Examples Of Dualism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Influential, well-renowned works of literature often denote motifs that can be widely applied to everything in life. Duality, the idea that all things have two equally balanced sides that contrast one another, is especially eminent in artistic and literary creations. Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde provides various excellent examples of this double-sidedness, from human nature to one’s societal ranking among others. In a similar manner to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde explores the concept of dualism in great detail while using a broad range of literary devices, such as symbols and figures of speech, to further illustrate this abstract idea.

The focal point of Stevenson’s novella is the division of human nature. In the story, Henry Jekyll is a wealthy upperclassman, known for his benevolence and charitable deeds. However, the man admired and embraced by society harbors a secret known only by himself: a second identity that indulges in acts of immorality and sin. In his moral state, the scientist discovers “the thorough and primitive duality of man” (Stephenson 48) and that, of the two

Similarly, in Shakespeare’s play, the distinguished relationship between the Montagues and Capulets restricts who any member of either family may associate himself or herself with. As a result of this, Juliet has her famous monologue beginning with “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (II ii 33), for she recognizes the barriers of society are what prohibit her from communicating with Romeo. As with all groups of people, there is an unwritten code of etiquette that each party is encouraged to follow. This theme, the hypocrisy of society, encompasses dualism in both the short novel and the tragic