Plot: Dr Henry Jekyll, an upstanding surgeon in Victorian England, is frustrated in his desire to marry his beloved, Muriel Carew, by her pompous father who insists that he must wait eight months so as to marry on the same date that he married his wife. However Jekyll perfects a formula that allows him to let the animal side of his nature free. Taking the formula, Jekyll physically transforms into a bestial creature that he calls Hyde. Hyde roams the disreputable areas of London where he makes an innocent showgirl/prostitute his and keeps her in mortal terror. However Jekyll soon finds that he is unable to control Hyde’s appearances.
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This is one of around 20+ adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) – which makes it the horror genre’s most ever adapted story. (That’s not counting various sequels featuring sons and daughters of Dr Jekyll, X-rated versions, musical versions, parodies, and versions where Dr Jekyll turns into a woman). Whatever the case, this is the best of all the adaptations. It came out New Year’s Eve of 1931, the same year that also brought us other classics such as the Boris Karloff Frankenstein (1931) and the Bela Lugosi Dracula (1931). Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are like a triumvirate of horror stories. They are, as Stephen King argued, the templates for most other horror stories. And in turn all three of these films have cast giant shadows over horror cinema in their formative treatment of the respective monsters, shadows that continue to influence the genre to this day.
The Robert Louis Stevenson story is a work of psychological conjecture that predates what Freud would later hypothesize about the individual’s struggle between responsibility toward socialization (superego) and humanity’s baser drives (the id). What makes this version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde most interesting is the addition of clearly sexual undercurrents. Dr Jekyll is plainly frustrated in his love for Muriel by her father’s absurd insistence that he wait eight months for their marriage. To the story has now been added the character of a dancehall girl (which the film all but comes out and says is a hooker) with whom Hyde takes up. Throughout, the film maintains a bad girl/good girl polarity between the dancehall girl and Jekyll’s fiancee as a kind of sexual objectification of the dual divide of Jekyll’s two natures – one girl represents virtue, the other represents wanton sexuality.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, there were many technological and scientific advances that impacted how people viewed the society. The nineteenth century saw the rise of ideas such as the ‘fin-de-siecle”, where the progress in technology or science might lead to ‘degeneration’. The idea that these advances would come at a cost and possibly end the human race was shared by many, including Stevenson. This value that technological advances might lead to degeneration is seen through the characterisation of Jekyll and Hyde. The imagery that Jekyll uses to describe Hyde: “the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy” depicts Hyde as a primitive being, a human that has been degenerated into an ape. This reference that Hyde is primitive can also be seen in the use of connotative words: “clubbed him [Carew] to death” which implies that Hyde is similar to an ape or early human, thus the idea of degeneration. Another reference depicting Hyde as less than human is seen through the metaphor used by Enfield: “it was like some damned Juggernaut”, again emphasising how technological advances might lead to degeneration, as Hyde was a product of Jekyll’s experiments.
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dual nature of man is a recurring theme. Jekyll constantly struggles with good and evil, the expectations of Victorian society, and the differences between Lanyon and Jekyll.
In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Hyde becomes Jekyll's demonic, monstrous alter ego. Certainly Stevenson presents him immediately as this from the outset. Hissing as he speaks, Hyde has "a kind of black sneering coolness . . . like Satan". He also strikes those who witness him as being "pale and dwarfish" and simian like. The Strange Case unfolds with the search by the men to uncover the secret of Hyde. As the narrator, Utterson, says, "If he be Mr. Hyde . . . I shall be Mr. Seek". Utterson begins his quest with a cursory search for his own demons. Fearing for Jekyll because the good doctor has so strangely altered his will in favor of Hyde, Utterson examines his own conscience, "and the lawyer, scared by the thought, brooded a while in his own past, groping in all the corners of memory, lest by chance some Jack-in-the-Box of an old iniquity should leap to light there" (SC, 42). Like so many eminent Victorians, Utterson lives a mildly double life and feels mildly apprehensive about it. An ugly dwarf like Hyde may jump out from his own boxed self, but for him such art unlikely creature is still envisioned as a toy. Although, from the beginning Hyde fills him with a distaste for life (SC, 40, not until the final, fatal night, after he storms the cabinet, can Utterson conceive of the enormity of Jekyll's second self. Only then does he realize that "he was looking on the body of a self-dcstroyer" (SC, 70); Jekyll and Hyde are one in death as they must have been in life.
Stevenson’s most prominent character in the story is the mysterious Mr Hyde. Edward Hyde is introduced from the very first chapter when he tramples a young girl in the street, which brings the reader’s attention straight to his character. The reader will instantly know that this person is a very important part of this book and that he plays a key role in the story. This role is the one of a respectable old man named Dr Jekyll’s evil side or a ‘doppelganger’. This links in with the idea of duality. Dr Jekyll is described as being ‘handsome’, ‘well-made’ and ‘smooth-faced’. On the other hand, Mr Hyde is described as being ‘hardly human’, ‘pale and dwarfish’, giving of an impression of deformity and ‘so ugly that it brought out the sweat on (Mr Enfield) like running’! These words all go together to conjure up an image in the mind of an animal, beast or monster. During the novel...
As an introduction, Jekyll and Hyde,published in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson, introduces the idea of the composite hero through the the mysterious Dr. Jekyll. Interestingly, in Dr. Jekyll’s confession letter, readers discover the villainous character Hyde is indeed Jekyll. Knowingly, Jekyll discovered his time as Dr. Jekyll was running out.
...llness. A Report on the Fifth International Stigma Conference . June 4–6, 2012. Ottawa, Canada
As more people in London set out to impress one another readers find that what we see is not always what we get. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde exploits the well-to-do men and women, who come across as fine and upstanding citizens, to be hiding secrets from one another in attempt to maintain their reputations. An example of this behavior is found in the very beginning of the book as Enfield detail the account of Hyde running over the little girl. After this incident the girl’s doctor and family chased her to make sure she was okay then after seeing Hyde and his horrifying appearance they took the opportunity to blackmail him. With all of this taking place late at night it was easy for these community members to treat Hyde this was because there were few witnesses however if the incident took place in the daylight with many people around they may not have reacted the same way. The text provides many opportunities for readers to self-reflect on what he/she may have done in the situation and what the outcome may have been while also thinking of times when his/her actions may have been just as
Mr. Hyde is the monstrous side of Dr. Jekyll from their book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” In their story, Dr. Jekyll is a brilliant scientist who has created a formula that turns him into Mr. Hyde. It is stated that, at some point, Dr. Jekyll became addicted to the potion. Though it is unclear what would cause the addiction, since it would be Hyde who would experience the “high” and not Jekyll himself. Hyde is the contrast to Dr. Jekyll, and is considerably more brutal and immoral. Modern incarnations depict him as becoming incredibly muscular after the transformation, though in the original work it is only implied that Hyde is stronger, retaining his previous physique. It is consistent that Hyde is shown to be ugly, perhaps even deformed.
Jekyll unveils his story, it becomes evident that Dr. Jekyll’s efforts to keep Mr. Hyde, his immoral outlet, reticent are in vain. Dr. Jekyll succumbs to Mr. Hyde once and eventually the pull of his worse self overpowers Dr. Jekyll completely. His futile attempts to contain Mr. Hyde were more damaging than auspicious, as Mr. Hyde would only gain a stronger grip on Dr. Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll writes, “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught… My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring” (115). Dr. Jekyll’s inevitable passion for debauchery is only further invigorated by his repression of Mr. Hyde. By restraining a desire that is so deeply rooted within Dr. Jekyll, he destroys himself, even after his desires are appeased. Like a drug, when Dr. Jekyll first allowed himself to concede to Mr. Hyde, he is no longer able to abstain, as his initial submission to depravity resulted in the loss of Dr. Jekyll and the reign of Mr.
Standpoint theory centres on the “inversion hypothesis,” suggesting that those who are oppressed or marginalized by structures of systematic domination may have epistemological privilege. This privilege, Wylie explains, could manifest itself in the marginalized understanding things that the dominant group may be unaware of, or as a deeper understanding of the situation around them, stemming from their ability to relate to the powerful while having experienced being powerless (Wylie, 26). Wylie attempts to disassociate standpoint theory from two of its common criticisms, one of which is the assumption of automatic epistemic privilege for marginalized groups (28). Wylie suggests that it is instead positions that “put the critically conscious knower in a position to grasp the effects of power relations” which offer the epistemic privilege (34). However, this response leads to two unworkable interpretations. If Wylie's adjustment i...
On August 20th, 1992 Mary Fisher addressed the Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas in what is now one of the most famous speeches given in recent American history. Fisher, the daughter of a wealthy Republican, spoke on the importance being aware of the increasing danger of HIV/AIDS. Speaking from experience, Fisher is able talk about the danger of ignorance from the disease. She deploys metaphors and allusions pertaining to the Holocaust, as well as hypothetical experiences, to address a complacent, if not oppositional, Republican crowd. Fisher attempts to convince her political listeners of the very real danger that comes with ignoring HIV/AIDS. Fisher deploys a combination of the three appeals of logos, ethos and pathos to strengthen her speech as a persuasive argument. She expands upon her discussion by using metaphor throughout as an effective
Henry Jekyll’s innermost vices, but since he held himself to an extremely high standard of moral excellence, he needed to find another way of releasing. He creates Hyde as his way of getting these primal urges out. During this time period, the focus on reputation and credibility was huge, and this is how men were judged. He had many urges that he was internally repressing, as a result of existing in the Victorian era, which was well known for how incredibly stuffy and repressed it was. Jekyll was widely respected in the community as a doctor and he had many friends, so it is understandable that he didn’t want to lose his reputation, which came first for men of his social standing in this time period. He went to great lengths to create and cover for Hyde, including renting a place for Hyde to live, and making a bank account for his alter ego. The creation of Hyde turns out to be way more sinister than Jekyll initially imagined. Hyde’s own name is a pun, as he is the part of Jekyll that he must keep hidden away for fear of
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde features a setting based in various locations throughout Victorian London, including a variety of areas in different ends of the economic class spectrum. The primary characters, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, represent these opposite ends: Dr. Jekyll’s home is located in Soho, on a “dingy street” (Ste...
During the time when the general public believes the only way to contract HIV/AIDS is to be homosexual, an addict, or prostitute, Fisher being a white, heterosexual, married mother of two from an upper-class family who contracted the virus from her husband is herself the certifying ethos of this speech (1). She tactfully uses her own circumstances and diagnosis to embody the plight of all in the AIDS community and shows that no one is exempt from this deadly disease. She emphatically states that HIV does not care about race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation; all that it asks is “Are you human?” (2). She ceases to be the exception and gains the attention and respect of the American people when she aligns herself with others with HIV/AIDS with her statement:
From the moment scientists identified HIV and AIDS, social responses of fear, denial, stigma and discrimination have accompanied the epidemic. Discrimination has spread rapidly, fuelling anxiety and prejudice against the groups most affected, as well as those living with HIV or AIDS. It goes without saying that HIV and AIDS are as much about social phenomena as they are about biological and medical concerns. Across the world the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS has shown itself capable of triggering responses of compassion, solidarity and support, bringing out the best in people, their families and communities. But the disease is also associated with stigma, repression and discrimination, as individuals affected (or believed to be affected) by HIV have been rejected by their families, their loved ones and their communities. This rejection holds as true in the rich countries of the north as it does in the poorer countries of the south.