Comparing Human Nature in Macbeth and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde CA The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written in the Victorian Era by Robert Louis Stevenson, this novella dwells into the concept of the duality of human nature. The narrative is extremely fragmented structure due to the use of multiple narrators and through the use of mixed media, in the form of letters and accounts. The inconsistent structure conveys that of a gothic detective story; which were very popular in the Victorian era. Victorian London at the time was the largest city in the world, with a total population of around 4 million people in the 1880’s, and was one of the first cities to become completely urbanised. For the first time, more people were living in towns and cities than in the country.†¦show more content†¦Macbeth may have had more choice in the crimes he committed but he also had more factors trying to influence the decisions he was making. As Macbeth’s fatal flaw was greed, the witches tempt Macbeth when they chant, â€Å"All hail Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter† in Act 1 scene 3, because he couldn’t risk something that would dramatically increase his status in society just to chance. Macbeth was also affected by Lady Macbeth when she questions his manhood in, â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man// Be so much the man.† For a male at the time, to be questioned of their masculinity was the ultimate insult, especially from a woman. This emotional blackmail device from Lady Macbeth clearly worked, because Lady Macbeth was able to take full control of Macbeth hereafter. In the same manner that Lady Macbeth goads her husband, Macbeth then provokes the murderers by questioning their manhood, â€Å"Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men†. Both of these acts show that both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth equate masculinity with naked aggression, and whenever they converse about manhood, violence soon follows. Their understanding of manhood allows the political order depicted in the play to descend into chaos. Lady Macbeth and the potion acted as a catalyst for both of these main characters. Lady Macbeth removed any confusion in Macbeth’s mind of whether to let chance decide his fate or to take action ,when she says â€Å"Chance may crow me/ Without my stir†. She does this by