Examples Of Duality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

In ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’, Robert Louis Stevenson presents duality as one of the key themes throughout the novel. This is reflected predominantly through the main characters of Dr Jekyll and his evil side, Mr Hyde. Stevenson also mirrors the theme of a dual nature in the settings he creates, by choosing London as the surroundings and in the descriptions of Dr Jekyll's house and the difference between his and Hyde’s rooms. The use of duality is also shown in Stevenson’s use of the themes of light and dark and religious opposites such as good and evil.

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.

Additionally, he realized that if his differing personalities consisting of good and evil were separated he would be able to indulge in the excitement of the evilness while not experiencing the repercussions of his treacherous acts. Dr. Jekyll believes that he is unable to balance himself and Mr. Hyde which creates animosity within him because he would much rather indulge into the evilness inside him which provides more excitement. Ultimately, the author intends to demonstrate the two components that exist within humans, exaggerated, subsequently how both are two separate entities which are constantly are war with each other. Although I disagree with the fact the Dr. Jekyll believes about not being able to balance the duality of good and evil within oneself, I fully support his conclusion that we do attempt to suppress the darkness within in us not only based on what others may think but also that it may not be morally correct. By repressing the darkness that resides within everyone we must make the judgment by utilizing a moral compass in order to do what is correct but also to assure that we don 't offend, or hurt anyone in the process without acknowledging the wrongdoing. Similarly, the nature of good and evil that can exist within one person is displayed in the movie Split by director M. Night Shyamalan who shows the differing personalities of Kevin, the

Stevenson's Use of the Concept of Duality in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' was written during the 19th century by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was written during a time where Victorian society had a lot of strong moral values. These values were very strict and controlled every aspect of the Victorian lifestyle. Aggression and fighting was looked down on and arguments were much preferred to be settled verbally. Hostile behaviour could even be seen as a sin and could transform the image of a person.

The debate of whether man is born entirely good or evil is a universal discussion that never seems to resolve. Even though a human is a complex individual who cannot be defined by a simple assessment, the people of today are convinced that there is a straightforward explanation as to why acts of wickedness exist. Some believe negative influences taint the naturally innocent heart of man, while others suppose evil men are born with an unavoidable capacity for darkness. This however, suggests that the wicked are created from birth without morals or the ability to be considered righteous. Despite the theories that exist, good and evil are not always separate. Man typically is neither solely good or bad, but a combination of the both. In the

Though duality in human nature is the central idea of the book, we do not become fully aware or even able to understand how it has any relevance to the book until the very end. Jekyll very clearly states his thoughts on this in chapter 10 “man is not truly one, but truly two”. Not only does he believe this, but also he believes that these two sides of man are “Polar twins”. Though the large majority of the focus is placed on Jekyll when trying to express this concept, we also see Utterson becoming “curious” at times which

First, it is obvious that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an example of duality in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, the two characters are introduced as two different people. Dr. Jekyll is handsome and “good” in the eyes of society, and Hyde is ugly and “evil” through society’s eyes. Stevenson describes Dr. Jekyll as “a large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty” (19), and Mr. Hyde as “pale, dwarfish” (17) and not human like. The description of these characters is showing us the two sides of one man. Stevenson is trying to tell us that everybody has a good and evil side, and they also have a curiosity about their darker side. He believed that people know they have a bad side, but they refuse to accept the truth, as the ‘dark side’ is so unpleasant. The duality of good and evil associates with the modern-day reader because we see that an individual, even

the desire to do what he wanted, to go against the rigid rules of the

From the beginning of time, humans have questioned the validity of the 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 decides to separate the two natures within one body. The outcome of his experiment results in the formation of a somewhat different product than he imagines, 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.

The dual character combination of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of the most well-known in literature and is arguably the most blatant example of duality Stevenson uses to try and get the theme of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde across. The dual personalities Dr. Jekyll possesses are stark examples of the animalistic and civilized sides of man that inherently resides in all men. The virtuous Dr. Jekyll serves as a portrayal of the more rational, human side of man. When Mr. Utterson attends Dr. Jekyll’s dinner party he paints a picture of a quintessential Victorian man when describing Jekyll’s appearance, “well

The author expresses this theme in the transforming of Jekyll into Hyde. In the novella, Dr. Jekyll creates a potion that brings out the evil part in him. This expresses the duality of mankind because Dr. Jekyll uses the potion to bring out his evil nature and his second person. In the novella, Jekyll says “Man is not truly one, but truly two,” insisting that in every man, there are really two which expresses the theme of the duality of mankind (Stevenson 73).

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?

Is someone’s appearance an accurate definition of who they are? Do people’s circumstances affect the way they interact with themselves and others? Are we products of our environments? Arguably, it is human nature to be shaped and formed by our surroundings, to be changed by our environments in ways that we may not expect. The same can be seen in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Psycho, a film directed by the renowned Alfred Hitchcock. The basis of both stories is the duality of the mind, and how society molds the alter personality. Thus, in both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Psycho, Robert Louis Stevenson and Alfred Hitchcock use diction and symbolism to illustrate how society shapes an individual’s mind, leading to the creation of two personalities.

The meaning of duality is the quality or condition of having two sides to something, such as good and evil, love and hate and black and white. The novella ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ Centre’s around ‘duality’. The author R.L.S (Robert Louis Stevenson) introduces us to the two sides of a person, Dr. Jekyll, an “established gentleman”, with “the respect of the wise and good” in society. Whilst Dr. Jekyll lives a virtuous life, he also has sins and desires that he keeps hidden. Within him, the good and the evil sides of his personality are fighting. The author uses the language of battle, writing that there is “war” inside of Dr. Jekyll and illustrates the struggle between the two sides as “two forces meeting on a battlefield”. Dr. Jekyll feels that he is leading a double life and believes that this duality can be found in all humans: “man is not truly one, but truly two”.