In the novella Stevenson draws attention to the idea of a good and bad personality. This dualism that is followed throughout the novella illustrating the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll says that dualism is a part of“man’s dual nature.” (Page 76). A fraction of this dualism is good and evil. The character Henry Jekyll is fixated on the separation of personalities, and he created a potion to do so ”I had learned to dwell with pleasure,...on the thought of separation of these elements.” (Page 76) he believes that the separation of these identities he would be “relieved of all that was unbearable;...doing good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace...of this extraneous evil.” (Page 78). He soon learned
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde felt they could choose, between the two, of how they felt, and how they were displayed. Jekyll’s potion resulted in pure evil, rather than good, because he was trying so hard to separate the two, he became more evil, “Enough then, that I not only recognized my natural body from the mere aura and effulgence of certain of the powers that made up my spirit, but managed to compound a drug by which these powers should be dethroned from their supremacy, and a second form and countenance substituted, none the less natural to me because they were the expression, and bore the stamp of lower elements in my soul” (43). This quote is a representation of the how Dr. Jekyll took the potion to get out, of Mr. Hyde, but instead it killed him, leaving Mr. Hyde to live. Dr. Jekyll believed that he could choose which one that he could be, even though either way it was not going to turn out how he wanted, “Between these two, I now felt I had to choose. My two natures had memory in common, but all other faculties were most unequally shared between them” (48). Dr. Jekyll is explaining that by choosing between the two personalities of him, either way he was not going to what he wanted to be, because it came with consequences to be either person. Also when Dr. Jekyll produced the evil version of himself, he was trying to separate the evil factors, resulting in both success and failure in many ways, “That night I had come to the fatal cross-roads. Had I approached my discovery in a more noble spirit, had I risked the experiment while under the empire of generous or pious aspirations, all must have been otherwise, and from these agonies of death and birth, I had come forth an angel instead of a fiend”(45). These quotes all show the same subjects present, with that being that one cannot separate the differences between good and evil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde had two different personalities, one, which is being evil, and a killer, the other being, good, and a nice
From the beginning of time, humans have questioned the validity of intrinsic duality of man. Are humans born with both pure goodness and pure evilness or is the latter cultivated? In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one man, a scientist named Henry Jekyll, concludes that all men are both good and evil, so he decided to separate the two natures within one body. The outcome of his experiment resulted in the formation of a somewhat different product than he had imagined a creature by the name of Edward Hyde. Although Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are the souls of one body, there are differences and similarities in their appearance and personality that illustrate the natural duality of good and evil within a man.
In the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson provides insight into the inner workings of the duality that exists within humans. Dr. Jekyll is a well-respected doctor in his community while his differing personality Mr. Hyde is hideous and considered by the public as evil based on appearance. As the novel progresses Dr. Lanyon begins to investigate Mr. Hyde, he begins to realize similarities between both Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll such as their handwriting which results in the discovery that they are the same person. Dr. Jekyll is able to transform himself into Mr. Hyde by drinking a serum he has created which was intended to purify his good. Stevenson stresses the duality of good and evil that exists
Though the novel is narrated by Jekyll’s old friend, now lawyer, Mr. Utterson, the major focal point in the novel is Jekyll’s experiment where he develops a potion to separate the good and the bad portions of one’s soul. After testing the potion on himself, the disgusting, sneaky, and sly Mr. Edward Hyde is born, or rather separated from Jekyll. By using characterization and symbolism in his novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores dualism in human nature, explaining how good and evil can coexist in a single being.
In the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, readers are shown the contrast between one’s personal desires and public desires or one’s good side and evil side. These are the things that help stimulate the psychological development of a person and are what keeps us humans balanced, personality wise. However, when one denies the significance of this by repressing them, things can definitely go wrong. Readers can apply this knowledge into one of the major characters, Dr. Henry Jekyll, who finds the need to repress his darker side due to fear of crossing social expectations. Upon doing so, Jekyll slowly becomes selfish, and full of pride. Also, the purpose of the potion he creates to help him transform into his evil doppelganger , Mr. Hyde, ultimately fails when he finds himself having to repress Hyde as well. Lastly, Jekyll’s repression also leads to the unfortunate end of the book, the disappearance both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Therefore, through Dr. Jekyll’s character, Stevenson proves that repressing emotions or desires does not make them fade away; they will eventually come up again stronger than before and can dominate a person completely.
Within the same passage, Jekyll remarks that he became “conscious of a heady recklessness” and felt “more wicked, tenfold more wicked” (54). These subtle descriptions appear to be somewhat hidden as Dr. Jekyll’s euphoria overwhelming fills the page and, as a result, may fool the reader into believing that succumbing to certain desires is simply natural. However, Stevenson wittingly choses to add minute details to demonstrate that Jekyll is gradually, yet unknowingly, losing his “better half.” Through his joy, the author is able to reflect how humans can be unaware of the monstrous actions they are partaking in, bringing a sense of unease to the reader. By welcoming this monster, Stevenson is able to convey the notion that humans all have wicked desires hidden within. The moment one unleashes such desires out is the moment one loses their humanity.
Reinterpretations have played a major role in all forms of entertainment. They provide another, unique perspective on something old, something you may have read or seen. They make it possible to relive, or re-experience something that you cherished, or they can enable you to love something you hated. Reinterpretations have a lot of artistic power, as can be seen in a review of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, compared to The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier. The value of reinterpretations can be explored through the use of these two texts by looking at the theme of duplicity in man, and analysing the characters Bruce Banner and Dr Jekyll.
the desire to do what he wanted, to go against the rigid rules of the
In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde it is regarded that these identities are two different persons but this is not the case, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are one in the same. There is much confusion when reading this literary work by Robert Louis Stevenson; this piece is regarded as horrific and disturbing in many ways. But the biggest twist is when it is reveled to the reader that these two people are the same and that below the surface of Dr.Jekyll is an evil man who enjoys committing evil acts. Mainly that Dr. Jekyll believes he has no choice but to commit these horrid acts because he has no control over is evil side. I don’t believe this is the case, Hyde isn’t a real person and doesn’t exist, nor is he someone who commits
“His Master Hyde, if he were studied," thought he, "must have secrets of his own; black secrets, by the look of him; secrets compared to which poor Jekyll's worst would be like sunshine.” (Stevenson 11). Though Dr. Jekyll is seen as the perfect man he still has his flaws, he knows no happiness. Jekyll did all he could to bring joy into his life, but was always let down by not truly experiencing it. As an act to try to find happiness he created an alter ego, Hyde, whom brings him happiness along with many troubles.
In “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author includes the important theme of duality of human nature. Every person has more than one side to them, even if you can’t always see it. For example, Dr. Jekyll had a dual personality. He was a well-respected doctor with good morals and values. Obviously, he was a perfect and noble Victorian Gentleman, right?
In the fantastique that is Robert Louis Stevenson’s, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson writes of an idea where among human nature is a quality of duality in which the “good” and the “bad” coincide and “man is not truly one, but truly two.” (Stevenson 62) The main protagonist of the piece a Dr. Henry Jekyll embodies this idea with his scientific ambitions of dichotomizing these two aspects of human nature in order to purify himself. His fate in this way is a direct result of his desires to release himself of the evils that once influenced him as a child. As Mr. Hyde Jekyll’s so called troglodytic counterpart emerges, ironically he slowly begins to take control of the doctor's moral compass.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” is about the duality of human nature and it states that social norms and moral values control one’s evil side.
“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is mystery story which is written by Robert Louis Stevenson. This story was written in 1885 and published in 5 January, 1886. This story is accepted as the best novel of the Stevenson in Victorian Age.
In this novel Stevenson's characters, Jekyll and Hyde, are stereotypes of people who are 'good' and 'evil'. The good is the friendly doctor (the caring profession) and the evil is the hunched, ugly murderer. These two stereotypes combine to create the average man who has the capacity to be both 'good' and 'evil', and they have both 'good' and 'evil' thoughts and emotions. All people