Transcript The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

By: Robert Louis Stevenson
Project by: Matt Dunaj
• Robert Louis Stevenson had nightly dreams that served as
inspiration for most of his novels
• He was sick for most of his childhood. Seeing as he was stuck
alone in bed a lot, he developed a big imagination. This was
fueled by his nurse who told him scary stories
• Stevenson, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was recognized in
1885 mostly for his travel writing. Though weak in health,
Stevenson took to travel as a means to cure his spirit.
• Robert Louis Stevenson died of a brain hemorrhage in Samoa in
1894.
• In 1885 the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to Stevenson
in a dream
• The dream was so intense that he stayed in his room for three
days writing this novel
• At first it received little notice, but then the novel drew attention
from a favorable review in The Times.
• The public responded (and still does) to the strange, chilling tale
that explored the various sides of human nature.
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886.
• It takes place at the core period of the Second Industrial
Revolution.
• Most Western countries were experiencing a large economic
boom, due to the mass production of railroads and other more
convenient methods of travel.
• The modern city and the sky-scraper rose to prominence in this
time, contributing to the economic prosperity.
• Over all it was a time of great change
• The story starts with one man telling Mr. Utterson a story about a
mean man he had seen. The man had hurt a woman and was forced
to pay a heavy ransom to keep it quiet. The check he gave them was
in the name of Henry Jekyll
• Mr. Utterson, it turns out, is Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer, and as it turns out, in
the event of Dr. Jekyll’s death or disappearance, his entire estate is to
be turned over to Mr. Hyde.
• Mr. Utterson, who is a close friend of Dr. Jekyll, is extremely
suspicious of this whole arrangement. He goes into detective mode to
figure things out. He hunts down Mr. Hyde and sees just how charming
he is.
• He then brings it up with Dr. Jekyll who basically tells him not to
worry
• A prominent politician is brutally beaten to death. The murder is
conveniently witnessed by a maid, who points to the charming
Mr. Hyde as the murderer.
• Everyone tries to hunt him down, but with no success. Meanwhile,
Dr. Jekyll is living the good life.
• A few months later, Jekyll falls ill.
• Another friend of theirs dies, leaving mysterious documents in
Mr. Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr. Jekyll dies or
disappears.
• Dr. Jekyll remains in seclusion, despite frequent visits from Mr.
Utterson.
• One evening, Dr. Jekyll’s butler visits Mr. Utterson. He’s worried about
Jekyll and is convinced of foul play. The butler persuades Mr.
Utterson come to Dr. Jekyll’s house.
• They break into Dr. Jekyll’s laboratory and find Mr. Hyde dead on
the floor, with Dr. Jekyll nowhere to be found.
• Mr. Utterson finds several documents left to him, and goes back home
to read all the strange documents that have been left to him
• This is where we find out what’s really been going on.
• We discover (through the documents left by the dead men) that by
means of a potion, Dr. Jekyll was able to transform into Mr. Hyde and
give in to a world of pleasure and self-serving crime.
• In one of the Documents, Dr. Jekyll writes that Mr. Hyde became ever
more powerful and ever harder to control – in essence, the dominant
personality.
• Most people aren’t going to be taking some weird potions and
unleashing your inner Mr. Hyde anytime soon. But haven’t we all
ever tried to be good all the time? Flat-out "pleases" and
"thank yous", keeping your room clean, doing charity work,
being respectful, minding your parents and your manners, and
even eating your brussel sprouts. Anyone who’s tried this, knows
how hard it is.
• Dr. Jekyll admits that one of his flaws is a tendency towards fun
and mischief.
• Dr. Jekyll opted to be boring guy and before he knew it, his
inner wild child was begging to be unleashed.
• Enter Mr. Hyde: The perfect alter ego. Edward Hyde, who has a
completely different appearance and personality, gets to do all
the fun and illegal things that Jekyll, or any normal person,
can’t.
• Although we don’t get all the details, it’s pretty clear that Mr.
Hyde is a pretty perverse, wicked, sinful, foul guy.
• The consequence to all this evil-doing, was that Hyde took over.
• Tough Guise Connection
• "And now," said he, "to settle what remains. Will you be wise?
will you be guided? […] Or has the greed of curiosity too much
command of you?" (Stevenson 75).
• I find this ironic because Mr. Hyde himself represents greed that
was taken control of someone.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. New York:
Bantam Classics, 1982. Print.
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2012.
<http://www.shmoop.com/jekyll-and- hyde/>.
"KnowledgeNote™ Study Guide - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." ProQuest Learning:
Literature. ProQuest, n.d. Web. 2 Nov 2012.
Cohen, Ed. "Hyding the Subject?: The Antinomies of Masculinity in The Strange Case of
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." ProQuest Learning: Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Nov
2012.