In what way is the 'profound duplicity' exhibited by Jekyll a reflection of the Victorian way of life?

IN WHAT WAY IS THE 'PROFOUND DUPLICITY' EXHIBITED BY JEKYLL A REFLECTION OF THE VICTORIAN WAY OF LIFE? Robert Louis Stevenson was a famous author during the Victorian era. He was born in 1850 and as a young child had many nightmares which he brought to life in his books. His nanny also influenced his stories with her strong Calvinist beliefs . He wrote many well known stories including a horror novella called 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.' Simplistically, this fictional story shows how two worlds co exist; the rich and the poor and there are many detailed descriptions which portray the stark contrast. ' The dismal quarters of Soho...with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers...like a district of some city in a nightmare.' 'The street shone out in contrast to its dingy neighbourhood, like a fire in a forest; and with its freshly painted shutters, well polished brasses and general cleanliness and gaiety of note...' The diversity between these two quotes shows how the higher and lower classes differed which reflect the Victorian way of life. However, if you look at the story in more depth, the reader begins to see a deeper meaning hidden in the words of the novella. Stevenson brings his own influences of his Calvinist beliefs into the novellala and writes about his theory of man. He believes that there are two parts of man, one that is purely good and

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How do you think that Stevenson wishes us to Judge Dr. Jekyll’s experiments concerning Mr. Hyde?

How do you think that Stevenson wishes us to Judge Dr. Jekyll's Experiments concerning Mr. Hyde? Stevenson means for the reader to feel sympathy for Jekyll, he shows this in many ways through the book. The fact that Jekyll commits suicide at the end of the book shows the reader that Jekyll was not in control of his situation and tries to portray Jekyll as a victim rather than a sinner. He wants the reader to see that Jekyll is helpless and a slave to the evil power of Hyde. The fact that for a month Jekyll cut out Hyde from his life and tried to move on shows us that Jekyll can not really be an evil man. He just didn't have the "will power" to hold of Hyde for ever and in the end he figured the only way out for him was suicide. Even though Jekyll went into this experiment looking to commit "pleasures" without facing the consequences doesn't mean that he also wanted to create Hyde something of "pure evil." Stevenson uses "poor Jekyll" a lot in the book to create sympathy for Jekyll and to show the reader that he doesn't deserve what he got in the end. He lost all of his close friends, one of which was killed by the "foul soul" of Hyde's when he saw that Jekyll had created him. Surly this is meant to make the reader feel "disgust" for Hyde and therefore feel sorry for "poor old Jekyll" to be caught up in circumstances beyond his control. Also Stevenson made Hyde "downright

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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" How effective is the setting in creating tension and suspense in Stevenson's works?"

" How effective is the setting in creating tension and suspense in Stevenson's works?" Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a novella about a scientist who experiments with the morals of good and evil. He then decides to try to separate these elements and difficulties arise with this. This novella concerns how one individual has conflicting emotions that are both good and evil. Dr Jekyll tries to make one-person 'wholly' good and another 'wholly' evil, but his experiments become quite dangerous. 'The Body Snatcher' is about two old friends, Fettes and Doctor Macfarlane, who studied under someone who was a famous, but unorthodox, anatomist. They would collect bodies for this person but they soon regret collecting one body. The confession of William Burke, murderer and procurer of corpses, inspired this short story. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is set in Soho, London, which is famous for being the 'seedier' side of London in the nineteenth century. At this time there was a great divide between the poverty-stricken and the rich. Even in the daytime, London was very dark due to the industrial London smog, and this adds to the atmosphere of fear, creating tension to make the reader feel uneasy. Stevenson presents the atmosphere of chill and darkness, therefore making the reader have a sense of foreboding about coming events. 'The Body Snatcher' is set in Robert Louis Stevenson's home town of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"...the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask." How successful is concealment in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Jekyll and Hyde is a novel which addresses the drug usage that went on behind closed doors

Danielle Roe 2006-04-05 "...the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask." How successful is concealment in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Jekyll and Hyde is a novel which addresses the drug usage that went on behind closed doors in 1890's Britain. Also much of the book id based on some of Stevenson's own experience's of drug use because from very early childhood Stevenson was on a strict regime of drugs to deal with various aliments. Throughout the novel concealment is used to keep the reader interested in the novel, both physical and metaphorical concealment is used. For example at the very start of the test Jekyll's will is concealed from us so we are not exactly sure what the issues with Edward Hyde are. This keeps the interested and encourages them to read on to learn more of the texts sudden interest with Edward Hyde. Another example of physical concealment is Dr Lanyon's letter to Mr Utterson the lawyer when Uttterson receives the letter the audience, for a moment are lead to believe that this is the end and they will finally find out what is going on. Then the first envelope is open an again no joy but the audience continue to read on with the fresh hope that soon this envelope will be opened & all will be revealed. Examples of metaphorical concealment would be when

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Dr Jekyll is a victim of his time and deserves our sympathy." Do you agree?

"Dr Jekyll is a victim of his time and deserves our sympathy." Do you agree? Dr. Henry Jekyll was born into an age of respectability, religion, and morality. The Victorians believed in "progress", self discipline and strict, stern morality. Writers like Samuel Smiles wrote about "Self Help". The Victorian age was one of polarisation of the lifestyle of the people. There were always two kinds of people, the respectable Jekylls and the destructive and filthy Hydes. "Pleasures" like prostitution and gambling, were frowned on by all of high society. Even so, many respectable people indulged in these activities in secret by night and then by day take part in a communal criticism of these actions. The Victorians were hideous hypocrites. Famous people such as Dr. Banardo were biefly suspected of the 1888 Ripper murders. The Victorians had a rigid social structure. There were the middle and upper classes who owned the vast majority of the nation's wealth. There were the lower classes who often lived in abysmal conditions, meanwhile the rich people lived in luxury. Stevenson was fascinated by this polarisation, this was maybe because his father was a strict Protestant calvinist. In his writing Stevenson highlights the extremes of society because this was something which was a feature of his life, he had been known to be a "slum adventurer". Dr. Henry Jekyll held a very high

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How does the novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"bring out differences in character of Jekyll and Hyde?

Q. How does the novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" bring out differences in character of Jekyll and Hyde? "The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was written by R L Stevenson in 1886, in the Victorian times. The novel focuses on the theme of duality in man which was very evident in those times. The doctor belief that within each human being there exist two countering forces, good and evil, leads to his experiments that try to separate the two. This, however, was not done merely for scientific reasons, but also because he enjoyed escaping the confines of the respectable guise of Dr. Jekyll. In the Victorian times, many respectable and honourable men and women used to go out late at night to give went to their illicit feelings, but to the society they all showed a façade of being honourable people with respect. Stevenson himself was the same. In front of the world he was a respected gentleman, but in private he was another man, who often visited sordid places of Old town in Edinburgh. Dr. Jekyll creates an alter ego as society would not allow him to live a life of evil and they would attack him if we tried. "I was driven to reflect deeply and inveterately on that hard law of life which lies at the root of religion, and is one of the most plentiful springs of distress." Stevenson feels it is society which forces us to lead a dual life. His "shilling

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  • Level: GCSE
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How is evil represented in Stevenson's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?

How is evil represented in Stevenson's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'? This essay will show how evil is represented in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is about evil and the duality of people's personalities. To show this I will focus on Stevenson's use of characterization, setting, historical, social and cultural context, settings, symbols and language. Robert Stevenson lived in the Victorian era, this was a very repressive and strict society where it was expected that middle class men would visit prostitutes. This was because people were not supposed to be like animals and have animal instincts such as lust. This meant that middle class men would only sleep with their wives so they could have children and carry on the bloodline. This society would have influenced Stevenson as he was a middle class man himself and he would have experienced his own stifled emotions and hidden instincts, such as lust and rage. Stevenson may also have taken inspiration for the character Mr. Hyde from the crimes of Jack the Ripper who was committing his violent crimes on women at that time. Stevenson may have also been influenced by Mary Shelly's 'Frankenstein', which also deals with the themes of dual personalities and evil. In the text Stevenson uses a lot of powerful imagery when describing Mr. Hyde. He uses words such as detestable and deformed.

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  • Subject: English
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How does Robert Louis Stevenson depict the relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and what, in your view does Mr Hyde represent?

How does Robert Louis Stevenson depict the relationship between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and what, in your view does Mr Hyde represent? Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to gradually show the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde in his story. It does not state until the end of the story that they are in fact the same person, he instead leaves it for people to work out for themselves, with a brief explanation at the end of the book. For most of the story, nobody can explain their relationship, as they are never seen together. People are confused as to how they know each other and became such good friends. Clues are given throughout the story that they are the same person; not enough to guess on your own, but so that it all makes sense in the end. These clues include the fact that Hyde once goes into Jekyll's home and takes out Jekyll's chequebook to pay out of Jekyll's bank account. People found this very strange, 'a man does not, in real life, walk into a cellar door at four o'clock in the morning and come out of it with another man's cheque'. This gives the idea that they must be very close friends to share a bank account, or that Jekyll would give Hyde entry to his account. Their relationship is depicted as business-like, and as if they have known each other for a long time. The latter part of this is true in a way. The have an interesting relationship, they need each other to

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The wealthy affluent London being safe like the character of Dr Jekyll whilst areas of social deprivation were constantly under treat of crime evil and disease, evil being Dr Jekyll's alter ego Mr Hyde

" In each of us, two natures are at war- the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them one must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose- What we want most to be we are" (Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1885) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Born in 1850 into a middle class family in Edinburgh, Robert Louis Stevenson's Father expected his son to follow in the family tradition and become an engineer. Stevenson, however had other ideas. He was fascinated by literature, but to please his family he studied law, yet he never practised as a lawyer fulfilling his ambition to become a writer. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a product of Robert Louis Stevenson life. Stevenson's childhood was blighted by illness and as a result he spent much of his time at home under the care of his much loved nurse Alison Cunningham who told him stories of ghosts, body snatchers and heaven and hell. Stevenson as a result became fascinated by the idea of good and evil in every person. Stevenson's ill health continued for most of his life and as a result he took laudanum and morphine as well as cocaine for chest problems and depression, other factors which may well have affected his life style and his writing. The Stevenson's family home was in Edinburgh, but as he grew he travelled more and further, London, Bournemouth, France and the continent. Stevenson's choice

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jeckyll and Hyde. One way in which Stevenson engages the readers interest is by creating an eerie atmosphere that makes the reader feel uneasy.

One way in which Stevenson engages the reader's interest is by creating an eerie atmosphere that makes the reader feel uneasy. The time of day that Stevenson sets for this chapter contributes to the atmosphere that makes the reader feel anxious. "It was a wild, cold, seasonable night of March." Here we can see that Stevenson has set this scene at "night" because the night is normally associated with darkness and this suggests fear that is building up in the characters. This is a typical gothic setting, which creates a gothic atmosphere making the reader again feel anxious and uneasy. Another way Stevenson creates an eerie atmosphere is by using the moon as the only source of light: "It was a cold seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had titled her, and a flying wrack of the most diaphanous and lawny texture." Here the setting immediately tells the reader that it is a dark a dreary wild night. The moon being the only light source creates a gothic atmosphere, as it is very common in gothic stories to have only one light source being the moon. The Gothic atmosphere makes the reader feel uneasy and nervous. The fact that it is a "pale moon" suggests that the light is so dim that it is hard to see properly making the characters seem vulnerable and concerned because they cannot see where they are going. The reader shares this

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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