The Duality Of Man By Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 1098 Words

The Duality of Man In the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a quiet, polite scientist, Dr. Jekyll, creates an elixir that basically allows him to turn into the aggressive and violent man called Mr. Hyde. The main theme seems to repeat itself throughout the entire tale, while it may not be clear to the reader in the beginning, this theme is actually quite easy to understand once it has been discovered. The underlying theme, that Robertson seems to want his reader to take away is this idea of the â€Å"duality of the nature of man†. Robertson looked at man as being made up of two parts, contained in one overall being. The reader can choose for themselves to look at these two parts as either the good and the evil or as man’s primitive, true self and the mask he must wear for society. However this idea of the duality of man is approached, one cannot deny that it seems to be the underlying theme throughout this classic novella. Near the beginning of this piece, Dr. Jekyll states that â€Å"man is not truly one, but truly two,† with each persona placed in the soul. The easiest way to look at this is to think of the metaphorical angel and devil that sit on your shoulder. One persona being the light or good side and the other being the darker, more â€Å"evil† side. The soul becomes a battleground, where both sides clash heads at every opportunity in an endless struggle to gain dominance over the other. This is where Dr. Jekyll gets his tragic idea from: a potion that will separateShow MoreRelatedHow Does Stevenson Portray the Duality of Man in the Opening Chapters of ‘the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’?1845 Words   |  8 Pagesthe duality of man in the opening chapters of ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’? Stevenson writes ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ with the intention of showing the reader the duality of man and explores this through the juxtaposition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this novella, Stevenson also uses the environment and setting of the story to represent the contrast between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the opening chapters of ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’Read MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde : Literary Review1515 Words   |  7 PagesThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Literary Review The Romantic era was plagued with class conflict, poverty, and labor issues. The Victorian novel allows those who had access to them discover and focus on moral issues with society. Among the novel that were created during the era, the genre of a gothic novella emerged. Well knowns gothic novellas included Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Stevenson’s gothic novella The StrangeRead MoreJekyll And Hyde Character Analysis968 Words   |  4 PagesStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, explores the duality of human nature. He writes this novel to show us that humans have split personalities, and that there are two sides to human’s personality: good and evil. In the late-Victorian literature, duality appears to be a common theme; serving as a way for modern readers to analyze late-Victorian literature and culture. Stevenson weaves throughout the novel a theme of duality + which appears in the characters of bo th Jekyll and Hyde as well as inRead MoreStevenson and Conrad: The Duality of Human Nature 778 Words   |  3 PagesThis may be why the controversial issue of the duality of human nature has been found at the heart of many Victorian works. The theme of the duality of man can be found in the works of two famous English authors, Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad. Stevenson and Conrad both incorporate the theme of the duality of human nature within their own novellas. Stevenson employs this theme throughout his novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and similarly Conrad employs this theme throughoutRead MoreTheme Of Innocence And Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1054 Words   |  5 Pages Duality Songs of Innocence Songs of Experience, by Blake, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Stevenson, are two stories, which present a case of duality. At the beginning of each of these novels, the author presents two different extremes: Blake presents innocence and experience and Stevenson presents good and evil. In both of these novels, as the story progresses, their two extremes struggle to coexist and one ultimately dominates over the other. Both Songs of Innocence Songs of Experience andRead MoreDr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Duality Essay1502 Words   |  7 PagesIn the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson provides insight into the inner workings of the duality that exists within humans. Dr. Jekyll is a well-respected doctor in his community while his differing personality Mr. Hyde is hideous and considered by the public as evil based on appearance. As the novel progresses Dr. Lanyon begins to investigate Mr. Hyde, he begins to realize similarities betw een both Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll such as their handwriting which resultsRead MoreCharles Darwin to Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1565 Words   |  7 PagesHow does Stevenson present duality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Stevenson presents duality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in various ways. One of these variations of the duality is among the minor characters, for example Utterson and Enfield. Their similarity is that they are both respectable Victorian gentlemen, that both like to discuss stories but they feel it is gossiping about their friend and say ‘let us make a bargain to never refer to this again’, this shows that they feel that they have overRead MoreDuality In Literature1347 Words   |  6 PagesDuality in Literature One of the main hobbies enjoyed by society today is reading. Classic works of literature and new pop culture novels are the basis of much of the discussion used in everyday life, and man is delving deeper into the novels known and loved. Dedicated readers are contemplating the purpose of this phrase in this chapter, why this word is used here, and what theme best expresses the author’s main idea. Probably the most popular theme in literature today is the use of duality. DualityRead MoreThe Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde1126 Words   |  5 PagesAs Robert Grudin said in _______, â€Å"there is an almost tragic duality between outer and inner worlds, between the rush of experience and the immobility of awareness†. Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, brilliantly exemplifies the philosophical phenomenon that is the duality of human nature through the 2 main characters that coexist interdependently together, Hen ry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. According to Webster’s dictionary, the duplicity of human beingsRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Duality Essay1408 Words   |  6 PagesIn literature, duality is anything that has two sides, mostly dealing with good and evil. Duality plays an important role in showing who the characters are and how the story occurs in many different books. Books in which duality plays a prominent role include Dr. Jekyll and Mrs.Hyde, Romeo and Juliet, and the Bible. Duality exists throughout the play Romeo and Juliet. The things characters say, the characters, and actions of the characters are ways duality exists in the play. For example,