Criticism And Romanticism In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novel written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. It concerns a lawyer, Gabriel Utterson, who investigates the strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the reclusive Mr. Edward Hyde. This novel represents an ideology in Western culture; the perpetual conflict between humanity’s virtuosity and immorality. It is interpreted as an accurate guidebook to the Victorian era’s belief of the duality of human nature. This essay will explore Mr. Edward Hyde and whether Stevenson intended for him to be a mere character in the novel or something of wider significance.

The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a story that focuses on two completely different characters and their reputations. Actions of an individual define who that individual is as a person. In the story, Mr. Hyde’s actions make him out to be an evil character and Dr. Jekyll’s actions show that he is a good man.

One might question the extent to which Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are in fact a single character. Until the end of the story, the two seem nothing alike. Stevenson uses this marked contrast to make his point: every human being contains opposite forces within him or her, an alter ego that hides behind one's front. Correspondingly, to understand fully the significance of either Jekyll or Hyde, we must consider the two as looking at one single character. When viewed separately, neither is a very interesting personality. It is their relationship that gives the novel its power.

The Victorian Era is a remarkable time in history with the blooming industries, growing population, and a major turnaround in the fashion world. This era was named after Queen Victoria who ruled United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 1837 until she passed away 64 years later in January 1901.When Victoria received the crown, popular respect was strikingly low. The lack of respect for the position she had just come into did not diminish her confidence. Instead she won the hearts of Britain with her modesty, grace, straightforwardness, and her want to be informed on the political matters at hand even though she had no input. She changed Britain into a flourishing country. She also impacted how women interacted

Utterson, Lanyon, Enfield, Jekyll... one of these does not belong. Clearly, within the context of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Henry Jekyll struggles to fit himself into the strict Victorian society. In the events leading to his demise, he longs to separate his firm, polished face from his true inner self; from here, Stevenson paints this juxtaposition with the use of several point-of-view techniques. When Utterson, the protagonist, “[stands] a while when Mr. Hyde had left him... putting his hand to his brow like a man in mental perplexity” (Stevenson 19), he clearly becomes the literal center of attention for the story’s opinions and perspectives. Rather than giving an omniscient style to the novel, Stevenson provides an external viewpoint in order to engage his audience. The use of point-of-view techniques in Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reinforces the audience’s reaction to the story’s moral dilemma.

The sophisticatedly-constructed novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ was devised in 1886, during the revolutionary Victorian era, by the author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson developed a desire to write in his early life and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ cemented his reputation. The novel is widely known for its shocking principles that terrified and alarmed the Victorian readers. ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ plays with the idea of the dual nature of man, his two identities. On the surface, Dr Jekyll is a conventional, Victorian gentleman, but below the surface lurks the primitive, satanic-like creature of Mr Edward Hyde. One of the elements that play a significant part in the novel is setting. Stevenson subtly uses the setting to

The industrial revolution completely changed the urban landscape of Europe during the 19th century. Technological advances, economic success, along with medical and scientific discoveries reshaped many aspects of modern life in european cities. The citizens of these modern cities, however, were skeptical of this evolution. Change was daunting, and people were afraid that it was accelerating to a point where society would transform out of all recognition. In 1886, a popular novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson, wrote his book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The novel was a smash hit because it appealed to the feelings society was already experiencing; the fear and anxiety of the evolving modern city. During this time, a higher percentage of people were literate and excited to read, which is another reason why the novel was so popular. It is evident to readers that Stevenson was skeptical of progress during his time period. In his book, he depicts the middle class victorian society and their feelings toward progress in the modern city through his characters.While Dr. Jekyll, the main character, represents middle class respectability and the repressions they kept hidden, Mr. Hyde embodies the perfect example of a degenerate and criminal. Then, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Jekyll’s friend and lawyer, stands in for the audience and identifies with the anxious society as a whole.

The author, Robert Louis Stevenson presents the novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a unique and compelling way. Many aspects of the short story can be interpreted in different ways as its complexity can overpower the book transient storyline. One aspect of the book that can be considered controversial is the way Stevenson presents the novella and the book's historical context. Although, Stevenson’s work can be considered engaging, it can also lead the reader to question the reasoning behind the particular storyline of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Overall, in terms of historical context, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in an allegorical way in which different aspects of the book represent a major theme or event taking place in Victorian England.

This gives the impression that Hyde is a monster than comes out only when it is dark and nobody can see him. Whatever he is, he cannot be called human. In Victorian England, if a person looked ugly, criminal-like or ‘giving an impression of deformity’ they were considered to be ugly and criminal-like inside to. If you imagine a person reading this story when that was what was thought, the description of Mr Hyde would instantly label him as the bad character.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886 as a 'shilling shocker' novella written by the young novelist Robert Louis Stevenson. At that time there was a surfeit of cheap horror novellas. Stevenson's novella was different because it explored the evil inside human kind. I will look into Victorian attitudes and how these influenced Victorian life.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on November 13, 1850, in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Throughout his childhood he was told morbid tales from the Bible, as well as Victorian penny-serial novels that he would carry with him throughout his years and what would place the greatest impact on his writing.[1] In 1886, he published a novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, based on a man with pure intentions, who ends up turning himself into a viscous murderer. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a well-known doctor and respected man, known for doing numerous acts of kindness and work for charities. However, since he was a young boy, he secretly engaged in wrongful behavior, and from then on, was determined to experiment and find a way to separate

Stevenson shows how repression can lead to the development of dangerous, horrible secrets. The novella depicts repression through the character of Dr. Henry Jekyll, and shows what kind of threats it could pose on the society and its individuals. Edward Hyde is Dr. Jekyll’s doppelganger. He is the manifestation of Dr. Jekyll’s suppressed thoughts and desires. When Dr. Jekyll transformed into Hyde he turned the tables around. He challenged society. The transformation of a typical, respected Victorian gentleman into a troglodytic, dwarfish creature is an unsettling secret that highlights Gothicism in the novella. The idea of transforming from a high class Victorian gentleman into an apelike atavist underlines society’s fear of social and moral regression (Clausson, 2005).

Being a respected doctor, Jekyll is tied of chains by his social status in the society, for instance if a child is restricted to do something, by his parents. He will eventually find a secretive way to fulfill his needs. In the same manner Jekyll finds Hyde as a solution to satisfy his simple need like drinking. “His every act and thought centered on self; drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another” ().As the quote demonstrates Hyde enjoys drinking, which he cannot do as Dr. Jekyll, living in an oppressed Victorian society. The small and harmful temptation like drinking leads to more serious offences. As this boosts, Jekyll’s confidence, he ends up indulging into violent acts, “With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot, and hailing down a storm of blows” (). The simile in this quote delineates Jekyll’s unexpressed desire that erupts through Hyde. His small desires manifests into bigger crimes. Stevenson uses this theory to showcase temptation the evil cause of problems in mankind.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written during the height of the Victorian era. In this period, there were huge debates concerning pursuing desire versus doing what was socially acceptable. There were also constant scientific discoveries being made. Stevenson 's piece, using a telescopic framework, is a product of romantic and Victorian traditions since it incorporates Victorian gentlemen, dark romantic subjects and duality within both Victorian and Romantic society. Being a gentleman and upholding your reputation in the Victorian era was the most important character trait, and seeing how a perfect gentleman like Dr. Jekyll could have such an evil side was a shock for society. The actions of Mr. Hyde went completely against social norms and expectations. Romantic topics like the subconscious, fears and nightmares/dreams are also depicted in this work. As well, there is something dark beneath the facade Victorian people wore. The contents of the story have an eerie vibe and demonstrate the potential dangers that people keep hidden. And finally, duality within Victorian and Romantic society is evident throughout the piece with self-control against desires and what’s on the surface against the subconscious. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde takes place during a time of large scale social

Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, is another novel that took real attention in the people of the Victorian period. He became pretty known when he created and publish this novel and achieved great success. It was about a dedicated scientist, Dr. Jekyll, who had two different personalities and perspectives, split in the sense that good and evil lies in the same human. Following this, he made a portion, drank the substance and transformed himself into a hideous monster, Hyde. Mr. Utterson is a lawyer who helps to solve this case, in fact, he is the focused character in the story. After all, this novel portraits that science had an important role in this era. Meaning that all the scientific knowledge was presented in that time. Although, in those times, England had a gloomy atmosphere and was surrounded by clouds just like in the novel. And there are some breakthroughs in science that are still relevant in actual times. But, social behaviors led the upper class to demonstrate double identity in the Victorian period. This story can be interpreted as examining the duality of human