Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (theme)
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- "Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other."
- —Dr. Henry Jekyll (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Good and evil. Civilization and savagery. Nobility and nastiness. Humanity is often thought of as having a dual nature.
What if there were a way to split the two halves? To isolate the beneficent from the beast?
In 1886, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson codified the concept and gave popular culture the names to use.
The story has been adapted many times, sometimes fairly straightforward, and sometimes with a twist (such as in Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde).
Arguably, other famous sci-fi characters are variations of the tale. The Wolfman, although brought about through a different process, is very similar. Even the Incredible Hulk has all the same basic elements.
The mythology has evolved a bit since the original version. Stevenson's Mr. Hyde is smaller than Dr. Jekyll. He is also able to carry on conversations, and while "none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh", he was clearly human. The Frederic March movie version (1931), with make-up by Wally Westmore, established Hyde as a monster. By the theatrical version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, he is a CGI giant.
External Links
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