Is Mr Hyde a metaphor?
Hyde as a Metaphor
Stevenson is rather explicit about the wordplay of Hyde's name. In fact, at one point Utterson declares: 'I shall be Mr. Seek. ' It is at this point that Utterson becomes an amateur detective in the novel, piecing together clues to discover whom Hyde is and what happened to Jekyll.
He is, as Dr. Jekyll himself puts it, "the evil side of [Jekyll's] nature" brought into existence by a mysterious drink created in Jekyll's laboratory (Stevenson 55). Mr. Hyde is the embodiment of unfulfilled desires and experiences that Jekyll must forgo in order to be a reputable member of society.
Enfield's lack of eloquence sets a pattern for the novel, as no one—from Utterson himself to witnesses describing Hyde to the police—can come up with an exact description of the man. Most people merely conclude that he appears ugly and deformed in some indefinable way.
Mr Hyde is described as devilish, evil and a criminal mastermind. Stevenson makes Hyde more mysterious by only hinting at his physical appearance - he is smaller than Jekyll and whenever people see him, they are deeply affected by his looks and spirit.
Metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.
Stevenson uses a simile when describing Mr Hyde: 'really like Satan. ' Stevenson has done this to directly compare Hyde's behaviour to Satan's. This shows that Hyde is an abominable human being who doesn't really have a conscience.
But Jekyll's transformed personality Hyde was effectively a sociopath — evil, self-indulgent, and utterly uncaring to anyone but himself. Initially, Jekyll was able to control the transformations, but then he became Hyde involuntarily in his sleep.
R. L. Stevenson's novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a prominent example of Victorian fiction. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with multiple personality disorder.
Evil is personified in Hyde: Jekyll says Hyde is 'alone in the ranks of mankind, pure evil' (p. 61). His evil lies in being entirely selfish: he will do whatever he wants to satisfy his own appetites without any regard for other people.
Key theme: Good and evil
But although 'Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil' (p. 61), Jekyll keeps the mixed nature that he had before. This suggests that while evil can be given free rein if not kept in check by conscience and discipline, no person can ever be wholly good.
Was Mr Hyde the evil One?
Jekyll's transformed body, Hyde, was evil, self-indulgent, and uncaring to anyone but himself. Initially, Jekyll controlled the transformations with the serum, but one night in August, he became Hyde involuntarily in his sleep. Jekyll resolved to cease becoming Hyde.
Hyde, in full Edward Hyde, the evil alter ego of Dr. Jekyll, a fictional character in Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886).

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses figurative language to describe the people, places, and events in the story.
Hyde is a well-known example of a psychiatric disorder, commonly known as split personality.
There is no Mr. Hyde. Edward Hyde is not a separate personality living in the same body as Henry Jekyll.
- “The Big Bang.” ...
- “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. ...
- “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ...
- “I am the good shepherd, … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” ...
- “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” ...
- “Chaos is a friend of mine.”
- Life is a highway.
- Her eyes were diamonds.
- He is a shining star.
- The snow is a white blanket.
- She is an early bird.
Other examples of common metaphors are “night owl”, “cold feet”, “beat a dead horse”, “early bird”, “couch potato”, “eyes were fireflies”, “apple of my eye”, “heart of stone”, “heart of a lion”, “roller coaster of emotions”, and “heart of gold.”
London's twisting medieval streets and fogged new streets become the maze in which the minotaur was kept. You never know when the minotaur or Hyde might appear to hurt you. Setting then becomes a metaphor for the playground of evil.
A simile makes a comparison using the words “like” or “as.” Example: The concert was so crowded, it felt like a million people were there. A metaphor makes the comparison directly, substituting one thing for another. Example: That test was a killer.
How does everyone describe Mr Hyde?
Edward Hyde. A strange, repugnant man who looks faintly pre-human. Hyde is violent and cruel, and everyone who sees him describes him as ugly and deformed—yet no one can say exactly why.
Robert Louis Stevenson shows Hyde to be a terrifying character. He tells us that he deliberately trampled over a little girl. This tells us that he doesn't care about anyone but himself.
Hyde, as his name indicates, represents the fleshy (sexual) aspect of man which the Victorians felt the need to "hide" — as Utterson once punned on his name: "Well, if he is Mr. Hyde, I will be Mr. Seek." Hyde actually comes to represent the embodiment of pure evil merely for the sake of evil.
Then, one night, a servant girl witnesses Hyde brutally beat to death an old man named Sir Danvers Carew, a member of Parliament and a client of Utterson. The police contact Utterson, and Utterson suspects Hyde as the murderer.
The Jekyll and Hyde story makes much use of metaphor, defined as comparing dissimilar ideas or objects. Stevenson often uses metaphor to create more vivid description.
Hyde is pure evil therefore there is no duality to him. for the man trampled calmly over the, child's body and left her screaming on the ground. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was hellish to see. It wasn't like a man; it was like some damned Juggernaut.
The informal usage of schizophrenia found in the public domain commonly equates schizophrenia with “split personality” or even with a “Jekyll and Hyde personality.” Yet psy- chiatric textbooks and psychological coursework caution the student of psychology about making such an error and, for example, that “schizophrenia ...
Throughout the novel, Mr Hyde is presented as an animalistic figure that lacks empathy for others when committing brutal acts of violence. When attacking the old gentleman, Hyde's “ape-like fury” as he tramples his victim creates a separation from humanity, entering the barbaric during this criminal act.
Hyde is Jekyll's evil side made flesh. He is smaller and younger than Jekyll suggesting that Dr Jekyll's good side is larger than his bad and that his evil side develops later in life than the good.
When his strength was measured around the time of the Masters of Evil strike on Avengers Mansion, he could lift (press) 50 tons. Superhuman Stamina: Hyde's advanced musculature generates considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human.
How many crimes did Mr. Hyde commit?
Hyde details two crimes of violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the question of whether or not violence is an inherent part of man's nature.
The legendary Deacon Brodie (1741-1788), one of Edinburgh's most fascinating characters, the real life inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
It is quite clear in Frankenstein that the monster is the true victim, and thus in this story Hyde is the victim, because he is essentially forced by Jekyll to suffer punishment for committing crimes. In addition to this, Hyde is also not allowed to be free, as Jekyll keeps suppressing the Hyde inside of him.
He is probably around fifty. Hyde, of course, is a manifestation of the darker side of Jekyll's consciousness, so we can read his character as being the same age as Jekyll since they are, more or less, the same person.
Henry Jekyll, also known as Edward Hyde, is the eponymous main antagonist of the 1886 gothic novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by the late Robert Louis Stevenson.
Mister Hyde | |
---|---|
Team affiliations | Masters of Evil Lethal Legion Thunderbolts |
Partnerships | Cobra Jester Scorpion Batroc |
Notable aliases | Thor |
Abilities | As Calvin Zabo: Genius intelligence As Mr. Hyde: Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability Accelerated healing |
He appears deliberately and happily immoral rather than amoral; he knows the moral law and basks in his breach of it. For an animalistic creature, furthermore, Hyde seems oddly at home in the urban landscape. All of these observations imply that perhaps civilization, too, has its dark side.
Lanyon's and Jekyll's documents reveal that Jekyll had secretly developed a potion to allow him to separate the good and evil aspects of his personality. He was thereby able at will to change into his increasingly dominant evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde.
Mr Hyde is described as devilish, evil, and a criminal mastermind. His first appearance in the novel shows him violently trampling a young girl.
Rather Seuss uses conventional metaphors to discuss success and failure in ways that young readers would comprehend.
What does Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde represent?
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a novel in which setting plays an important feature. In the book Dr Jekyll represents good and Mr Hyde represents evil, yet they are technically the same person and come to symbolise the good and evil in all of us.
Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Hyde, in full Edward Hyde, the evil alter ego of Dr. Jekyll, a fictional character in Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr.
See if the sentence uses a word such as “as” or “like” as a preposition. That is, it is comparing things explicitly. If it compares things without using prepositions such as “like” or “as” it is a metaphor.
The legendary Deacon Brodie (1741-1788), one of Edinburgh's most fascinating characters, the real life inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
The writer compares Hyde to Satan to show us exactly how frightening and dangerous he is; the reader expects that he will go on to be a malevolent character.
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