Mr Hyde Duality

In Romeo and Juliet and Jekyll and Hyde, a common theme is the idea of duality. Good and Evil or, love and hate are prime examples that duality is used in the two literature classics. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare hints at that nature is the source of life and destruction, he talks about duality most commonly in the line.”In man as well as herbs,grace and rude will.” This means that humans, like plants, have good and evil in them. He uses the example of a plant that which can be used for medicine, but it can also be used as a poison. In Jekyll and Hyde, Stevenson uses duality on one’s appearance and personality.Later in the book, Utterson goes to meet Hyde and is greeted by his maid. She is described as having an “evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy” however her manners are excellent.

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.

Jekyll seems to be in control of his desires and temptations but as Hyde he can fulfil them and not feel guilty. Stevenson is stating that everybody has evil inside of the, wanting to get out and that everyone gets a thrill of letting it out sometimes.

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

In his novella "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Robert Louis Stevenson explores the dual nature of Victorian man, and his link with an age of hypocrisy. Whilst writing the story he displays the people of the time and what happens behind closed doors. In Jekyll 's suicide note he makes the following observation " I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil." The underlying moral of this novella suggests that all people consist of good and evil, and that they possess the ability to control and acknowledge the darker side of them.

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.

The world as we know it is constantly moving and changing; events occur that can affect people’s lives even if they are thousands of miles away. Whether or not these happenings are good or evil can shape one’s mindset and outlook on the actions they take themselves. Both have distinct strengths and weaknesses; however, the real question one must ask is which side of the spectrum is more capable of influencing humanity. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson, a wealthy and well-respected doctor by the name of Henry Jekyll, who believes that man is not one but two separate people, constructs a potion which unearths his inner evil (Mr. Edward Hyde), and in the end is engulfed by the strength of his malevolent persona.

In this book, there exist a battle between good and evil in the main characters where we are bound to ask ourselves what is superior between good and evil? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are easily seen as an allegory of the evil and good that exists in men. The book depicts the struggle with two sides of the human personality. Since Mr. Hyde seems to be taking over Dr. Jekyll, one could claim that evil is stronger than good. Nevertheless, Mr. Hyde ends up dead at the end of the story, which strongly shows the weakness and the failure of evil, so we have to ask ourselves whether good can be separated from evil. “Great people are involved in bad things this is the fact of life, yet this does not make them evil” (Stevenson pp 28-75).

One of the most vital concepts incorporated into The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the representation and depiction of the duality of mankind. Jekyll works to find a solution which will separate him into his reckless, immoral persona and his respectable, Victorian self. After consumption, this potion causes him to completely transform into a man who is known as Hyde. As Hyde, he can express himself in immoral, evil ways. This not only includes moral and immoral wants but rational and irrational wants. Not only does this transformation enable him to keep his good reputation even while he does horrid, unacceptable things, but it allows him to do things which he most likely would not even

Mr. Hyde. His novel is a rich tale of the duality of mankind. We all

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.

Imagery plays a key role in the exploration of Dr. Jekyll's double character. Stevenson's use of imagery intensifies the plot and its relationship between good and evil (Rollyson 1863-1864). For example, Hyde is described as "apelike" and "like a monkey" while Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as handsome and elegant with "proper stature" (25-26, 38). This example indicates a "reverse evolutionary process" and confirms Jekyll's disastrous attempt to interfere with the order of nature (Page 763). In general, Hyde is illustrated as animalistic, ugly, and deformed mainly to conjure an evil opinion of this character. However, the physical description may be more than simply symbolic. "During the Victorian era, many believed in physiognomy," which was the belief that one could judge a criminal from his or her physical appearance. Hyde is depicted as a vampire who "feeds on the very life of his victims" (Abbey, et al. 327). ."..[Hyde was] drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another, relentless like a man of stone" (33). This vampire image suggests the way in which indulgence of evil eats away man's capacity for goodness. Lastly, Stevenson chose ideal names to suit and describe the personalities or actions of his characters. Just as Hyde hides in Jekyll, "Je kyll" hides in "Jekyll." In French, "Je" means I and "kyll" probably

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

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde influence each other, Stevenson focuses on individual’s perspective. By illuminating on individual’s conflict and perspective, it makes reader to sympathize Dr. Jekyll’s dilemma. Because of social status, he can’t be free, but when people recognize Mr. Hyde as Dr. Jekyll, it will influence to his social status. Additionally, Victorian era time period affects to author’s perspective in the book a lot. It is unique for everyone to overcome internal conflicts, and the author portrayed it in extreme method. Stevenson ultimately claims that in reality, everyone has

An additional parallel between the novels is duality and human nature. Both characters posses a dark side, in which they pursue their personal pleasures. Although similar, the two characters go about this in diverse manners. In Stevenson’s novel the Jekyll-Hyde transformation is a physical one. After consuming a potion, Dr. Jekyll seems to separate the evil within himself into another personality all together, While Dorian Grey goes about doing as he pleases, free from the responsibilities of his actions, due to