The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

Every human being consists of qualities that form to either their good or bad side. No one is purely good or evil. To try to fit in society, people are willing to do whatever it takes to hide any characteristics that might fall short of the social norm. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the characters demonstrate how every human being consists of both qualities and how people suppress the qualities that are undesired by society in order to fit in. However, after a while people can no longer stand to hide part of who they are which leads people to substance use to take away their conscience in order to show their dark side.

Among the words used to describe the elitist Victorians, “hypocrites” may very well be the most popular. This supposed generation of “Do-Gooders,” with their heightened sense of morality, repressed sexuality and increased piety, were actually far from perfect. They had an exceptional list of standards by which they claimed to dutifully abide, but more often than not fell short of. The Victorians were, in the words of literary critic Walter Houghton, brilliant actors able to “[conceal] or [suppress] their true convictions and their natural tastes” (146). The matter of Victorian hypocrisy, as it has come to be known, has been scrutinized by a plethora of critics and authors alike. However, the moral façade that has come to be associated with the Victorian era was perhaps first criticized in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Apart from being an exceptional Gothic work, Stevenson’s novella is an excellent critique of the hypocrisy that dominated the Victorian era. In his novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to expose the double standards and moral pretensions that governed Victorian society.

There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth. Which wolf wins? The one you feed. - Old Cherokee Proverb. This quote explains that within us all, there is the battle good and evil. It explains the duality of the human condition, and that we all have the potential to be very good, but also extremely evil, a concept that Robert Louis Stevenson dabbles in throughout the course of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This concept, also illustrates the theme of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde perfectly, as the theme is good vs evil, or more specifically the dual nature of humans, and how good and evil exists within ourselves. That good vs evil can be an internal struggle, as well as a physical battle. Some argue that the theme of Jekyll and Hyde could be Friendship, Lies and Deceit, or Sacrifice, however it is evident that the theme is good versus evil for several reasons.

Gothic Literature Mini Assignment Compare and contrast the way the writers use plot, character and setting to increase tension and atmosphere in the opening chapter of ‘Varney the Vampire’ and ‘Dracula’. Both ‘Varney the Vampire’ and ‘Dracula’ create a tense and suspenseful atmosphere in their opening chapters as the typically gothic language (“solemn tones”, “air thick and heavy”) and imagery immediately incites in the reader a sense of foreboding and unease. This is particularly true of a modern audience familiar with the conventions of the genre; the old castles adorned with “curious carvings” and the dank, dark settings of musty “antique chambers” in ‘Varney the Vampire’ are highly suggestive of imminent encounters

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a fiction novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde illustrates an investigation of what it is like living in the nineteenth century where appearances, and maintaining your standing of those who are around you is important.

It is taken for granted that monsters are scary. Everyone knows that vampires are blood thirsty creatures, and that zombies will stop at nearly nothing. But how do these fictional creatures invoke fear in people? Did monsters just become synonymous to terrifying, or is there a hidden interpretation to their existence? In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde is without a doubt a monster. His appearance is strange, his behavior erratic, and his morals nonexistent. The respectable Dr. Jekyll morphs into Mr. Hyde by consuming an odd potion. In the form of Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll fulfills the dark needs that he has. Yet, that is not really the reason that he appears to be scary to other people. Throughout the book many people describe Hyde as being deformed and creepy in a way that cannot be put into words. Although Mr. Hyde is the evil that resides within Dr. Jekyll, he is also a monster that represents the fears of the Fin-de-Siécle. Through his devolutionary appearance and criminal behavior, he represents the fears that people of that time held. Therefore, he provides insight into the fears of the society, which in turn creates a direct window into the time period.

During the Victorian Era there was a great race to use science to alleviate the suffering of the ill, specifically for those patients who were suffering from ailments of the mind. While some of the methods used to diagnose and treat such afflictions would be considered barbaric in nature by today’s standards, they were considered cutting edge medical science during the time of the Victorian Era. It was also considered standard practice to conduct experiments in the name of science to seek treatments for mental as well as physical illnesses, but sometimes the outcome was worse than the initial problem. In the Scottish novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, science is heavily relied upon by the main characters as a means of diagnosis and treatment for what is revealed to be the unusual illness of Henry Jekyll. Additionally, the question of where morality fits into science is also applied to the strange events surrounding Dr. Jekyll and his mysterious companion. The question that will be examined in this paper deals with the nature of the hopes and fears Victorian society places into science where it concerns the treatment of illness and whether or not the acts of Edward Hyde constitute someone who is truly mentally ill, or if they are mere representations of the darker side of human nature.

Robert Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde follows the plight of Dr. Jekyll, giving insight to human desires that are typically repressed within a civilized society. People strive to fit into the society around them. In doing this they often suppress some aspects of their desires. After giving into desire once, the need for it may increase, and control may slowly decrease. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explores the multi-faceted dimensions of the human psyche. There is a constant battle raging within every person between morality and desire. Very often the more one attempts to suppress natural urges the stronger and more profound they become.

Novels, plays, and movies often depict characters caught in a conflict with their doubles. Such collisions call a character’s sense of identity into question. Robert Louis Stevenson takes this idea of doubles to a whole new level in his novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde. Upon closer examination of Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde and his reoccurring theme of duality, we see that however constrained a society is, a person must break free, be multifarious, exploratory, and irresolute. A person must be able to see the “damage behind apparent failure” and the hypocrisy “behind worldly success.”

The dark never sleeps at night When night comes, dark comes. Throughout Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, dark actions have been committed repeatedly at night. All the evil incidents that have happened in the novel, namely, the night Mr. Enfield met Mr. Hyde for the first time when he was trampling over a girl, the night of Carew’s murder incident, the night that shocked Mr. Lanyon to his further death, and the last might of Dr. Jekyll’s life, all was done by Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde does not sleep at night.

he Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Hyde is a gothic tale because it has most if not all of the qualities and characteristics of a Gothic. It begins with a dark and sinister setting with mystery. The story contains a creepy and suspicious looking house as well as a main character that stimulates fear and horror. Dr. Jekyll could be described as someone who has supernatural ability because he uses science to completely alter himself into a different person with a different personality and traits. Hyde could be described as a villain and tyrant due to his merciless evil acts throughout the book. This can be referenced on pages 14 & 15 where Hyde brutally murders what seems to be an ordinary man passing by. Dr. Jekyll could be described as the maniac

No matter how hard people deny and suppress their evil division, it will always make an appearance. In the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Utterson, a lawyer for Dr. Henry Jekyll, takes in interest in the mysterious character, Mr. Edward Hyde, who terrorized London during the Victorian era. Hyde has some sort of connection to Dr. Jekyll, yet Utterson cannot figure it out. By the end of the story, Utterson confirms that Hyde is merely a part of Jekyll and Jekyll is apart of Hyde. Throughout Robert Louis Stevenson’s, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the difficulty of containing one’s own evil side appears frequently in this book with characters like, Jekyll and Utterson, but also in many other literatures as well.

The gothic novella, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, published in 1886, is a glimpse back in time to the Victorian era. The novella highlights the Victorian morality and the Victorian model of life. The key features of Victorian morality include a set of moral values pillared in sexual restraints, low tolerance policies on crimes and a strict social code of conduct. Dr. Jekyll is a respected member living in the Victorian society, who abides to all the rules and regulations. Mr. Hyde is his own repressed and animalistic personality, awakened through his wild science experiment, to dissociate the good and evil personalities with the help of a potion. The themes incorporated in the novella are: the existence of dualism in human nature (good vs. evil), repression, physiognomy, reputation, friendship, murder, curiosity about science, religion, violence on the innocent or weak, and death. Though the story is a science fiction, it is fascinating that the same person can have entirely opposing personalities. The protagonist, Dr. Henry Jekyll represents the good side of the human personality and the antagonist, Mr. Edward Hyde represents the evil side of the human personality — display the phenomenon of dualism in human nature. Thus, the story concentrates mainly on the issue, whether human nature is inherently good or evil and Stevenson portrays how the dichotomy of good and evil coexists within the

This is a story about Mr.utterson, a lawyer in charge of the will of a well known doctor named henry jekyll. As the keeper of the doctor will he gets confused when mr jekyll plans to leave his everything to mr hyde when he dies, Mr Hyde is a rumored murderer. Mr utterson tries to ask jekyll who hyde is but jekyll didn't give him a straight answer.

Several kinds of heroes have been represented throughout literature, most of these heroes represented share ideals that are similar, some that are valued and some that have been set as expectations that society have learned to accept and understand. During the Anglo-saxon times, people would commonly write novels or poems that revolved around heroes and other ubiquitous subjects such as monsters. In the film Wonder Woman directed by Patty Jenkins heroic ideals are represented through the main character Diana Prince. The daughter of Queen Hippolyta is characterized with the typical heroic ideal: strong, selfless, and loyal. Throughout the film, the audience is presented with all kinds of characterization that are credible by Anglo-Saxon roots. In modern day, our works of literature, films, and poems consist of similar ideals that the Anglo-Saxons possessed; however, we also have shifted from some of the things that were portrayed in their works. Our current contemporary ideals also consist of feminism and love.