Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde

History[edit] Dr. Henry Jekyll is a "large, well-made, smooth-faced man of fifty with something of a stylish cast", who occasionally feels he is battling between the good and evil within himself, thus leading to the struggle between his dual personalities of Jekyll and Edward Hyde. He has spent a great part of his life trying to repress evil urges that were not fitting for a man of his stature. He creates a serum, or potion, in an attempt to mask this hidden evil within his personality. However, in doing so, Jekyll transforms into the smaller, younger, cruel, remorseless, evil Hyde. Jekyll has many friends and has a friendly personality, but as Hyde, he becomes mysterious and violent. As time goes by, Hyde grows in power. After taking the potion repetitively, he no longer relies upon it to unleash his inner demon i.e., his alter ego. Eventually, Hyde grows so strong that Jekyll becomes reliant on the potion to remain conscious. Stevenson never says exactly what Hyde takes pleasure in on his nightly forays, generally saying that it is something of an evil and lustful nature. Thus, in the context of the times, it is abhorrent to Victorian religious morality. Hyde may have been reveling in activities that were not appropriate to a man of Jekyll's stature, such as engaging with prostitutes or burglary. However, it is Hyde's violent activities that seem to give him the most thrills, driving him to attack and murder Sir Danvers Carew without apparent reason, making him a hunted outlaw throughout England. Realizing he will soon be Hyde forever, Jekyll leaves behind a testament, pointing out that while Jekyll often felt like a charlatan, Hyde felt like a "genuine man" years younger and far more energetic than his more "sociable" self. He also states in his final confession that although Hyde knew people recoiled from him, he did not recoil from them. The original pronunciation of Jekyll was "Jeekul" which was the pronunciation used in Stevenson's native Scotland. This is also the pronunciation of Gertrude Jekyll. Other versions[edit]The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen[edit]In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Henry Jekyll is a scientist who is the lesser half of Edward Hyde and member of the Victorian League. Edward Hyde is the larger, evil half of Henry Jekyll and member of the Victorian League. During the Martian invasion, he developed a strong respect for Mina Murray and sacrificed himself to stop Martian tripods from crossing London Bridge. His self-sacrifice was honored in having Serpentine Park named into Hyde Park and a statue of Mr. Hyde is seen in the park in "The Black Dossier." Adaptions[edit]While there is are adaptions of the book series, the section depicts the different portrayals in different media appearances: Television[edit]Dr. Jekyll appeared in some Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts. Some of which include "Hyde and Go Tweet" and "Hyde and Hare."Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde appear in "CBS's live CLIMAX!" drama episode "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". Hosted by Bill Lundigan, this episode was originally aired on 28 July 1955 (Season 1 Episode 34). The story was adapted for television by Gore Vidal.[1]In the Scooby-Doo, Where are You! episode "Nowhere to Hyde," it features the Ghost of Mr. Hyde who is committing jewelry store robberies and one of the suspects is a descendant of Dr. Jekyll. The Ghost of Mr. Hyde later made a cameo in Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King as a patron in a monster bar.In the Dynomutt, Dog Wonder episode "Nowhere to Hyde," the criminal Willie the Weasel (voiced by Henry Corden) creates a similar formula (which is related to Dr. Jekyll's formula) that turns him into Mr. Hyde.In the Gravedale High episode "Fear of Flying," there is a medical version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (voiced by Frank Welker) that works as a doctor for the monsters. Mr. Hyde serves as Dr. Jekyll's "partner" where Dr. Jekyll would turn into him for any second opinions of anyone's medical problems.The 2007 TV serial Jekyll aired in the UK from 16 June 2007 where it starred James Nesbitt as Tom Jackman, a modern Jekyll whose Hyde persona wreaks havoc in modern London.NBC's Do No Harm is a modern retelling of the Jekyll and Hyde story featuring a renamed Jekyll-like character named Dr. Jason Cole (played by Steven Pasquale) trying to stop his drug-addicted, sociopathic, Hyde-like counterpart named Ian Price from ruining his professional and private life. Unlike the original story, the main character is a highly respected neurosurgeon who is able to keep his alter-ego in check through the use of an experimental sedative. Also, Jason suffers from dissociative identity disorder instead of developing a serum that separates the good and evil in a person.The Phineas and Ferb episode "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" features the villain Dr. Jekyll Doofenshmirtz drinking a potion to turn himself into a monster.