Video: Repression and Duality

﻿Hello, and welcome to today's lesson on Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Today, we're going to be looking at the key themes of duality and repression, and you will need a pen and something to write on. If you've got them, it's always useful to have your notes from previous lessons, but they're not essential. And it's a really good idea to find somewhere as quiet as possible, so that you're going to be able to focus. When you're ready, we can begin. Here is today's key question - How does Stevenson present ideas about repression and duality in the novella? And here's the structure of today's lesson, in Part One, we'll look at key vocabulary. In Part Two, we'll complete a summary and recap for what we looked at last lesson. In Part Three, we'll begin exploring key themes. In Part Four, we will be applying our learning, and then in Part Five, you will complete a review quiz where you'll be given the chance to test your knowledge of today's key things. Part One, key vocabulary. In this lesson, we will be learning the words inhibition and duality. Here's a definition of the word inhibition - the restraint, prevention, or repression of a feeling, quality or action. Here's an example of the word being used in a sentence. She was shy and this inhibition prevented her from performing in front of a live audience. And a second example - Victorian society was repressive and could lead to people feeling inhibited. And here's our second word, duality. As hinted at by the word "dual" within it, duality refers to having two parts, often with opposite meanings, like the duality of good and evil. Here's an example of the word being used in a sentence. London was a city of duality; rich lived next to poor, success neighboured failure. And here is a second example. There was a duality at the centre of Dr. Jekyll's character. Let's think about duality in the novella. Stevenson writes about the duality of man, and suggests that all men have two competing sides. Every single individual has good and evil within them and needs to control their dark side. Characters in the novel are presented as dual and the city of London itself has two sides: the respectable area where Jekyll lives and the 'dismal' Soho. Here's a short task. Here are some examples of dualities. So we've got peace and war, good and evil, light and dark. Can you think of another example? Pause the video now to give yourself a chance to do this. So, you could have chosen one of these examples. Life and death, freedom and slavery, love and hate, joy and suffering. And remember, duality refers to having two parts, often with opposite meanings, like the duality of good and evil, so you might have something different from this, but just check that they have the two opposing parts. Now, which of these sentences uses the word inhibition correctly? Is it A. When he was Hyde, Jekyll was able to shake off his inhibition. Or B. He was inhibition and never allowed himself to do what he enjoyed. I'll reveal the answer in 3, 2, 1. It was A. When he was Hyde, Jekyll was able to shake off his inhibition. Well done if you got that correct. Now Part Two, summary and recap. So last lesson, we looked at Jekyll's confession, or the final part of Jekyll's confession. Hyde, who is 'pure evil', grew stronger than Jekyll who remained a mix of good and bad. Jekyll enjoys transforming into Hyde and feels liberated and 'like a schoolboy' when he does so. But he soon loses control over when he can transform and decides to stop taking the potion. However, he gives into his temptations, once more takes the potion and releases Hyde, who then murders Carew. Ultimately Jekyll is quite a weak character because he cannot resist the temptation to turn into Hyde at that moment. But Jekyll then starts to transform into Hyde without the potion, and he realises that soon Hyde will be his permanent form. Now answer the question below. Which statement is correct? A. Jekyll gives into temptation and takes the potion to transform into Hyde. However, Hyde has grown stronger and Jekyll realises that soon Hyde will be his permanent form. Or is B correct? Jekyll can only transform into Hyde when he has taken a potion, and when the potion runs out he is devastated that he can never transform into Hyde again. I'll reveal the answer in 3, 2, 1. It was A. Jekyll gives into temptation and takes the potion to transform into Hyde. However, Hyde has grown stronger and Jekyll realises that soon Hyde will be his permanent form. So, why can't Jekyll continue to take the potion to transform back? Well, firstly, Hyde is growing so strong that it is taking more and more of the formula to change back to Jekyll. And then secondly, the drug he needs to make the potion has run out. He cannot find more and thinks the first batch he received was 'impure'. So if you remember, you have Poole searching London to try and find the drug that will work, but Poole can't find it, the chemists are getting frustrated and actually, Jekyll realises that the original drug that he had was an 'impure' substance, and he's never going to find it again. Part Three, exploring key themes. We are going to look at how Stevenson explores repression and duality in the novella. I would now like you to watch this short video.

Stevenson shows the necessity of man to both acknowledge and control his inner evil, the dual nature of man. Jekyll's failure to control his own inner evil is a warning. Respectability is no insurance against our own darkness. 'The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll' 'like some disconsolate prisoner' 'I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: man is not truly one but truly two' 'My devil had been long caged... it came out roaring' The duality of London symbolises the duality of man. The front of Jekyll's house 'wore a great air of wealth and comfort', whereas the back 'was blistered and distained', 'the fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city'. Stevenson exposes to dual nature of society in general. The veneer of civilization. He uses the example of the Victorian gentleman to expose this thin veneer. Victorian gentlemen are outwardly respectable, but there are hints in the text that this is all a facade. 'I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about 3 o'clock of a black winter morning'.

So, there are some really key quotations in that video, and we're going to explore some of the ideas about duality and repression that the video spoke about. First let's start with the idea of the repressive Victorian society. So, outward display of emotion were very much discouraged. Individuals were meant to show high levels of self restraint. Remember we see Utterson at the very start of the novel being described as 'austere' with himself, he is a character who is able to show extremely high levels of self restraint. High standards of decorum are to be shown at all times, and this could lead to individuals feeling repressed. Jekyll's feeling of repression lead to the creation of Hyde. And also, Jekyll doesn't really have anyone that he can talk to about his feelings. Utterson isn't someone who necessarily he would want to talk to, when Enfield discusses things with Utterson, Utterson tells him that he needs to be quiet. Actually a lot of these men in the novella are quite isolated, and communicate mainly through writing. So, we're given the sense that actually they're quite cut off from one another even though they're friends, and this feeling of isolation, and repression is one of the things that perhaps leads to the creation of Hyde. Rather than denying them, Stevenson suggests that man must acknowledge his darker impulses in order to be able to control them. Now Jekyll gained some sort of 'liberty' through is transformation. Look agan at how Jekyll feels when he transforms into Hyde: 'in a moment, like a schoolboy, I could strip off these lendings and spring headlong into the sea of liberty', 'I knew myself to be more wicked and the thought... braced and delighted me like wine'. So now pause the video so that you can answer this question, how do these images suggest the feeling of freedom he experiences when he changes into Hyde? Here's a possible answer. Jekyll experiences a sense of freedom and relief when he transforms into his alter ego, Hyde. He claims he feels 'like a schoolboy', suggesting he is able to shake off the restrictive trappings of the adult world and also escape responsibility. The image of a 'sea of liberty' suggests he feels that he has space to behave as he likes. However the fact the 'springs headlong' into this suggests he is not fully engaging with the dangers or potential consequences of his actions. We also see repression in other characters. Stevenson illustrates Victorian repression through the Gentlemen he depicts. Utterson as we've said is 'austere with himself', Enfield is 'ashamed of his long tongue' and states: 'here is another lesson to say nothing'. And for much of the story, we just find out information not through conversations between characters, but through documents only to be read after their death. Because of this, characters seem isolated and silent - their relationships are often defined by what they keep secret from each other. Stevenson seems to suggest that repression only strengthens what is being repressed, as when Jekyll eventually finds an outlet for his desires, they have grown so strong that Hyde is able to overpower him. We can also see the theme of duality present in the setting. Stevenson writes that Jekyll's front door 'wore a great air of wealth and comfort', however the back door that Hyde uses is 'blistered and distained'. We saw those quotations pop up in the video. What point do you think Stevenson is making here? Pause the video now so you can answer that question. Here's a possible answer. Stevenson uses the setting of Jekyll's house to represent the duality of Jekyll's character. Like his house, he has an impressive and 'handsome' facade, but this veneer of respectability masks his uglier, evil side. The 'blistered' back door that Hyde uses represents the side of Jekyll that he wishes to remain secret. Let's take another look at Jekyll's view on the dual nature of man. So we've seen duality in the setting, let's have a think about how that theme creeps into Jekyll's own views. Here are some of the things the character says in his 'Full Statement of the Case': He says, 'I concealed my pleasures', 'I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life'. He describes himself as a 'double dealer'. He talks about 'Man's dual nature'. And he finally comes to the conclusion that 'man is not truly one, but truly two'. And he's obsessed with this idea of 'the thorough and primitive duality of man'. In your own words, sum up how Jekyll feels about man's nature in one sentence. Pause the video to give yourself a chance to do this. Here are a couple of examples of what you could have written, obviously you're not going to have written exactly this, but this is to give you the idea of what you could have written. Jekyll believes that the nature of man is dual and that man is made up of both good and evil. Or here's another example: Dr. Jekyll believes that man hides his darker side and that human nature is made up of good and evil. So both of those are correct. Have a think about what you've written, and see whether it encompasses those key ideas. Part Four, applying our learning. So we're going to return to our key question: How does Stevenson explore ideas about repression and duality in the novella? Write a short response to the question above. Spend at least 15 minutes writing. You may wish to mention: the repressive nature of Victorian society, the feeling of 'liberty' Jekyll experiences when he transforms, the dual nature of the setting, Jekyll's views on 'the dual nature of man'. Here are some words that I'd like you to include: repression, constraint, alter ego and duality. Pause the video now so that you've got a chance to complete this task and we'll then look at a couple of example answers. Here's the first example answer. Stevenson explores ideas about repression and duality in the novella through the character of Jekyll and his transformation into Hyde. Even though the 'irregularities' the respectable Dr. Jekyll enjoys are not serious, he feels he needs to 'conceal' them from the repressive Victorian society. He becomes 'committed to profound duplicity' of life and, instead of controlling his inner evil, allows it to break free in the form of Hyde. Stevenson uses the setting to help show Jekyll's duality. His front door 'wore a great air of wealth and comfort', while the back is 'blistered and distained'. This could represent Jekyll's own character, with his 'handsome' facade hiding a dark secret. The feeling of 'liberty' Jekyll experiences when he transforms into Hyde allows him to feel 'like a schoolboy' and this simile suggests he is able to escape the responsibilities of the adult world. However, unlike a schoolboy, Jekyll is far from innocent and ultimately, his inability to control his evil side acts as a warning to the reader: If man does not keep his darker desires in check, they will destroy him. Here is a more developed answer. Stevenson explores ideas about repression and duality in the novella through the character of Jekyll and his alter ego, Hyde. The fact Jekyll chooses to name his alter ego Hyde suggests he wants to keep him hidden from public view. Before Jekyll becomes consumed by his obsessive belief that 'man is not truly one but truly two', the 'irregularities' he indulges in are not serious. Yet, he feels he needs to 'conceal' them from repressive Victorian society. He becomes 'committed to a profound duplicity' of life and, rather than controlling his inner evil, he allows it to break free in the form of Hyde. Stevenson uses the setting to help emphasise Jekyll's duality. His front door 'wore a great air of wealth and comfort' while the back is 'blistered and distained'. This is representative of Jekyll's own character, with his 'handsome' facade hiding a dark secret and Stevenson hints from the description of Jekyll's 'slyish cast' that the respectable doctor is not as he appears. The feeling of 'liberty' Jekyll experiences when he transforms into Hyde allows him to 'feel like a schoolboy' and this simile suggests he is able to escape the restrictive responsibilities of the adult world. However, unlike a schoolboy, Jekyll is far from innocent and ultimately, his inability to control his evil side acts as a warning to the reader: if man does not keep his darker impulses in check, they will destroy him. Now this answer picks up on the fact that Jekyll has chosen to call his alter ego Hyde, which of course in itself suggests that it's a persona that he wanted to keep hidden, but Hyde has broken out. The other thing this answer picks up on is the fact that Stevenson describes Jekyll as having a 'slyish cast' when he first introduces the character to us, which is a warning to the reader, really, that Jekyll even with his handsome face and respectable dwelling, is not all he appears. We are now going to watch this short video again, and at the end you will be given some questions that you can discuss with your parents or carers.

Stevenson shows the necessity of man to both acknowledge and control his inner evil, the dual nature of man. Jekyll's failure to control his own inner evil is a warning. Respectability is no insurance against our own darkness. 'The large handsome face of Dr. Jekyll' 'like some disconsolate prisoner' 'I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: man is not truly one but truly two' 'My devil had been long caged... it came out roaring' The duality of London symbolises the duality of man. The front of Jekyll's house 'wore a great air of wealth and comfort', whereas the back 'was blistered and distained', 'the fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city'. Stevenson exposes to dual nature of society in general. The veneer of civilization. He uses the example of the Victorian gentleman to expose this thin veneer. Victorian gentlemen are outwardly respectable, but there are hints in the text that this is all a facade. 'I was coming home from some place at the end of the world, about 3 o'clock of a black winter morning'. How would you define a good person? How would you define a bad person? Is it possible to be completely good? Is it possible to be completely bad? If somebody commits a 'bad' act, does that automatically make them a bad person?

Well done, we have now reached the end of today's lesson. All that's left for you to do, is to complete Part Five, the review quiz. Next lesson, we will be looking at some more key themes that Robert Louis Stevenson presents through his text. I look forward to you joining me then. Good bye!

Exit Quiz: Repression and Duality

Completed: Repression and Duality

In this lesson, we will look at how Stevenson explores ideas of repression and duality through the setting and the characters.

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Repression and Duality

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