Duality In Dr Jekyll And Hyde

The theme of duality is found throughout everyday life and is often represented in classic literature. The battle between good and evil, the struggle between the rich and the poor, and the war between reason and impulse are all examples of duality in human nature. Throughout Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the authors explore the various ways that duality is shown in everyday life. In every human there is both good and evil, but it is ones intentions that truly tell how an individual falls in the spectrum. “All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil” (Stevenson 131). In life humans balance the good and evil within them, however, the repressive nature of the Victorian Era gave a mindset that an individual can only be good or bad. This repressiveness made Dr. Jekyll feel that he couldn’t be himself, so the doctor decided to take matters into his own hands and rid himself of his …show more content…
The struggle between doing what one wants and what is right can be difficult and how a person handles the struggle is defining of his or her character. Dr. Jekyll recounted that he “found it hard to reconcile with [his] imperious desire to carry [his] head high” (Stevenson 123). In his attempt to reasonably solve his problem, he instead slowly began relying more on impulse. Stevenson shows the reader that the evil in man cannot be given free range. Without Dr. Jekyll, Hyde has no boundaries as Dr. Jekyll is the side with logic and reason. Ignorance excuses one’s actions, for not knowing the truth is bliss. Throughout the entirety of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the star-crossed lovers give into impulse over reason. The Friar warns Romeo to hold back on his impulses, as “they stumble that run fast” (II iii 94). While sometimes it is beneficial to give into impulse, it is always best to rely on