THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE:
THE DUALITY OF MAN (theme)
The idea of people having both good and evil in them is certainly not new, but has been part of
most major religions for thousands of years. Christianity, for example, is based on the idea that
people will always fall short even when they are trying to do right. It is not hard to understand,
on a personal level, that both sides of our nature can sometimes be in control.
Dr. Jekyll
According to Sigmund Freud, the mind tries to supress evil thoughts and desires which are then
banished to the unconscious mind. Those thoughts are not eradicated however; they remain to
affect the thoughts and actions of the conscious mind. In Freudian theory, a Jekyll and Hyde
situation in real life creates a dual personality in one person.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the dual nature of man
is a main theme. Jekyll says: "Man is not /truly one, but truly two",
meaning all people have both a good and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll creates
a potion to fully separate good and evil, but instead it awakens a
dormant character, Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses
society, control, and symbolism to explore human nature.
To begin with, Stevenson shows duality of human nature through
society. During the Victorian era, there was a strong class division. Dr.
Jekyll is the quintessential Victorian gentleman. He wants to be taken
, seriously as a scientist, but also indulge in his darker passions.“...I
learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality/ of man; I saw
that, of the two natures that contended in/ the field of my
consciousness, even if I could rightly be said/ to be either, it was only
because I was radically both...".
When Jekyll first transforms into Hyde, he feels delighted at his
newfound freedom. He states: "... And yet when I looked upon /that
ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, /rather of a
leap of welcome...". Now he could be respected as a scientist and
explore his darker passions. Stevenson shows duality of human nature
through society. The creation of Mr. Hyde frees him of the confines of
his conscience.
Stevenson also uses control to show duality of human nature. When
Dr. Lanyon sees Hyde take the potion and transform into Jekyll, he
loses his innocence. Throughout his life he had felt in control, telling
himself he did not have dark passions but when he saw this
transformation, he realized he had his own Hyde."...As for the moral
turpitude that man/ unveiled to me, even with fears of penitence...".
Whilst the character of Dr Jekyll is the most obvious example of duality in the text,
it is important to make it clear to the examiner that you are aware that Hyde is not
a separate character to Jekyll. Many people have interpreted the text to mean that
when Jekyll takes the potion, he still thinks as Jekyll. However, he is able to act
without guilt as Mr Hyde.
Here is an extract from an Examiners Report on the point made above:
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE:
THE DUALITY OF MAN (theme)
The idea of people having both good and evil in them is certainly not new, but has been part of
most major religions for thousands of years. Christianity, for example, is based on the idea that
people will always fall short even when they are trying to do right. It is not hard to understand,
on a personal level, that both sides of our nature can sometimes be in control.
Dr. Jekyll
According to Sigmund Freud, the mind tries to supress evil thoughts and desires which are then
banished to the unconscious mind. Those thoughts are not eradicated however; they remain to
affect the thoughts and actions of the conscious mind. In Freudian theory, a Jekyll and Hyde
situation in real life creates a dual personality in one person.
In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the dual nature of man
is a main theme. Jekyll says: "Man is not /truly one, but truly two",
meaning all people have both a good and a bad side. Dr. Jekyll creates
a potion to fully separate good and evil, but instead it awakens a
dormant character, Mr. Hyde. Throughout the novel, Stevenson uses
society, control, and symbolism to explore human nature.
To begin with, Stevenson shows duality of human nature through
society. During the Victorian era, there was a strong class division. Dr.
Jekyll is the quintessential Victorian gentleman. He wants to be taken
, seriously as a scientist, but also indulge in his darker passions.“...I
learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality/ of man; I saw
that, of the two natures that contended in/ the field of my
consciousness, even if I could rightly be said/ to be either, it was only
because I was radically both...".
When Jekyll first transforms into Hyde, he feels delighted at his
newfound freedom. He states: "... And yet when I looked upon /that
ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, /rather of a
leap of welcome...". Now he could be respected as a scientist and
explore his darker passions. Stevenson shows duality of human nature
through society. The creation of Mr. Hyde frees him of the confines of
his conscience.
Stevenson also uses control to show duality of human nature. When
Dr. Lanyon sees Hyde take the potion and transform into Jekyll, he
loses his innocence. Throughout his life he had felt in control, telling
himself he did not have dark passions but when he saw this
transformation, he realized he had his own Hyde."...As for the moral
turpitude that man/ unveiled to me, even with fears of penitence...".
Whilst the character of Dr Jekyll is the most obvious example of duality in the text,
it is important to make it clear to the examiner that you are aware that Hyde is not
a separate character to Jekyll. Many people have interpreted the text to mean that
when Jekyll takes the potion, he still thinks as Jekyll. However, he is able to act
without guilt as Mr Hyde.
Here is an extract from an Examiners Report on the point made above:
