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Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Good Vs Evil

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Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde Good Vs Evil
Discuss the ways in which Stevenson explores the idea of 'good' and 'evil' in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Why, in your opinion, did the book become so popular in Victorian England?

'...I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life'. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson delves into the theme of 'good and evil' comprehensively. As the novella unfolds from chapter to chapter, the theme of 'good and evil' simultaneously progresses and is noticeably present throughout this enigma. Hence, it is a pertinent question to ask, how does Stevenson explore the idea of 'good' and 'evil' in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? What ways are employed to make the portrayal of 'good' …show more content…
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is an archetypal novel of the Gothic genre, and was one of the best-selling novels during the Victorian era. What made this particular novella so popular in Victorian England? In my opinion, this novella became so popular largely due to the fact that the people of the Victorian period could relate to such a situation. 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' saw the transformation of a reputable doctor into a malevolent creature of mankind. This story illustrates the life of a man who was inclined towards seeking liberation from society's constraints. Perhaps the people of the Victorian period, living under repression, alike Mr. Utterson, relish the vicarious pleasure of liberation through the character of Mr. Hyde? Furthermore, the sensational murders by 'Jack the Ripper' could have very well spurred the interests of people about the unexplored mysteries of duplicity in men at that time, supported by the fact that 'Jack the Ripper' was assumed to be a man of upper-class. Atop that, drugs, alcohol and addiction that was rampant during the Victorian era probably plays a role too, in the popularity of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As said in Dr. Jekyll's 'Statement of the Case', '...in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught'. This clearly shows the traits of an addict – and seeing how the whole idea of drugs and addiction was so widespread during the Victorian era, it is hence not a surprise why the people at that time could relate to Dr. Jekyll's
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