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00:00Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel. Today we will be analysing the character of Edward Hyde,
00:05Dr Jekyll's alter ego, in Robert Louis Stevenson's gothic novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and
00:11Mr Hyde. If you would like a quick recap of the plot of this story, or an analysis of Dr Jekyll,
00:18check out my other videos linked in the description below.
00:21So as I mentioned earlier, Mr Hyde is the alter ego of Dr Jekyll, a creature created by scientific
00:28experimentation that is a manifestation of all the doctor's bad characteristics. Even his name
00:34reveals his purpose, and Stevenson uses this pun intentionally, because Hyde was created to allow
00:40Jekyll to carry out his darkest desires without fear of being caught. Utterson, Jekyll's lawyer,
00:46plays on this pun when he is searching for the mysterious figure, saying,
00:50If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek. Hyde's inherently evil nature is represented not only
00:58by his internal thoughts and actions, but in his physical appearance, as nearly everyone who
01:03sees Mr Hyde comments on how he looks. He is depicted with distinct physical traits that are
01:08the direct opposite of Henry Jekyll. Hyde is described as pale and dwarfish, while in comparison,
01:14Jekyll is described as a tall, fine build of a man. The physical differences between Jekyll and Hyde
01:20symbolise a deeper shift, however, as Stevenson uses Hyde's outward appearance to mirror the grotesque,
01:26hidden aspects of human nature. Apart from these physical traits, however, there is also something
01:32about Mr Hyde which is very off-putting, although people seem to have trouble putting their finger
01:36on exactly what it is. Mr Enfield says, there is something wrong with his appearance, something
01:42displeasing, something downright detestable, while Mr Utterson describes him as giving
01:48an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation.
01:52The fact that almost every person who encounters Hyde experiences a similar disgust speaks volumes
01:58about how rotten and bad he is to the core, as he simply cannot hide his evil nature. Hyde is also
02:04repeatedly referred to in animalistic terms, being described as ape-like, a creature, like a monkey,
02:11and bestial. Not only does this serve to shock the reader and suggest that Hyde is less than human,
02:18but it also links to the concept of atavism, or devolution, something that Victorian people
02:23at the time were very worried about. This theory hypothesised that if humans could evolve from apes
02:28and other more primitive forms of life, there was a possibility that we could go back to that state as
02:33well. Stevenson definitely plays on these fears throughout the story to heighten the gothic and horror
02:39aspects of this novella that takes place not on some far-off land, but right at home in London.
02:44However, although he is animalistic in nature and often acts recklessly, he is still crafty and clever,
02:51using his wits to get him out of situations which would otherwise have led to him being jailed or killed.
02:57When he tramples over the young girl in front of witnesses, he knows better than to ignore
03:01Enfield, who threatened that he would make such a scandal out of this as should make his name stink
03:06from one end of London to the other, and wisely pays them off. And after the murder of Sir Danvers,
03:12he allows Jekyll to take over when it is necessary for him to maintain his cover, as he says,
03:18his terror of the gallows drove him continually to commit temporary suicide and return to his
03:23subordinate station of a part instead of a person. Because the evil in Mr. Hyde practically oozes out of
03:30his skin, his impact on other characters in this story is unsettling to say the least. The way others
03:37react to him is marked by a mixture of fear, curiosity, and repulsion. For instance, his mere
03:43existence and the mystery surrounding him consumes Utterson, and he becomes obsessed with discovering
03:48who he is and what hold he has over his friend. And for Dr. Lanyon, the sight of Hyde transforming
03:55into his friend Jekyll disturbs him so greatly that he becomes visibly older and weaker and dies shortly
04:01after. Hyde is the driving force behind the suspense in this story, and his actions, particularly the
04:07murder of Sir Danvers Carew, escalate the tension and urgency in the narrative, forcing the characters
04:13to seek out and confront Hyde and deal with the consequences which follow for Jekyll. As the
04:19embodiment of all things bad, Hyde's actions throughout the novel are morally wrong and portray the darker
04:25aspects of human nature. The novel doesn't shy away from portraying him as a thoroughly bad, malicious
04:31person. For instance, when it described how Hyde murdered Sir Danvers, trampling his victim under
04:37foot and hailing down a storm of blows, under which the bones were audibly shattered and the body jumped
04:43upon the roadway. This depiction is a total contrast to the Victorian era's moral and societal norms,
04:51where there is a strong emphasis on propriety, respectability, and the repression of these base
04:56impulses. These are the social rules which Jekyll must abide by, but not Hyde. His very existence is
05:03a challenge to society, as he represents the often hypocritical moral righteousness of the Victorian
05:09upper class, who would put on a respectable front to their peers, but sneakily do bad things in private.
05:16This duality of human nature is perhaps the most important theme in Stevenson's novella,
05:21with the transformation of Jekyll into Hyde visually representing this concept. Hyde is not just Jekyll's
05:27alter ego, he is the manifestation of the suppressed primal desires and impulses that he cannot express
05:34due to society's restrictions. One of Jekyll's most memorable quotes,
05:38man is not truly one, but truly two, sums up this belief. But here Stevenson isn't just talking about
05:45Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as individuals, but also about a broader philosophical view of humanity.
05:51The novel suggests that everyone has two sides to them, the moral and the immoral side, the so-called
05:57civilised side, and a more primal wild side. Hyde's existence is proof of this internal battle, where the
06:04struggle is not just between good and evil, but between societal expectations and personal desires.
06:11The duality of human nature and the character of Mr. Hyde can be interpreted through various
06:16psychological lenses, but particularly Sigmund Freud's later theories of the id and ego.
06:22My analysis video on Dr. Jekyll covers this topic in greater detail, but to put it briefly, Hyde can be
06:27seen as the embodiment of the id, the part of a person's psyche that contains our basic instinctual
06:33needs like eating and sleeping. Jekyll represents the ego and superego, the parts of us that use logic,
06:40reason, and morals to restrain our id from acting when it is not socially acceptable to do so.
06:45This Freudian interpretation highlights the novel's exploration of the darker,
06:49more primal aspects of human nature that society wants to keep repressed.
06:54The transformation of Jekyll into Hyde can also be seen as a result of what happens when our baser
06:59instincts are allowed to take over. As time goes by, Hyde becomes stronger and stronger,
07:04slowly taking over Jekyll's life until he can no longer decide when and where he transitions into
07:09his alter ego. In his confession to Utterson, Jekyll recalls how one day in the park he looked down
07:16and my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs. The hand that lay on my knee was corded
07:22and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde. We could interpret this as a warning by Stevenson to the
07:28reader about the dangers of allowing your temptations and desires to do bad things to overcome your sense
07:34of morality. The moral and ethical implications of Hyde's actions, and by extension Dr. Jekyll's,
07:41are also central to the narrative. The creation of Hyde allows Jekyll to do socially and morally
07:47unacceptable things without facing the consequences personally. This separation of conscience and
07:53action raises significant ethical questions. As Jekyll himself admits,
07:58I was the first that could thus plausibly hide his darker self.
08:03This ability to separate oneself from one's immoral actions puts forth a disturbing question about the
08:08nature of responsibility and guilt. Jekyll sees Hyde as a totally separate being,
08:14as he gives him a name, buys him a house, and dresses him in different clothes. Because of this,
08:20he is able to satisfy his conscience and let Hyde continue to indulge in worse and worse behaviour,
08:25as he says, it is Hyde alone that was guilty. But what do you think? Does it make you any less
08:32responsible if you never have to face the consequences of your actions? Is Jekyll equally responsible for the
08:38crimes of Hyde? It's important to remember that by putting all his evil parts into Hyde,
08:43Jekyll is not now some saint that is purely good. He remains the same, a mix of good and bad
08:49characteristics, otherwise he would never keep returning to that form. I had now two characters.
08:56One was wholly evil, and the other was still the old Henry Jekyll. The only difference is that he has
09:02created and let loose an additional monster that embodies all of the darkest parts of himself that he had
09:07previously tried to Hyde. Although he is a truly nasty, horrible person, Hyde seems to have some
09:13kind of allure to the other characters, as people are drawn to him out of shock and horror at his
09:18ability to be cruel and violent without any remorse, and perhaps because they can see their own repressed
09:24dark sides mirrored in him. And this is true not only of the story, but even in popular culture today.
09:31Hyde's character has left a lasting impact on literature and the world in general,
09:35as his name is almost synonymous with the concept of having a hidden self.
09:40So to sum up, Stevenson uses the character of Edward Hyde to provide a sharp commentary
09:44on Victorian society. We could see his character as a criticism of the rigid and often hypocritical
09:50moral standards of the time. Hyde is the embodiment of these repressed qualities,
09:55and represents the consequences of what happens when we are forced to hide or deny the darker aspects of
10:00human nature. The novel can also be seen as a reflection of the conflict between the outward
10:05show of respectability and the hidden truths of who we are inside. Stevenson seems to suggest that
10:11the strict moral codes of the time were not only unrealistic, but also potentially harmful,
10:17as they forced individuals to hide their true natures, leading to the creation of Hyde within the
10:22upright jackals of society.
10:26Thanks for watching guys, stay tuned for follow-up analysis videos soon to come. See you next time!
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