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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1886)
Imagine a scientist who has concocted a potion. With an act of excitement the man tests this potion on himself. With one gulp, he experiences an amazing transformation and thus, a disturbing creature arises. This is a story following the lawyer (Mr. Utterson), who tries to discover who this person is and what the relationship it between them and his friend, Dr. Jekyll. As he looks deeper and deeper into things, Mr. Utterson uncovers something so horrifying, even he can't keep it inside.--Submitted by Nikki3p
A strange house on a dark street in England tells odd tales of a mysterious figure so vicious and disturbing as to want to trample small children and kill seemingly innocent men. A figure named Hyde. Mr. Utterson, a lawyer, finds this Hyde person connected to his good friend, Dr. Jekyll, through a simple piece of paper. But this connection takes Mr. Utterson down a road he never wanted to walk, leading to the revelation of a terrible secret and exposing the darkest side of man... --Submitted by Anonymous
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is about a scientist wants to be evil even though he can't so he creates a potion turning him to someone one else. Soon strange things start happening... --Submitted by Anonymous.
This novella delves into the darker sides of human beings from the point of view of a doctor. (Dr. Jekyll) At the outset, he takes immeasurable delight in being someone else, carrying out tempting heinous acts without being recognized but comes to pay dearly for this duality in the end.--Submitted by Ehasan Salimian
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is about the concepts of duality of nature and fragmentation, both of which are explored through the protagonist, Dr. Jekyll. Mr. Utterson, a lawyer, is trying to find out the link between Jekyll and a killer called Hyde and soon finds out the link is more shocking than he could ever imagine... --Submitted by Seb Wenito
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Recent Forum Posts on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Homosexuality Between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Homosexuality Within Dr. Jekyll Do you guys believe it possible that homosexuality ties in with the sinister Hyde? Since he basically is the embodiment of everything sinful during the Victorian era which includes homosexuality (during that time period gays were blackmailed over their homosexuality an example being Oscar Wilde) I find it likely Mr. Hyde could have had a homosexual side. The novel's first readers also believed Mr. Hyde was blackmailing Dr. Jekyll on his homosexuality in order to force Dr. Jekyll to keep writing him checks (they didn't know they were two separate people yet)- any thoughts on this?
Is Mr Hyde just working class?
The description of Mr Hyde is not like he is usually portrayed in films and TV, where he is large and hairy, rather like a werewolf (actually I don't think I have seen any straight adaptions of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, just comedy spoofs). In the book he is described as being young, small, pale, unpleasant looking, and gives an impression of deformity. That reminded me of something I read in Jack London's People of the Abyss, which was a bit of reportage on the East End of London: Class supremacy can rest only on class degradation; and when the workers are segregated in the ghetto, they cannot escape the consequent degradation. A short and stunted people is created - a breed strikingly differentiated from their masters' breed, a pavement folk, as it were lacking stamina and strength. The men become caricatures of what physical men ought to be, and their women and children are pale and anemic, with eyes ringed darkly, who stoop and slouch, and are early twisted out of all shapeliness and beauty. Then there are several paragraphs where London thinks the people of the End End have been devolving into a brutish subspecies because anyone with any ability got out, leaving the dregs to breed with each other. They become indecent and bestial. When they kill, they kill with their hands, and then stupidly surrender themselves to the executioners. There is no splendid audacity about their transgressions. They gouge a mate with a dull knife, or beat his head with an iron pot, and then sit down and wait for the police. Wife-beating is the masculine prerogative of matrimony. They wear remarkable boots of brass and iron, and when they have polished off the mother of their children with a black eye or so,they knock her down and proceed to trample on her very much as a western stallion tramples on a rattlesnake. I am sure I read another bit where Jack London walks down a street and is fearful of some men coming the other way, but I cannot find it right now. iirc, the men were small, but looked dangerous. In The Time Machine H.G. Wells depicts the Morlochs as a species of people devolved from working class slum dwellers, while the middle class and aristocracy have deteriorated into the Eloi. I wonder if Mr Hyde's appearance did represent a middle-class fear of the working-class / underclass, and if so, did RLS mean to portray him as such, or was it subconscious?
200 notes?
I am slightly confused after reading the first chapter of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In that chapter, Mr Hyde tramples over a little girl. Someone goes and catches him and he is forced to pay £200 to the girl's family. 200 pounds compensation for a girl who was not hurt that much! If you multiply by 100, which is my rule for comparing Victorian prices to modern day prices, that is £20,000. She was not hurt that much. The incident occurred about 3am in the morning. What was she doing on the streets at that time? I have only finished chapter 1, but if Mr Hyde were that evil, why would he cough up that sort of money?
Real Life
Have any of you known anyone like Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde?
Question about the books popularity.
I just finished reading the book and it got me thinking. How did the book reach the huge success it did back then? If I remember correct, the book takes place in Victorian Era, which I believe was about harmony, and everything was idyllic and all. So how did a book with this genre gain so much success?
What are some concepts and values associated with the villain(s) within this book?
Hey guys. I really need help. I have to think of 3. I know one already: How Jekyll is a villain the audience can sympathise with, as he is the good side of Mr Hyde and how he constantly tries to make Hyde vanish. but what else? (the concepts and values related to the role of a villain) thanks!! I really need help! even if you dont think it's correct, I'd still like to hear :)
Jekyll & Hyde Figurative Language HELP
Hiya I need some uses of figurative language quotes in Jekyll & Hyde, such as personification etc Please reply, cuz its being sent to the examiner next week!
Jekyll and Hyde Appropriation/Adaptation
Does anyone know of any good short stories based on Jekyll and Hyde? I would really like an urgent response as it's for a school assignment. I would rather not use another film as one of the two additional texts that i'm using for Jekyll and Hyde is a film.
Jekyll And HYde URGENT HELP PLZZ :D
Im doin a jekyll and hyde essay called Examine the Representation of Evil in Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ I need some pointers in what i need 2 base my paragraphs on.. I need help 2day if possible I'LL BE VERY GRATEFUL TO ANY1 HU HELPS THANK YOU
Please respond ASAP
Hi! I am reading the book and was just wondering what Jekyll Hyde was? And also what his view of man? Thanks so much. IF you can respond asap that would be amazing!!!! thanks! :yawnb:;)
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