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Dr jekyll and hyde mystery and tension
Dr jekyll and hyde mystery and tension
Dr jekyll and hyde mystery and tension
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“Dracula” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” are two works that exemplify the theme of Losing Control. Jonathan Harker, under the control of vampires, feels his sense of control weaken. While Dr. Jekyll played around with the dark side within himself and soon became the victim of his own work. Between the Harker feeling powerless and Dr. Jekyll unable to control his transformations, it is clear that this theme is more than prevalent. Nevertheless the idea of losing control is one that can change a life forever, just take a look at the endgame in both stories.
Dr. Jekyll always had Mr. Hyde inside of him, but it wasn’t til he took the potion that he actually came out. After much research Jekyll found a chemical solution
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that could possibly work, however he would be putting his life in danger. At first he felt sick from the potion and nauseated, but eventually he gained happiness and comfortability. He was finally able to separate his good side from his bad, finally able to release his darker impulses without any consequence.
He used Mr. Hyde as a release for his pent up behavior and a new way to express himself. All was well until he started to transform into Mr. Hyde during his sleep and soon began to realize the sheer power he had unleashed. He was losing control of the power he created, the power to feel freedom and invincibility, but instead the power started to control him. This resulted in Dr. Jekyll refusing to transform into Mr Hyde anymore, however the power he created had more power over him than he thought. His urge to transform one night was so strong that it forced him to do so, and feeling his power back, he brutally murdered Sir Danver Carew. The dark side of himself now had enough power to force Dr. Jekyll to cave into his impulses to induce the transformation. After realizing the tragedy that he had caused, Dr. Jekyll vowed again to stop the transformations, seeing as it would be the only thing to save him from himself. Nevertheless he had already lost control of his dark side, and it would only keep coming back to wreck havoc. Eventually one day, Dr Jekyll was in a park and transformed without the use of the potion, also for the …show more content…
first time during the day, and was absolutely terrified of the control his dark side had. Jekyll, in a desperate plea for help, went to see Dr. Lanyon for his help on a potion to transform him for Hyde back to Jekyll. Dr. Lanyon agreed and completed the transformation for Mr. Hyde, however the sight of the change forced Lanyon to question everything he has believed in. “I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer. My life is shaken to its roots.” (Jekyll and Hyde Chapter 9) Soon after Lanyon became ill and eventually passed, believed to be caused by the sight of Mr. Hyde’s transformation. Now back to Jekyll and the lab, he had to create more potions to be able to keep up with Mr. Hyde’s transforming demand. He began to find himself hopeless as the transformations happened more rapidly and the required amount of potion increased. He finally began to see how much control he had lost and how much his dark side had. He knew eventually he would run out of ingredients for the potion and would be stuck as Mr. Hyde, it wasn’t was matter of if?, but when? This is when he locked himself into his laboratory, fearing being trapped as Mr. Hyde forever, and did the unspeakable and ended his life. The loss of control in Dracula can be seen through many instances, Harkers imprisonment as well as Dracula’s sanity.
Harker traveled to the Count's Castle to conclude a business deal about the sale of a property named Carfax. It wasn’t until after his arrival that he realized Dracula was no normal man. He received a warning to not go into any room but his own, however he defied this warning, resulting in three female vampires swarming over him. The Count burst in a pull the vampires away from Jonathan proclaiming, “When I am done with him you shall kiss him at your will” (Dracula Chapter 3). This makes Jonathan feel uneasy and horrified about his situation, as if he is losing control of his surroundings. He awakes the next day unsure if what had happened was a dream or reality. As time passes, he realizes more and more that he is a prisoner of the castle, doomed to be stuck there forever. He sees one day a group of Gypsies moving boxes and attempts to get them to post his letters. By throwing his letters out the window along with a gold piece, Harker makes a posting gesture, hoping they man will understand. Instead the letters end up in the hands of the Count, who confronts Jonathan about the matter. One letter is to Peter Hawkins about the trip while, “The other is a vile thing, an outrage upon friendship and hospitality!” ( Dracula Chapter 4) Harker comes to the conclusion that The Count has more power than he realized and fears he will never leave the castle,
for Dracula has to much control over him. In a foreign land with a reclusive host, Harker believes the worst is imminent, a realizes he must get out of there. “Dracula” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” are two prime examples of main characters losing control of themselves and their surroundings. This process forces them to come to terms with reality and to figure out their best chance for survival. Between the Harker feeling powerless and Dr. Jekyll unable to control his transformations, it is clear that this theme is more than prevalent. Nevertheless the idea of losing control is one that can change a life forever, just take a look at the endgame in both stories.
As Jekyll reached adult hood, he found himself living a dual life. He had become more curious in discovering his other side. Jekyll insists, “Man is not truly one, but truly two” (125). This eventually led Jekyll into the scientific interests of separating his good and evil side, and he finds a chemical concoction that transforms him into a more wicked man, Edward Hyde. At first, Hyde was of pure impulse, but in the end, he became dominate and took control over Jekyll. Jekyll had never intended to hurt anyone, but he was aware that something could potentially go wrong. Jekyll presumes, “I knew well that I risked death, for any drug that so potently shook the very fortress of identity… utterly blot that immaterial tabernacle which I looked to it to change” (127-129). One could say this makes Jekyll equally as menacing as Hyde. Jekyll couldn’t control the imbalance between the two natures. Jekyll foolishly allowed his evil side to flourish and become stronger. This is shown when Jekyll has awoken to find that he has turned into Hyde without taking the solution. Jekyll says, “But the hand in which I now saw, clearly enough in the yellow light of a mid- London morning…It was the hand of Edward Hyde” (139).
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hyde was an evil being it was slowly starting to take over and Dr. Jekyll knew that was happening. By shutting him out self off more and more he was helping everyone around him. Since he did not have any control over Mr. Hyde he had to stop Mr. Hyde from hurting anyone else and couldn’t tell anyone of these issues. In the book where Hyde and Jekyll are struggling, it says “ I was so far in my reflections” (53). This was Dr. Jekylls note for his struggles when he was finally telling people. He was deep in reflection and hiding them self off because he knew it was too late. It also states in this section of the book: “When Jekyll locks himself in his library” (61). Everyone was worried about him even though sometimes he does do this like in the beginning when he’s in solitude to work on his research. Dr. Jekyll had finally shut himself off from the word completely due to him knowing it was his final moments. He knew that since his potion was out and he could not find more materials it was over so he made a backup plan for when Hyde has taken over. This brutal plan was to kill himself and ultimately this is what he did. He had put all the other parts of the plan into effect and left a note to explain what truly happened, thus signifying the end of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, helping others but only helping him at the
Dracula begins with a diary entry from Jonathan Harker, a real estate agent from England. Mr. Harker is traveling to Transylvania, where he is to confirm a business deal between Count Dracula and his mentor Peter Hawkins. En route to Transylvania, Jonathan comes across many people who caution him about his trip and his host. They cower at the thought of him going into the land, and give him gifts of garlic and a crucifix. At the time, Mr. Harker is unaware of the severity of his troubles. Although these people are friendly and reach out to help Jonathan, it is not considered homosociality, since they do not form the tight, same-sex friendship that is required of the term. For Jonathan, these early helpers are simply companions on a train.
Jekyll is respectable man with a very good career. He is a doctor that is highly regarded in his community for what he does as far as charity and his manners. As young man growing up, he was secretly involved in weird behaviors that made him a bit questionable. Dr. Jekyll finds his other side to be quite bothersome and he decides to experiment so he could try a separate the good from the evil. He creates potions and other things that really do not help. After so many attempts of trying to restrain his evil side, he brings forth Hyde through his failed experimentation. Therefore, he only accentuates his evil self to come forth. Hyde is an extremely ugly creature that no one could stand the sight of. He is deformed, violent, and very evil. Throughout the story, he fights against Jekyll to take over his life eventually causing Jekyll to murder one of his good friends, Mr.
Jekyll. Hyde commits acts of murder and assault yet can be seen as Dr. Jekyll’s id or deep desires. By trying to separate good and bad . Dr. Jekyll passed scientific and social borders to isolate his personality. In doing so, he lost control of who he wanted to be. As a last resort he created a poisonous potion that Hyde drank and died through act of suicide. Dr. Jekyll although not working with anyone took matters in his own hands which makes him seem like an outlaw hero. He did not turn himself into the police when he had control. However, Dr. Jekyll seems to have qualities of a official hero in his maturity in handling the situation. He knows how evil his alter ego is, so he isolates himself from others as a safety precaution. Jekyll tries to live a normal life, but is unable to. His status as a well distinguished doctor and sociability skills with his
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.
Hyde kills Sir Danvers due to Jekyll’s attempt to repress him from coming out, Jekyll is imprisoned in his house because he realizes that he could no longer be Hyde in public. From this point onward, light is brought to the matter of Jekyll’s uncontrollable desire to be this detestable man and the reckless nature takes control due to its rush. When Hyde killed Sir Danvers, he needed to hide himself from sight and become confined but he could not confine Hyde because that was what gotten him into this predicament in the first place. He felt imprisoned in both being forced to be Jekyll and having to hide himself from his friends in case Hyde took over at any given point. This is analogous to having a drug addiction because just as somebody would want to hide their persona when on drugs, Jekyll is hiding Hyde. This additionally takes over their body and can affect them randomly and uncontrollably, just as Hyde affects Jekyll. In addition, this scene reveals how cruel Mr. Hyde because Jekyll says that when Hyde killed Danvers, he was “With the transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight for every blow; and it was not till weariness had begun to succeed that I was suddenly in on top of my delirium, struck through the heart by a cold thrill of terror” (49). Jekyll has now begun to have good feelings while being Hyde, even though he does regrettable things in an uncontrolled and selfserving
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are the same person all within the body of Dr Jekyll. He switches between the two willingly for science and his own personal desire. This can be proven in the last chapter of the book where we see
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 is given as a respected man raised in a wealthy family. During the era, people are meant to be well-mannered and polite without any sign or thinking of violence and crime; however, Dr. Jekyll secretly has a desire to perform evil. Conflicted with the ideal of society, he has repressed his emotion through many years and eventually he decided to conceal his pressure as he said, “And indeed the worst of my faults was a certain impatient gaiety of disposition, such as has made the happiness of many, but such as I found it hard to reconcile with my imperious desire to carry my head high, and wear a more than commonly grave countenance before the public. Hence it came about that I concealed my pleasures; and that when I reached years of reflection, and began to look round me and take stock of my progress and position in the world, I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life.” (48) From this quote, Dr. Jekyll discloses that he’s not desired to be cheerful, as many do, and decides to fake his pressure in front of the public eyes. After many years, he then realizes he was only hiding his true emotion. Eventually, to resolve his situation, he is inspired to create a potion that could transform himself to Mr. Hyde that could free him from the struggle between protecting his reputation and following his emotion and
Jekyll himself. Dr. Jekyll is a symbol of both the good and the bad in mankind, while Mr. Hyde represents pure evil. For instance, when Dr. Jekyll is himself, he is seen as a respectable man who is adored by his colleagues: “he became once more their familiar quest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for his charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion” (Stevenson 29). However, when Dr. Jekyll transforms to Mr. Hyde his morals are quickly disregarded. An example of this occurs when Mr. Hyde murders Sir Danvers, shortly after Dr. Jekyll submits to the temptation of changing to Mr. Hyde: “instantly the spirit of hell awoke in me…with a transport of glee, I mauled the unresisting body, tasting delight from every blow” (Stevenson 56). Even though the carnal side of Dr. Jekyll enjoys the incident, this event also illustrates the conscience side of Dr. Jekyll because in the mist of this brutal murder, he begins to feel guilty for committing the crime. This guilt drives him to have “clasped hands to God…tears and prayers to smother down the crowd of hideous images and sounds that his memory swarmed against him” (Stevenson 57). As a whole, the text demonstrates that Dr. Jekyll’s alter ego, Mr. Hyde, is the mastermind of pure malevolence who participates in activities that Dr. Jekyll cannot
Jekyll had to seclude himself from society in order to protect his friends. This in turn leads to a shocking discovery by Dr. Lanyon, and so forth he becomes secluded as well. Mr. Utterson observes that Jekyll is shut in, and in turn asks Dr. Lanyon “Jekyll is ill, too. Have you seen him?” (40). Utterson is suspicious about his friend’s disappearance and sudden lack of communication, all caused by Jekyll being held down by Hyde for months on end. He decides to investigate, and learns that Dr. Lanyon, too, has something to hide that he will not share. If Dr. Jekyll’s good side was not being repressed by his bad side, he would be outside more often or throw more dinner parties like he had previously. The good and evil in Dr. Jekyll’s life is controlling him day by day, almost like his life is not his to live
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
In conclusion, Dr. Jekyll did not create a potion to remove the evil parts of his nature. He made a potion that allowed him to express his needs without feeling guilty and without any consequences of damaging his good name. That’s also why he names his alter ego “Hyde,” because Hyde is a disguise, worn and discarded like a thick cloak.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a little different then Frankenstein in a way that the monster isn’t identified as a monster as much for his appearance as he is for his actions. Dr. Jekyll was a scientist and as a scientist he had to keep and good name but he didn’t want to be good he want to be bad. So, he decided he would have two personalities. Thinking that if he had two personalities he could be good and evil. He made a potion that transforms himself into a man without a conscience. So, He could do all those bad things that he wanted to do but then had a way to cover it up by saying it was someone else. But, eventually this plan got out of hand yes, he had two personalities of Dr. Jekyll being the good doctor and then Mr. Hyde being the murder, but he started no being able to control when he was Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. He fears that he will turn into Jekyll permanently. Society doesn’t except this because your not supposed to be two different people. Trying to be two different people is monstrous because that just doesn’t happen and him to think that is okay is monstrous. Also, for him to murder people makes him a monster. By Dr. Jekyll’s friend starting to get suspicious about this situation drive Dr. Jekyll to worry then, he turns back to Mr. Hyde and thinks it’s a good idea to kill himself. So, society drove his monstrosity to kill himself, which made him to continue to be a