How is evil presented in Macbeth and the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
During the Shakespearean era, the genre of gothic literature had yet came to existence. Despite this, Macbeth, one of his most renowned plays, would be considered as gothic from a progressive point of view. This is because the play had included most of the classic gothic tropes such as supernatural beings and dark setting most of the time, very much similar to ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ (DJAMH) that has been written by Stevenson, but from an aspect that have already been exposed to this genre. However, their similarities and differences does not limit to only just their genre but also the way the authors divulged their reoccurring theme of evil. …show more content…
This theme showcased the comparison between the characteristics and the evolution of the characters which in this case, it represented that the wickedness remained and got stronger as the play continued further emphasising the theme of evil. This showcased evil as it highlight the untrustworthy factor of mankind and thus trying to reinforce the analogy of ‘no one is to be trusted’. In a similar fashion, ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ the theme of evil here is very much dependant on the disparity of the characteristics of Dr Jekyll, the public façade, and his transformation to Hyde, the inner desires. The factor that caused him to have polar opposite personality is due to the Victorian repression to have a good and representable status. This caused him to release all of his oppressed emotions when he is Hyde, this is somewhat similar to Macbeth, as society at the time also led him to repress his ambitions. The highlight this theme further, Dr Jekyll stated that “man is not truly one, but truly two”. This phrase represented evil as it is evident that Dr Jekyll was trying to evince his belief of how everyone must have two sides, one good and another evil. Through the perspective of the Victorian audience, who would not have expected the way the denouement, this would be considered as an augur of the evil that is to
During the Shakespearean era, the genre of gothic literature had yet came to existence. Despite this, Macbeth, one of his most renowned plays, would be considered as gothic from a progressive point of view. This is because the play had included most of the classic gothic tropes such as supernatural beings and dark setting most of the time, very much similar to ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ (DJAMH) that has been written by Stevenson, but from an aspect that have already been exposed to this genre. However, their similarities and differences does not limit to only just their genre but also the way the authors divulged their reoccurring theme of evil. …show more content…
This theme showcased the comparison between the characteristics and the evolution of the characters which in this case, it represented that the wickedness remained and got stronger as the play continued further emphasising the theme of evil. This showcased evil as it highlight the untrustworthy factor of mankind and thus trying to reinforce the analogy of ‘no one is to be trusted’. In a similar fashion, ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ the theme of evil here is very much dependant on the disparity of the characteristics of Dr Jekyll, the public façade, and his transformation to Hyde, the inner desires. The factor that caused him to have polar opposite personality is due to the Victorian repression to have a good and representable status. This caused him to release all of his oppressed emotions when he is Hyde, this is somewhat similar to Macbeth, as society at the time also led him to repress his ambitions. The highlight this theme further, Dr Jekyll stated that “man is not truly one, but truly two”. This phrase represented evil as it is evident that Dr Jekyll was trying to evince his belief of how everyone must have two sides, one good and another evil. Through the perspective of the Victorian audience, who would not have expected the way the denouement, this would be considered as an augur of the evil that is to