Is Dr. Jekyll a Tragic Hero: Character Analysis Essay

In literature, there exist various representations of the hero protagonist, each with its own set of notable characteristics. In certain cases, the qualities that the hero protagonists display tend to deviate from those of the general hero archetype that is usually adhered to. Within the realm of dramatic tragedies, there exist protagonists classified as tragic heroes. In his ​'Poetics'​, the well-renowned Greek philosopher Aristotle first gave rise to the notion of a protagonist within dramas as being a tragic hero. He defines a tragic hero to be one who evokes a sense of pity and fear in the audience, he is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through an error of judgment. Essentially, according to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a righteous protagonist whose judgment error, or flaw, results in their downfall and inevitable demise.

In the Gothic classic novel, ​'​Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde​', the notion of a tragic hero is challenged by the protagonist. This story, written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1885, recounts the tale of Dr. Jekyll and how his attempt to split his good and evil sides leads to his evil side manifesting and ultimately leads to his own death when he can not contain the evil within himself. This work was written after the Age of Enlightenment, a time of accelerated change within the scientific community, and its central theme of the perilous implications of science. This idea is reflected in the main protagonist, Dr. Jekyll, and sees severe repercussions being inflicted upon him as a result of his attempts to ‘toy’ with the natural order of things. When examining this character, it becomes evident that he fits into certain characteristics of the tragic hero trope in his own unique way and also deviates from it. Thus, this essay seeks to answer the research question of '​How does the protagonist of '​Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde' conform to and deviate from the Aristotelian notion of a tragic hero?'.

A Tragic Hero as Defined by Aristotle

The concept of a tragic hero was given basis by Aristotle in his book ​'Poetics'​, which studies dramatic and literary theory and offers the philosopher’s discourse on tragedy. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a courageous protagonist whose judgment error, or flaw, results in their downfall and inevitable demise. The primary purpose of a tragic hero is to evoke emotion, particularly that of pity and fear, from the audience and to allow them to learn from the hero’s mistakes. Within his work, Aristotle states the essential characteristics of a tragic hero. The primary characteristic is a tragic flaw (hamartia), which is essentially the root of a hero’s downfall. An Aristotelian tragic hero must suffer an abrupt reversal of fortune (peripeteia) caused due to their tragic flaw (hamartia). This can be seen as the essential turning point of the tragedy. The tragic hero experiences a downfall, within which they have an epiphany (anagnorisis) that the situation was caused as a result of their own doing. In addition to this, the hero must suffer a great deal within their downfall and ultimately face death, thus receiving implications that seem more than seem deserved. Another characteristic is excessive pride (hubris), which is often associated with hamartia. In addition to this, the hero is initially one of noble social standing and elevated, which Aristotle remarks as “tragedy deals with character above us”.

Noble Beginnings and Elevation

The protagonist Dr. Jekyll is presented to be of a high socio-economic position in society. His elevation is seen as he describes his early life in his final testament as being one of high social status and of nobility: “I was born in the year 18 - to a large fortune, endowed, besides with excellent parts, inclined by nature to industry, fond of the respect of the wise and good among my fellow men, and thus, as might have been supposed, with every guarantee of an honorable and distinguished future” (Stevenson, 73). In addition to this, he is a well-respected doctor and scientist who is known for throwing lavish dinner parties and lives in an expensive estate situated within the wealthier parts of London. Thus, he is presented to be a character of a higher class than most normal people and conforms to the ‘elevated character’ aspect of a tragic hero.

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Hamartia/Tragic Flaw and Hubris

Dr. Jekyll's tragic flaw (hamartia) is his persistent curiosity and need to compartmentalize his good and evil aspects to maintain a better public image. In essence, it is his hubris that is his flaw. While a side of him is a well respectable nobleman, he has another side that covertly indulges in acts of debauchery. Over time, he realizes that there is an inherent duality in man - that there coincides a good and evil side within everyone. Also, as an adult, he places a high degree of importance on maintaining his social standing and had trouble hiding his imperfections in public. Thus, to mask these discretions, he lives a double life and attempts to create a potion to separate both sides of him so that he can live a hedonistic life. He states that ​“​the temptation of a discovery so singular and profound, at last overcame the suggestions for alarm”​ (​Stevenson,​ 76)​. This exemplifies how he was persistent to confirm the duality of human nature and live a dual life himself. This all ultimately leads to his downfall when his dark side overwhelms the good side and seizes control of Dr. Jekyll's body, proceeding to go on a killing spree.

Reversal of Fortune and Downfall

In ​'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde', ​Dr.Jekyll faces a reversal of fortune when he is unable to repress the evil nature within him and experiences turmoil in battling his inner desires and trying to fight off transforming involuntarily into Mr. Hyde. For Dr. Jekyll, the longer he goes without indulging in his desires, the more he feels the need to transform back into Mr.Hyde. Dr. Jekyll states that “I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling to freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught” (Stevenson, 86). This quote illustrates how Dr. Jekyll’s uncontainable desires force him to succumb to drinking his potion and turn into Hyde. Dr.Jekyll’s suffering is explicitly displayed when he drinks the potion, and his proceeding transformation is detailed thus: “A cry followed; he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth” (Stevenson, 71). This vivid description of what Jekyll goes through when transforming into Mr.Hyde indicates the extent to which Dr.Jekyll suffers as he continuously takes the serum to fulfill his desires. Furthermore, his suffering is at its zenith towards the end of the story in which he begins turning into Mr.Hyde, even when awake, and finds Hyde even harder to manage. His inner torment is exemplified through his quote: “I am very low….It will not last long, thank God” (Stevenson, 45). Dr.Jekyll’s moment of anagnorisis is evident when he sees that he can’t contain Hyde and decides to kill him once and for all, thus prompting him to write a letter shortly before ending his life and meeting his demise.

Virtuous Character

One of the essential qualities possessed by a tragic hero is a virtuous character, equipped with heroic traits that help to provoke a sense of sympathy from the audience. In fact, Dr. Jekyll is not portrayed to be a virtuous character. His intentions were not righteous, as he did not create the potion for the benefit of society, but rather for his own selfish needs. He aimed at using science to allow himself to satiate his hedonistic desires at debauchery without ruining his reputation and public image. Dr.Jekyll initially liked the freedom that he gains when transforming into Hyde and thus shows no sense of morality on his part. The good deeds that Dr. Jekyll does for charity are only done to cover up for what Mr. Hyde has done. Furthermore, the seemingly noble act of him ending his life to get rid of Mr. Hyde was done out of fear of being hanged. Thus, he deviates from the virtuous character aspect of being a tragic hero.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the notion of a tragic hero is one that appears in the work by Robert Louis Stevenson. As a result, this led to the research question of “'How does the protagonist of 'Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' conform to and deviate from the Aristotelian notion of a tragic hero​?​'. It is seen that Dr. Jekyll mostly adheres to the main characteristics that make up a tragic hero and follows a similar pattern for their fall from grace. But his downfall is caused as a result of his hedonistic need to indulge in his violent and sexual urges. So this not-entirely noble fall does not allow him to be unquestionably classified as a tragic hero.