does Robert Louis Stevenson explore the duality of human nature in Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Written between 1884 and 1887, Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, "the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde", is about a well respected physician and his 'other self' Mr Hyde. Dr. Jekyll is described as a typical Victorian gentleman . [PD1] Dr Jekyll wanted to develop a potion because he believed he could create a perfectly righteous human being by destroying the evil of the mind and body. When he creates this potion, it doesn't quite go according to plan. He takes the potion for the first time, but when he goes back to normal, he turns into Mr Hyde without taking the potion. Slowly, Mr Hyde starts to take over Dr Jekyll. When Dr Jekyll turns into Mr Hyde, it changes his appearance, because of this, no one wants to approach him or talk to him. During the time when the book was written, people who looked different or who had disabilities or deformities which are widely accepted today, were not liked and were usually shut away. This is why no one liked or talked to Hyde. There is proof of this in the lines "I had taken a loathing to the man at first sight" and "gave me a look so ugly, it brought out the sweat on me like running". Dr Jekylls idea was that everyone had two sides to them, a good side and an evil side, a side of joy and a side of despair; there is a Mr Hyde in all of us. This was not the only novel of this time that hinted at duality, there were a few of other main
How and why does Stephenson explore the duality of man(TM)s nature in Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde(TM)?
How and why does Stephenson explore the duality of man's nature in 'Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'? 'The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' was a novella in 1886 by Robert Louis Stephenson. The story is set in Victorian London, besides the fact that Stephenson has never travelled to London in his life and was 'born and bread' in Edinburgh. Reputation is a key feature in this story as it shows the duality of man. This was inspired by one William Brodie who can be compared to Hyde. He was an upper class, well respected man by day and a thieving, drunk at night. Also secrecy and hypocrisy are prevalent features as well. These features are mainly come up around the theme of the characters repressing their sexual desires and their lust for 'living on the edge' At the time Darwinism was rapidly and controversially changing the views on the creation of man and causing mass arguments on both sides of the belief system. As many people at the time were of a catholic faith, or similar religion, this came as a shock to many and Darwin was ridiculed. But his worked showed the link that humans have to primates and how they are their ancestors. This is shown y Stephenson as he describes a lot of Hyde's emotions and actions as those of which an animal and, more importantly, a primate would have. "The animal within me licking the chops of memory" The story was written in the
What are the Main Difficulties for a twenty-first Century reader in fully appreciating Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde(TM)
What are the Main Difficulties for a twenty-first Century reader in fully appreciating 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' The most prominent factor that affects how a twenty-first century reader can fully appreciate the novella, is simply the 'old-fashioned' grammar and vocabulary. This novella displays expressions that have either died out or changed meaning over the years. There are concepts within the novella that may have been controversial and new at the time it was written but have now have been discovered as a result of scientific advancement. The description in the novella is limited in such a way that the reader has to know a lot about London before the introduction of modern transport and roads. "...the low growl of London..." (p21), which most likely refers to the sounds of a horse and cart going along the cobbled roads. Although nowadays the 'low growl' could be related to the noise of cars, it is not a thought-provoking image as the reader has to relate the sound to something in the reader's experience and cars are an unrealistic idea to imagine in this novella. A twenty-first century reader could have difficulties in understanding the surroundings, as the writer assumes that the knowledge of the conditions is already there and he just needs to build on that. A likely difficulty for a twenty-first century reader is that this novella frequently switches between
Dr Jekll and Mr Hyde
Explore How Stevenson Creates a Sense of Intrigue and Engages the Reader's Interest in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde In this essay I am going to be exploring how Stevenson examines Victorian hypocrisy and human nature, the duality of man, in his famous tale, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. His novella, written in 1886, was set in London, and is described as a gothic horror. Stevenson uses Mr Utterson, a 'modest' lawyer, to guide us through the novella, unravelling to the mystery gradually throughout the novella. By revealing a few clues at a time, many questions emerge in the reader's mind, however, only a few of these are answered throughout the tale. Stevenson uses a wide range of language and structural devices to build a sense of intrigue and engage the reader. Dr Jekyll, a renowned London scientist, was born into a wealthy family with great honour and had gained respect from his fellow men. Dr Jekyll struggled with the dual nature of his nature and although he was loyal to his friends, Jekyll had a dark side, which he choice to express in the person of Mr Hyde. He noticed that 'man is not truly one, but truly two' and this lead him to 'recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man'. Jekyll saw the need to hide Hyde from the world since he was forced to be respectable and loyal to everyone around him due to his class since birth. However, Dr Jekyll had
How does Stevenson present the duality of man
How does Stevenson present the duality of man in the novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde This Gothic Horror follows the story from Mr Utterson's view. As he tries to discover the relationship between Dr Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. The story is developed through his conversations and letters. In all characters met in the story, the duality of man is shown by their reactions and what they say and backgrounds of the main characters. An example of this in a character not main, is the officer in the Danvers Carew murder case. At first he is shocked at who's been killed "Good God, Sir!" but then "his eyes lighted up with professional ambition" the realisation that this is a high profile case and so be good for his career if he solves it. In that showing us his 'other side' he doesn't matter that someone is dead as long as it helps his career, he shows a selfish side to him. Apart from Jekyll and Hyde there is another pair of names that show R.L. Stevensons theme of the duality of man and they are Mr Utterson and Mr Richard Enfield. Utterson is described as "backward in sentiment, lean, long, dusty, dreary" "cold scanty" a rugged face "Yet somehow loveable" this in the very first sentence introducing the theme of the duality of man. The novel contains motifs of secrets and things hidden. This idea is brought through by darkness gross darkness of the night", not been able to see and
How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter The Last Night(TM), in the context of the novel as a whole?
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde How does Stevenson create a sense of dramatic tension in the chapter 'The Last Night', in the context of the novel as a whole? By the time we reach 'The Last Night', many disturbing events have taken place. Dr. Jekyll, a ponderous establishment figure, has begun to act out of character after some unknown discovery and has been closeted in his laboratory for several days. His good friend Mr. Utterson, an upright and estimable lawyer, has become concerned about it: he senses that something strange is going on in London. Two more central characters have also emerged- Mr Hyde and Poole (Dr. Jekyll's manservant). Mr Hyde, a man with an unnatural, even repellent aura, commits a savage murder and disappears after having some strange involvement with Dr. Jekyll. Poole has become increasingly worried for his master and has turned to Mr. Utterson for guidance on what to do. Both the plot, and the way the characters have reacted to it, have, by the time we reach this chapter, set up an atmosphere of ominous anticipation. -------------------------------------- From the beginning of 'The Last Night', Robert Louis Stevenson creates a sense of dramatic tension and mystery by delaying the dénouement. Neither the reader nor the characters know what has happened to Dr Jekyll; the longer we do not know, the more we want to know, and so the
Jekyll and Hyde Essay
'The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is a story of contrast. How effective are Stevenson's techniques in showing these contrasts? The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, was published in 1886 and was estimated to have sold over 250,000 copies by 1901. The story is set in the Victorian era and this was the same era in which Charles Dickens lived and he had similarities to Jekyll as they were both into new science and discovering new things. In the novel, Dr Jekyll invents a potion to change him into a purely man when he wants and Darwin invents the theory of evolution. The main settings in the book are full of contrast. For example the contrast between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The main theme of the book is duality of human nature. This is what a human being is all about. A human is half pleasant and half wicked and in this novel this theme comes up regularly. Other techniques used are included in setting, dialogue, character description and imagery. The setting is the first place where contrast can be seen. One contrast is the setting of where Mr Hyde is first seen. The description of the street creates a pleasurable image. "air of invitation," and "row of smiling sales women,". These phrases suggest the street is welcoming and uses similes to show this. This charming street contrasted to it's own neighbourhood. "shone out in contrast