Dr Jekyll And Macbeth Duality Analysis

To look at the duality in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Macbeth

In this essay I am going to look at the idea of duality. Duality means the quality or condition of being dual. This is expressed in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by means of good and evil in everyone rich vs. poor

Mr Utterson is described as ‘dusty drears’ but also ‘loveable’ in the same sentence. RLS uses extremes too illustrate two sides to the characters personality. He uses twin to introduce to his theme of a two sided person from the opening. This foreshadows the story that is to develop.

Freshly cleanliness shows how well kept the street. Is this suggests that the people care about it band it was prosperous, but on the same road a building with no windows, sinister block nether bell

Mr Hyde is shorter and muscular that emphasise the difference between the two men. “He is different from others” said Lombroso, this goes against normality Victorian society wanted people to be normal. He also cares very much about his status in the world and as Mr Hyde he tries to destroy Dr Jekyll’s reputation in the world to make him loss all of his

This is the big reveal of the novel and informs the reader that the two men are one and the same. He described Mr Hyde as he transforms. RLS says he’ reeled, staggered clutched at the table’. This shows that the potion is painful, he is close to passing out as Mr Hyde and waking up as Dr Jekyll. This makes us question what is in the potion and why someone would he take it if it causes him pain. In turn this allows us to understand that Dr Jekyll enjoys the evil side of his nature.

Similarly duality is important in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Shakespeare uses duality a lot in his plays particularly in Macbeth. Like RLS he uses his words to show the battle between good and evil. Macbeth struggles inside his mind between murder and waiting, after the witches prophesises. Lady Macbeth regrets the killing and struggles with the horror.

Macbeth begins the play as a loyal soldier and reacts strongly to the predictions from the witches, he is in two minds what to do ‘if chance will have my king why chance may crown me’ this shows that he does not know whether to act on the prophesy or not. The people of the era believed in witchcraft in Shakespearian times. Macbeth decides he does not want to murder king Duncan but gets drawn into doing it by lady Macbeth this is shocking to a Shakespearian audience women were not powerful at this time in