The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll

and Mr. HydeThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll

Discussion Point:Imagine being able to drink a beverage that would literally turn you into a different personwith different looks, a different personality, different strengths and weaknesses. What would be the advantages? Disadvantages? Would you try the beverage? Why/Why not?Literal meaning: double goer-- a persons ghostly counterpart; alter ego

doppelgnger

doppelgngersClark KentPeter ParkerAnikin Skywalker

Superman

Spiderman

Darth Vader

Victor FrankensteinCreaturedoppelgngers

Man is not merely onebut two.

Ja, but vhere did zis doppelgnger idea come from?Sigmund FreudThe idea of everyone having an evil twin has existed since ancient folklore, but the term doppelgnger was first published in 1796. However, psychologist Sigmund Freud, who lived during the Victorian Age, developed theories of the human mind that may have influenced Stevensons work in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.Freuds Three Levels of Consciousness

ID The seat of our impulses; the ID is the unconscious source of our instinctual needs and drives. The ID is dominated by the pleasure principle.

EGO The EGO is the organized, conscious mediator between the internal person and the external identity. It negotiates with the ID and pleases the SUPEREGO. Our sense of self.Freuds Three Levels of Consciousness

SUPEREGO The part of the self that is guided by moral, rules, and a sense of right and wrong; the conscience. The SUPEREGO keeps us on the straight and narrow.

Freuds Three Levels of ConsciousnessFreuds theories can be seen in Stevensons novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Which level of consciousness do each of the following characters represent?

EGODr. JekyllMr. UttersonIDMr. HydeSUPER EGO

Why would Dr. Jekyll wish to create a potion to separate the parts of himself into good and evil personalities?

What did Jekyll wish to be free from?

Recall the Extreme propriety and strict morals of the Victorian ErA.Notice the length of dresses, long sleeves, and high collars.ankleEgad I spy an ankle!Pass me a drumstick, please.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a response to the extremes of Victorian Society

Jekylls concoction allows him to separate his good side from his evil sidehis indulgent, uninhibited side from his proper, strict and refined side. This allows him to live as he wishes in both parts of society. He could indulge in all temptations without constraint and then return to his normal living in the upper class.PROBLEM: Jekyll loses control. He takes the potion more and more until the potion controls him. Thus Stevenson, while responding to societal constraints, also sends a warning about the dangers of indulging in temptation and the world of immoral choices.Does the message of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde still speak to todays society? If so, how? If not, what would need to change about the story in order to better relate it to todays society?

Dual personalities?Restraints of society?Substance abuse?Unfair expectations between social classes?