Mr Hyde Duality

The theme of duality has been commonly used in works of literature throughout history.

Duality is the opposition between the two aspects of something, and is used to advance the plot of

a story and develops the characters. It plays a significant role within human nature and how people

are identified in society. Throughout the literary works of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.

Hyde and Romeo and Juliet, the idea of duality shapes the plot and characters of both the novel

and play.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is centered around the idea that

all humans are dual in nature. Dr. Jekyll declares that “man is not truly one, but truly two,”

(Stevenson, 125) meaning that every man is both good and evil. In the novel, Mr. Hyde is the

representative of

He realizes that in order to survive, he must embrace his duality. He knows this because

when he tried to repress his evil side and keep it hidden away inside of him, the evil surfaced more

furious than ever before. As quoted by Jekyll, “My devil had long been caged---he came out

roaring.” (Stevenson, 145)

In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the author frequently demonstrates the theme

of duality by using specific writing techniques, such as double entendres, in the play. A double

entendre is a figure of speech that is devised to be understood in two different ways. Such as when

Lady Capulet believes that Juliet is crying over the death of her cousin, Tybalt, when she is

actually crying because she just received word that her lover, Romeo, has been exiled to Mantua.

Lady Capulet then proclaims, “We will have vengeance for it, fear thou not. / Then weep no more.

I’ll send to one in Mantua, / Where that same banished runagate doth live, / Shall give him such an

unaccustomed dram / That he shall soon keep Tybalt company. / And then, I hope, thou wilt be

satisfied” (III v 87-92). In addition to love and hate, one of the many examples of the theme