Duality refers to how things are linked or how something
consists of 2 parts. Stevenson uses images of duality and
doubles throughout the novella.
These images foreshadow the revelation that Mr
Hyde is actually a part of Dr Jekyll, as well as allowing
Stevenson to explore his beliefs that elements of
Victorian society were hypocritical and hid their own
misdemeanors while condemning them in others.
Where does Stevenson present duality in characters?
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are presented as 2 people in the same
bodyand fighting for dominance. Dr Jekyll is well-educated and
Christian; Mr Hyde is barbarous and criminal. Hyde's
otherness contrasts Jekyll's apparent normality.
The contrast between Jekylls double
identities is conveyed particularly well
in chapter 10 by detailed comparison on
their hands. The doctors hands are
"large, firm, white and comely" whereas
Hyde's hands are "lean, corded, knuckly,
of a dusty pallor and thickly shaded
with a swarthy growth of hair."
Mr Utterson and Dr Jekyll are represented as dual aspects
of Victorian society. They both have a similar social status
and good reputation, but the lawyer represses temptation
and lives life in moderation, while his friend secretly
indulges all his sinful desires. The same link could be made
between Dr Jekyll and Dr Lanyon.
How is duality presented through settings?
There is duality in the symbolic way Dr Jekylls
house is described. The front entrance looks
welcoming, affluent and well-kept while the
back entrance is use by Hyde is
unwelcoming, sinister and neglected
This is developed further when Stevenson describes Mr Hyde lodging in
Soho. The streets outside were dirty, full of poverty and linked to a lack
of morality "his blackguardly surrounding". However the interior is
luxurious, well-decorated and respectable "the plate was of silver, the
napery elegant"
Which themes of the novel also link to duality?
Duality is a theme in itself but Stevenson includes other themes that contain aspects of
doubling. For example, he explores good and evil, the dilemmas that characters face and the
way in which characters repress their true natures and present a false impression in society.