AQA GCSE English Literature: Key Quotes You Must Know for Every Text (2025) – Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our most essential GCSE English Literature revision series for AQA students preparing for 2025 exams. If you haven’t yet read Part 1 (covering Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Flies, and A Christmas Carol), we recommend starting there. The link is https://englishmadesimple.org/aqa-gcse-english-literature-key-quotes-you-must-know-for-every-text/

or you can simply click on this link.

In this article, we’ll unpack the top quotes you MUST know for Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Romeo and Juliet, and Pride and Prejudice. For each text, we’ll explore key quotations with context, analysis, and exam relevance—perfect for embedding in essays and boosting your grades.

Whether you’re aiming for a grade 5 or pushing for grade 9, knowing the right quotes and how to use them is key. Let’s dive into the texts featured on the AQA 2025 GCSE English Literature syllabus.

---

📘 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explores themes of ambition, responsibility, the dangers of unchecked science, and the search for identity. Here are the essential quotes that every student should have in their arsenal.

1. “I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.”

• Context: The Creature speaks to Victor, drawing a Biblical comparison.

• Analysis: Links to Paradise Lost, showing the Creature’s awareness and his emotional intelligence. Themes of abandonment, creation, and responsibility surface here.

• Why it matters: Perfect for essays on isolation, religion, or the nature vs. nurture debate.

2. “Learn from me… how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge.”

• Context: Victor warns Walton early in the novel.

• Analysis: A foreshadowing device that shows the destructive potential of obsession. Shows Victor’s arrogance and tragic flaw.

• Exam tip: Use this when discussing hubris and ambition.

3. “The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.”

• Context: Victor reflects on his thirst for discovery.

• Analysis: Captures his dangerous curiosity and reinforces the theme of Enlightenment vs. Romanticism.

• Key theme: Science, ambition, obsession.

4. “I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!”

• Context: Victor reacts to the Creature’s appearance.

• Analysis: The irony and horror in this exclamation reflect the failure of idealism. It also marks the beginning of Victor’s regret and the Creature’s suffering.

---

🧪 The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This Gothic novella is a staple of the 19th-century fiction paper. It interrogates duality, repression, and Victorian morality.

1. “Man is not truly one, but truly two.”

• Context: Jekyll reflects on human nature.

• Analysis: The central thesis of the novella—duality. Stevenson suggests every person has a darker side that society forces them to suppress.

• Exam tip: Use when discussing duality, identity, or Victorian hypocrisy.

2. “The moment I choose, I can be rid of Mr Hyde.”

• Context: Jekyll’s naive belief in his control.

• Analysis: Dramatic irony—he underestimates Hyde’s power. Explores the dangers of repressed desires.

• Why it matters: Brilliant for essays on power, addiction, or the consequences of moral failure.

3. “Something downright detestable.”

• Context: Enfield describes Hyde.

• Analysis: The vagueness of Hyde’s appearance is deliberate. It reflects Victorian anxieties about the unknown and otherness.

• Language tip: Explore how Stevenson uses ambiguous language to evoke fear.

4. “I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”

• Context: Final lines of Jekyll’s confession.

• Analysis: The tragic tone and passive phrasing highlight the loss of self and identity. Jekyll no longer sees himself as in control.

• Themes: Tragedy, identity, self-destruction.

---

💔 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

In AQA’s Shakespeare section, Romeo and Juliet remains one of the most studied and frequently examined texts. It’s a goldmine for themes such as love, fate, conflict, and youth.

1. “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.”

• Context: Prologue.

• Analysis: From the beginning, fate is presented as inescapable. “Star-crossed” signifies doomed by the stars.

• Exam tip: Reference this in any essay about destiny, foreshadowing, or dramatic irony.

2. “O brawling love! O loving hate!”

• Context: Romeo’s early speech about Rosaline.

• Analysis: Oxymorons highlight Romeo’s immaturity and emotional confusion.

• Theme link: Love as a source of both joy and destruction.

3. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

• Context: Friar Laurence warns Romeo.

• Analysis: The danger of passionate love. The line is prophetic and deeply ironic.

• High-grade insight: Use this to explore foreshadowing and moral complexity.

4. “My only love sprung from my only hate!”

• Context: Juliet discovers Romeo’s identity.

• Analysis: The paradox captures the tension between personal desire and familial loyalty. Great for conflict essays.

5. “Thus with a kiss I die.”

• Context: Romeo’s final words.

• Analysis: Tragic and tender. The kiss signifies both love and fatality.

• Tip: Perfect conclusion to a tragedy essay.

---

👒 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This beloved novel offers sharp social commentary wrapped in a romantic narrative. Focus on love, marriage, class, and individual growth.

1. “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”

• Context: Famous opening line.

• Analysis: Satirical tone mocks societal obsession with marriage. Sets the stage for Austen’s critique of gender roles.

• Exam tip: Excellent for openings and structure-focused essays.

2. “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.”

• Context: Darcy’s first slight toward Elizabeth.

• Analysis: Irony—this moment begins their romantic arc. Reflects Darcy’s pride.

• Use this: To show character development over time.

3. “My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”

• Context: Darcy to Elizabeth.

• Analysis: Highlights Darcy’s rigidity and moral judgement. Useful for exploring social pride and character flaws.

4. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

• Context: Darcy’s first proposal.

• Analysis: Formal, passionate language. Reveals depth of emotion, but also entitlement.

• Advanced insight: Contrast with his second, more respectful proposal.

5. “Till this moment I never knew myself.”

• Context: Elizabeth after reading Darcy’s letter.

• Analysis: Key moment of self-awareness and growth. Reflects Austen’s theme of self-reflection leading to change.

• Perfect for: Character growth or transformation essays.

---

🎓 Exam Strategy: How to Use Quotes Effectively

Knowing quotes is one thing. Using them to hit the AOs (Assessment Objectives) is another.

• AO1: Use the quote to back up a clear argument.

• AO2: Analyse language, structure or form. Pick out techniques like metaphor, irony, or oxymoron.

• AO3: Link the quote to context. For example, “In Victorian society…” or “In the Romantic era…”.

Top Tip: Learn 3-5 flexible quotes per character or theme. Focus on those that show change, conflict, or key ideas.

---

🔁 Recap: Must-Know Quotes by Theme

Here’s a quick table to help organise your revision.

---

🔥 Final Thoughts

This second part of our GCSE English Literature Key Quotes Series for AQA 2025 provides you with the critical tools to excel in your exams. Whether you’re revising Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Romeo and Juliet, or Pride and Prejudice, precision is power. Focus on quotes that:

• Anchor strong arguments

• Reveal character or theme development

• Show awareness of context

If you commit these to memory—and know how to use them—you’ll be well on your way to unlocking those top grades.

Stay tuned for Part 3, where we’ll break down key quotes for Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, The Sign of Four, and The Tempest.

Good luck with your 2025 exams — and check out lots of our other articles on GCSE English language and literature from the list below.