Duplicity_in_Jekyll_and_Hyde

Values shape the way we live our lives and they don’t only apply to the real world but the fictional world as well. Throughout the ages writers have used the values and ideals of the society and time in which they live and apply it to the issues and themes in their texts. In the text The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and the BBC TV series of Jekyll the issues of technology, role of women, trust and honesty is explored. The ways in which they are displayed in both the texts are dependent on the time period and the society in which they are set in. When the original Jekyll and Hyde was published in 1800’s females had very few rights within society and were never allowed to express their opinions unless they were asked, and were viewed as being very weak and passive individuals. This is reflected in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as there are a limited number of female characters and they are not given a voice. In the novella we are given no description of female characters or given female opinions on what is happening within the story. In the original version we are given the maids perspective of the murder which is weak and we do not get inside her head to explore her emotions or opinions. On the other hand BBC’s Jekyll is set in 2007 a time when females are equal to males and women are given the right to vote, work, free to form their own opinions and are strong. In BBC’s Jekyll the females are given there are female characters that form an opinion and are given the freedom to speak. The female is a professional psychiatric nurse whose duty is to care for him unlike in the original where Dr Lanyon is Jekyll‘s doctor and confidant. The nurse is someone that Jackman confides in which is a stark difference to original story in which Dr Jekyll only confides in his male companions .The nurse is reflective of the strong females within society as she can deal with Hyde and Dr Jackman’s needs. The changing ways in which females are represented in the different texts are a result of the way in which the society values females. In the original text society at the time did not see the real potential of women and they were just innocent bystanders but in the BBC adaptation the female characters are actively involved in the plot. Honesty is a moral that societies throughout time have been built around. Honesty is a value that has not changed and has functioned in the same way, if you tell the truth you are good but if you lie you are bad. In the 1880’s when The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was published honesty was a strong moral at the time and it was highly valued within the society. People were expected to tell the truth and never lie. This is shown in the text as Hyde knows everything about Dr Jekyll such as his friends and personal life. Dr Jekyll is very open to the readers and other characters about his true intentions and opinions within the text. “All Human beings are commingled out of good and evil”, this shows that he is not afraid to state his opinion and hence telling the truth. In today’s society in which BBC’s Jekyll is set honesty is changing, even though it is still a value according to Dr House from House MD “It's a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what”. This shows that today everybody lies and it is a norm within the culture. In BBC’s Jekyll Jackman lies to his wife about his long disappearances and he lies to Hyde about being married “I am married, he is not”. This distinction shows that he is being honest with himself about him and Hyde being different people. Honesty is reflected in the different ways as honesty was values a lot more when the original text was published so people are more honest with each other and don’t see the need to alter the truth as much. In today’s society we are surrounded by lies and people condoning dishonesty so this is reflected in Jekyll as Jackman lies and keeps things from the people around him. Technology is a factor of the world around us that is constantly changing and the more technology grows the more we depend on it. The 1880’s were a time of great technological advances but technology remained very experimental, this is shown within the text of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as Jekyll is experimenting with different potions that can bring out Hyde. The values of the Victorian era were changing and people were turning away from the fundamentals of religion to seek out science to answer the big questions of life. This is reflected very clearly in the novella as Jekyll wants to discover the extent of good and evil in people. He does not turn to religion or literature to seek his answers but to science and potions to see what manifests evil and bring out Hyde. Today, technology is an integral part of society and people have become very dependent on it. This dependence on technology is shown in BBC’s Jekyll as Jackman uses technology as a form of containing and controlling Hyde through the surveillance cameras, Dictaphones, GPS and digital recorders. Technology in the 2007 Television series is a tool used to internalize and repress Hyde in contrast to the original where technology is used to externalize and bring out Hyde. The changing attitudes and values of different generations and time periods are reflected in the way a text is written or portrayed to the audience. The original Jekyll and Hyde was set in Victorian London and this is reflected within the novella through there being no strong female characters with a voice, honesty being a big part of the relationships within the text and the way in which technology is used experimentally. In BBC’s adaptation of Jekyll reflects the values of the current society and woman are given a stronger role, honesty is something that is not an integral part of life and societies dependence on technology. .