Exploring duality in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay

When Stevenson wrote the novella Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde he seemed to apply been cropd by various ideas. The premier(prenominal) goes all the office tush to an ancient Greek philosopher Plato. His theory of dualism was imaged as two horses clashing with integrity an near new(prenominal). He believed that e truly hu homosexual being was a charioteer trying to keep back them remnant and in adjudge. One horse being black representing the living organism infernal perspective this is the side being harder to control and contains instinctive drives. This expresses the Stygian side. Stevenson took this excogitation to an early(a) level and gave off the look that in his novella the dark horse had been liberated taking all all(prenominal)place the pureness horse. The white horse portrayed in dictateigence, moral senses, and the angelic side of globekind. This side had lowly energy just now responded to all the commands exactly. Jekyll evidently being a scientist had much guinea pigistics of the higher horse (white), however e really whizz has a demonic side it is natural to have a bit of dark side to them. Hyde stood by the dark horse he was all defective and didnt take any consequences for his actions.Hydes charter was vey monstrous and beastly. This takes me onto the idea of Charles Darwin his concept to duality was the idea of on that point being a beast in a man. He believed that mankind originated from apes. He also believed that on that point was two parts to human nature. Stevenson took this to an extreme when he introduced the quotation Hyde. Although there isnt an exact description of Hydes appearance, Enfield did say in the premiere chapter He is not easy to describe, there is aboutthing wrong with his appearance something displeasing, something honest detestable, and he must be de modeled somewhere. This summon is the ruff to show the beastliness of Hyde. His actions also argon not truly human equal a peachy example of this is when he tramples over a little girl. Stevenson adapts Darwins idea to his novella.The third and final incline was the Victorian society at the time. In this society men were obligate to hide their secrets from their public lives. there was a lot of hypocrisy in the Victorian times. People said one thing and did the other. Stevenson takes this idea this influence is proved in the front chapter when Enfield and Mr Utterson talk near Hyde. No sir I had a delicacy was the reply I feel very power seriousy somewhat hurlting questions it partakes too overmuch of the style of the day of judgement. You mark a question, and its similar starting a stone, you sit quietly on top of the hill and away the stone goes, starting other and the family have to change their name.No sir, I make it a territorial dominion of mine the more it run intos like Queer Street, the less I ask. This is stating the particular that people in the Victorian times stayed emerge of each other busine ss as they didnt want people to ask about their personal lives. Men in those times got away with al about anything in Hydes case he got away with murder. People kept them selves to their selves, just now they matte it was right to ask about other people. This shows dualism in a way that people were two faced as they kept secrets form each other.Before Jekyll become a scientist he was a very happy man that loved life and lived it to the fullest. Jekyll was born with everything given to him, he cute to enjoy life but also wanted to have a status in the public eye he wanted some(prenominal) things. This explains the duality of life. Jekyll says in one of the chapters in concealed in on my own pleasures this means that his pleasure and desires were kept to him self. In club to achieve in life, he felt that he had to hide his faults from the world.The first information we argon given about Dr Jekyll is form his old relay link Dr Lanyon he mentions the reason why they do not see muc h of each other. Jekyll became too fanciful for me. And that Dr Jekyll was interested in such unscientific balderdash This partly explains Jekyll personality as these comments would make the proofreviewer queer to know what Dr. Jekyll is up to. Later in the novella Jekyll makes his first appearance, he is described to be a large, swell made, serene-faced man of fifty dollar billbut every mark of capacity and kindness. To the reader he appears to be a kind man who you would not expect to do anything wrong.This is a sign of dualism in a way that Jekyll is given a false upfront of what he is really like. Jekyll also describes his personality as a gaiety of disposition Stevenson deliberately made this quote vague, but it instantly shows the slyness in Dr Jekyll does not want to tell anyone about his personality or life and exactly the things he got up to. This was because in the Victorian times you couldnt talk about prostitutes this was classed as all wrong, you would be discarde d from the society. Jekyll wanted to explore the dualism in a man and so he did split his personality into easily and evil. This is why he came up with the potion.When Jekyll first take the potion he describes his feelings in The strange pillow slip of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Jekyll says at first The most racking pangs succeeded he was in abundant pain, but then rapidly the feelings changed to the incredibly sweet I felt younger, lighter, happier in the embody already he experiences freedom. Jekyll was able to see a new side to the world, the evil side He explains that these feelings delighted him like wine. Moreover, Jekyll desire from early life is to separate the two selves that argon apparent but equally present. Jekyll learns how to free Hyde. precisely did try to control Hyde coming out, when Jekyll tries to cage Hyde for sizeable, when he tried this Hyde didnt come out for a long time, but Hyde was itching to come out, in the remove Hyde burst out stronger than ever and becomes the more dominant one.Hyde was the powerful one while Jekyll loses the control he could maintain when he alone had actions. Jekyll becomes inclined to Hyde there for more dosages were needed. Eventually it is clear that Dr Jekyll is no protracted in conduct of the transformation. In Henry Jekyll full statement of the case he says I had not wakened where I seemed to be but in the little room in Soho where I was accustomed to sleep in the body of Edwarfared Hyde Jekyll says he wasnt in control anymore. A proof of this is when he says yes I had gone to bed Henry Jekyll, I had awakened Edward HydeDr Jekyll is more accepted into the society as being a scientist, people look up to him and respects him. In Jekyll full statement of the case he says I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to have my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave physiognomy before the public. This is telling us that Jekyll is giving off the impression that he is good at his profess ion nigh being bigheaded.Hyde is the choose by opposite his actions do not have consequences Hydes behaviour is very ape like, just like his appearance (this goes back to Darwins theory.)The other characters cannot describe his outside shell as it is too hideous to describe. Hydes character is extremely cruel and evil. For example when he just tramples over the child in the first chapter, this shows the lack of respect for others. It also shows he is amoral.Stevenson used this marked contrast to make his point in dualism every human being contains opposite forces within them, theres ever so a different person behind a facade. This shows dualism in a whole different level. Stevenson used an aptonym for Hyde as his character hides in other character. The style of Stevensons writing is sometimes complicated as some of the sentences are longer than sophisticated readers would normally read. also the vocabulary is dated, and a lot of the words in the novel are no longer used.The m ost complex parts of the story are in Jekylls confession at the end. Sometimes Stevenson uses metaphors such as when Mr Enfield describes where he first met Mr Hyde as some place at the end of the world. He uses a lot of similes to show how inhuman Hyde really is, for example like some damned Juggernaut and like Satan. Alliteration highlights the unpleasantness of Mr Hyde he is described as downright detestable and hardly human. Onomatopoeia emphasises the animate being qualities of Mr Hyde by describing the sounds he makes as hissing, snarled and husky. passim the novella the stem of hypocrisy is very large. Almost every character is a hypocrite take for example the police man. When the police man realised that the victim of the murder was a famous MP. You can tell from the police man face that his professional ambition meant a lot, as this would better his career and maybe lead to an early retirement. Jekyll is the ultimate hypocrite in the novella although he lives part of his life as someone else he cannot accept the natural evil inside him so he separates them. Hydes house keeper is another character that shows hypocrisy. She displays odious joys when she hears that her employer, Mr Hyde is in trouble with the police. She is described as having a face that is worn smooth with hypocrisy.Stevenson often uses the weather to reflect the evil within the surroundings. For example some scenes are described as foggy, which creates a sense of eeriness and mystery. Also wind is used to make the environment seem like it is full of violence and menace. Changes in the weather, for instance when Poole and Utterson are getting ready to collapse into Jekylls laboratory, also create a dark and evil strain as when the wind caused the clouds to cover the moon. The house itself shows secret and hypocrisy as well. In contrast the access of Dr. Jekyll home wore a great credit line of wealth and comfort, whilst the inside of the house is described as warm up by a brig ht, open fire, and furnished with costly cabinets of oak. The good friend of Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Utterson, often spoke of it as the pleasantest room in London.This gives a totally different impression to that of Mr Hydes home. The description of Mr Hydes door would make it appear that the house was abandoned by the state of it. But as you enter the house there is a sense of elegance, extravagance and good taste. You would expect it to be empty and unclean. A Victorian reader would not associate these two people together as they two live in different environments. They would only realise the association mingled with them when Mr Hyde presents a cheque to the childs family, bearing Dr. Jekyll name. This would make the reader curious of how these two know each other. However later on the reader is surprised to see that the inside of Mr Hydes house contains good wines, good pictures, silver plates, elegant table linen and thick carpets. These are items you would expect to see in Dr. Jeky ll house.The dualism in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is almost similar to the modern days. Jekyll as a scientist had a extremely egotism. He was very quick to come up with a potion that split a mans personality, but when the character Hyde occurs, he is the complete opposite. As humans we want a balanced ego, we want desires to be fulfilled but not all desires are good. So this makes a dynamic equilibrium. This was the theory of Freud. Jekyll is dominated by superego but Hyde being the id is trying to push his way in, which he does succeed in the end. In my opinion I think that Jekyll has a balanced ego as in the end he wanted to destroy both good and evil. I think this shows he is being considerate as he could have carried on being Hyde if he wanted to. There comes an end to all things the most capacious measure is filled at last and this brief trade to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul. I think this is Jekyll thinking in terms of his super ego as I think this quote sho ws that he wants to get rid of Hyde as the emphasis is on the word finally.The dualism in the story is significant to the support, without duality in the book it would have a different perspective on the whole. Stevensons main aim was to put his point across about duality. Stevenson reveals that the duality of human nature runs deeper than good and evil to rational versus and reputation versus true nature. Stevenson also uses different narrators to the book to give an alternative view on Hyde and Jekyll. No single poster could explain to the reader the views of characters associated with Jekyll and Hyde. For example without the support of his friend Utterson, Jekyll would not be as strongOverall I think that this novella is very complex, but has an excellent understanding to it. I think Stevenson put the theme of duality init in an interesting way and related it very well to the Victorian society at the time. Stevenson also comments on the constant war and balance between the two characters. There comes an end to all things the most capacious measure is filled at last and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul. In almost all stories the good always wins in the end as Jekyll right committed suicide as there was no other way out. However it also could be seen as the evil getting the best of the good side as Hyde took over Jekylls life and Jekyll producing the potion in the first place. I think that the story relates to this day and age in a way that people are hypocrites and have two sides to them, it gives a strong message to what could happen in the outcome.