trying to undo his mistake, but it also shows that Hyde was still in control. The document is a testament to Jekyll's desperate attempts to escape his fate.

before the story begins, when Jekyll first made it

the last night, discovered in the cabinet