ipl-logo

Doppelgänger In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

1717 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Introduction essay on dualism

The Victorian Doppelgänger in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella set in during the nineteenth century, in Victorian England. At the time, repression was the leading factor that caused individuals to feel the need to maintain an unrealistic image of perfection. In this Novella, Dr. Jekyll is presented as a higher class, respected member of the Victorian society who has a doppelganger, Hyde. It is stated that Victorian’s from the upper class performed “unaccepted behaviors”, such as Dr. Jekyll. Through the use of the literary device of the “doppelgänger”, Stevenson explores the them of duality that exists in Victorian society as a result …show more content…

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Both sharing the same body Jekyll and Hyde were playing the role of two completely opposite characters. This is shown to depict the different nature they had within them to express how an individual can have several personalities depending on how they are accepted by the society. The appearance of both is completely opposite from the societal views as described through imagery, “Is a tall, fine build of a man and this was more of a dwarf… Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity”. This is interpreted as Jekyll being the handsome, well reputed member of the society, while Hyde giving the impression of an immoral character who seems suspicious. The conflicting social classes of Jekyll and Hyde builds upon the context of duality. Jekyll is shown as a respected man of the higher class who is acknowledged by the society and its values, whereas Hyde is giving away the image of a lower class member, by the actions and the physical appearance he portrays throughout the novel. In the context of this novel, Victorian society higher class people had several moral expectations to look upon, where as lower class people were referred to as “criminal in nature”. This was to show how the higher class society controlled the actions of lower class as they would not be able to express their true self. Another distinction that was looked upon was the duality of the home …show more content…

"Jekyll and Hyde: Repression and Expression." Hear Here! N.p., 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. Print. C, Alex M. "The Victorian Period and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: a Time of Change." N.p., 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. "Good vs Evil Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Topics, Sample Papers & Articles Online for Free. N.p., 05 May 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. McDonald, Lauren.” Duality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The picture of Dorian Gray, and "Dionea ".” University of Northern Iowa, Inc. Web. 2008. Print. "Secrecy and Repression to Maintain Image." The Literary I: 12pm section. N.p., 15 Feb. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2017. Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Ed. Katherine Linehan. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2003.

Show More
Related

Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Reputation Analysis

986 Words | 4 Pages

Significance of Reputation in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde illustrates the significance of concealing your secrets and desires in order to maintain a flawless reputation. He creates distinctive characters with various reputations and contrasts their abilities in retaining one. Stevenson emphasizes this through Hyde’s actions, when portraying Utterson’s flawless reputation, the contrasting vulnerability to desires between Utterson and Jekyll and the creation of Hyde.

Read More

Theme Of Deception In Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde

1321 Words | 6 Pages

Deception in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ ‘The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is a novella by the scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886. Stevenson, born November 13, 1850, is also the author of the well known book; ‘Treasure Island’. Robert L. Stevenson, who died December 3, 1894,, was said to be influenced by authors such as Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe. This book is part of the gothic genre, a genre of literature that combines fiction, and horror, death and at times romance. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or simply Jekyll and Hyde is about a London lawyer named Mr, Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Jekyll and the evil Mr. Hyde.

Read More

Dr Jekyll And Hyde Book Report

1581 Words | 7 Pages

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson is a book that intrigues one’s mind, because it makes us question ourselves about the balance between the two opposing forces. The story starts out with Mr. Utterson, a lawyer and a great friend of Dr. Jekyll, hearing about Hyde for the first time, who is very shady and somewhat misconfigured. Mr. Utterson hears about Hyde’s bad reputation, and his usage of Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory; therefore, Mr. Utterson suspects some kind of relationship between Hyde and Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson’s friend Lanyon, who is a doctor, dies after Dr. Jekyll goes into seclusion; Mr. Utterson goes to Dr. Jekyll’s house to seek the truth behind Lanyon’s death, but he instead sees Hyde dead. Mr. Utterson

Read More

Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Supernatural Analysis

923 Words | 4 Pages

Supernatural events have been intertwined in a large portion of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This story would be nothing without the encounters with supernatural. Supernatural is defined as beyond the measure and explanation of Science. To give some background information, In Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we start off with four main characters. The four main characters are Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Lanyon, and Mr. Utterson.

Read More

The Theme Of Repression In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

525 Words | 3 Pages

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” because the story takes place in Victorian England we see that the characters have no room for expression of emotions or violence. Everything they do is secret, so the more Dr Jekyll is repressed, the more he wants to be Mr Hyde. The original characteristics of Henry Jekyll are reflected as “...life of effort, virtue, and control” (pg. 172) because, most of his life his vice activities were maintained a secret. According to Jekyll, when evil is separated into one body, one will not know right from wrong because there is no conscious in a being of complete evil which was Hyde for

Read More

Knowledge And Consequences In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

1591 Words | 7 Pages

Irresponsible Use of Knowledge & Consequences Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein and Robert Stevenson 's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two horrific tales of science gone terribly wrong, it emphasizes the saying, with great power comes great responsibility. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the story of Dr. Jekyll who, while searching for a way to divide his good self from his bad impulses, creates a potion using science that transforms himself into a man without a conscience. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a bright young doctor who, devastated by the death of his mother, becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. In the texts, authors Robert Stevenson and Mary Shelley use multiple literary elements to emphasize that knowledge

Read More

Jekyll And Hyde Duality

151 Words | 1 Pages

Overall, Stevenson’s presentation of the duality of man is conveyed by the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde because towards the end of the novel. Jekyll begins to realise that the schism which once caused them to despise one another, help them understand each other situation. Jekyll even begins to ‘pity’ Hyde toward the end of novel, praising his ‘love for life’ by calling it ‘wonderful’, as his creator he consequently acknowledges the condescending attitudes towards Hyde, unfairly for his appearance, however rightfully so for his actions. Moreover, like Darwin’s theory, Hyde could never be accepted into society, often being characterised as a ‘brute’. Additionally, Jekyll’s actions would be condemned by the Victorian readers, as he was

Read More

Symbolism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

592 Words | 3 Pages

As Stevenson was fascinated by Darwin theory of evolution he decided to portray it in his work. Due to the fact that in Victorian times the idea of rationalism was popular and that people weren’t supposed to show their strong emotions their darker sides were repressed and The locked doors and curtained windows of Jekyll’s house form the imagery of a man locking away the truth that lurks inside; Jekyll turning into Hyde is a metaphor of what happens when the unconscious mind is revealed; the murder of Carew symbolizes the repressed mind striking out at the conscious mind. The whole narrative is about unpeeling the layers that hide the repressed desires inside Jekyll Stevenson also uses several narrative points of view to intensify the feeling of a frightening outsider. As Hyde is often narrated in a mysterious way through different characters perspectives which slowly reveals horror a feature used in gothics.

Read More

Jekyll And Mr Hyde Human Nature Essay

813 Words | 4 Pages

In the novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson explores the complexity of human nature. He uses characters and events in the novel to present his stance on the major theme: “man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). Branching from this major theme are many more specific views on the idea that human nature is divided into good and evil. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two very different people who occupy the same body. Human beings struggle with good and evil and Stevenson goes to the extreme to to show this relationship.

Read More

Duality In Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

855 Words | 4 Pages

So, perhaps Jekyll’s experiment reduces his being to its most basic form, in which evil runs freely without his reputation as Jekyll being tarnished at all. Jekyll and Hyde are not the only examples of duality in this novel. The city of London is also portrayed in contrasting terms as both a foggy, dreary and ‘nightmarish’ place, and a well kept, bustling center of commerce. Indeed, just as men have both positive and negative qualities, so does society.

Read More

Homosexuality In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

586 Words | 3 Pages

The fact that Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in the year after private male homosexual acts was made illegal […] Two characters that paint the most homosexual undertones are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Utterson. While Jekyll represents the negative and repressed views of homosexuality, Utterson is the opposite. Utterson’s characterization represents homosexuality that was tolerated in the 19th century. Through clever storytelling and characterization, Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is able to provide insight on how homosexuality was viewed in the 19th century.

Read More

Black American Ebonics Essay

929 Words | 4 Pages

Language is vital to the identity of human beings. It is perhaps the most important single characteristic that distinguishes human beings from other animal species. The ability of men and women to communicate with one another in intelligent, symbolic, often abstract speech could be argued as the most important factor in our place as a dominating species on planet earth. Distinctive sounds, called phonemes, are arbitrary and have no meaning. But humans can string these sounds in an infinite number of ways to create meaning via words and sentences.

Read More

Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Research Paper

1065 Words | 5 Pages

In 1886 the book "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", written by Robert Louis Stevenson, was released and became one of the most popular Stevenson's work. It was a huge success all around the world, bringing a lot of distinct aspects from the Victorian Era, such as conflicts between social classes; the influence of religion in people's life; the importance of people's reputation; conflicts

Read More

Realism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

1492 Words | 6 Pages

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: More Than A 19th Century Novel In Kellen Williams’s “"Down With The Door, Poole": Designating Deviance In Stevenson 's Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde”, Williams suggests that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde employs realism, as do many 19th century novels. In Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it is evident that he weaves in a significant portion of Science and scientific language to propel the narrative and highlight the failings of the Victorian society. In addition, Stevenson’s perspective on the social anxieties of the time, namely “fears about degeneration” (Davis 208), the irrevocably dual nature of man, and the questionable morality of Victorian bourgeois values. However, the depiction of class and moral anxieties

Read More

Jet Airplane History

790 Words | 4 Pages

After twenty one years of peace passed, another war was unleashed onto the world. By now, everyone was using their new favorite toy to use in this destructive war, the airplane. With how efficient planes were in the First World War, everyone started to use them heavily in the Second World War and the evolution of the plane begins again. As a result of their new found favoritism planes received a considerably large upgrade to their systems. As Berel author of Aircraft History:

Read More

More about Doppelgänger In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Related Topics

Open Document