Characters Who Live On: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Annibali Carracci, Portrait of a Man Drinking, c.1581

Posted by Staff

The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll  and Mr. Hyde was published  in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson.  The story follows the observations of Gabriel Utterson investigating the incidents linking his long-time friend Dr Jekyll and the dark-natured Mr. Hyde.  The story is classic good vs. evil set in Victorian London and one of the first portrayals of spilt personality. Most of the evil deeds of Mr. Hyde are left undescribed, leaving a lot to the immagination.  The original story is told as a mystery and the identity of Mr. Hyde, which most of us know today, is revealled as a surprise ending in the story.

Stage and film adaptions of the story abound and most of us have seen at least one version.  The adaptations of the characters range from scary to light-hearted. Request any of these items and revisit the classic characters:

Abott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (DVD, 1953)  A horror comedy film starring Abbot and Costello and Boris Karloff as Dr. Jekyll.

The Nutty Professor (DVD, 1963) A bumbling professor creates a potion to make him a suave and socially dynamic guy.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical (DVD, 2001)  A broadway musical starring David Hasselhoff.

Mary Reilly (book and movie, 2004)  The story told from the point of view of a maid in the Jekyll household.

Jekel Loves Hyde (book and audio).  Two teens work on a chemistry project together to lift a family curse.

Jekyll (DVD, 2007) A BBC miniseries recasting the story in modern times with additional mysterious characters.