La figura del doppio
Analisi in inglese della figura del doppio in Frankenstein, Dorian Gray e Dr. Jekyll (2 pagine formato pdf)
The double in the story is internal, if is inside the figure of the protagonist, or external, if is outside
of the protagonist.
In Dr. Jekyll the double is internal and in Frankenstein and in Dorian Gray the
double is external, for the first is the monster and for the second the portrait.
All of them starts with a challenge against the human limits and the nature role. For that the
experiments must to fail.
In Frankenstein, Victor wants to create a man; Dr. Jekyll wants to separate the good part and the
bad part and finally Dorian Gray wants to be forever young.
The failure of this experiments are: the escape of the monster, the bad part becomes more
stronger in him and he commits suicide and Dorian when he sees the portrait of an old and wicked
man brooks the portrait.
The traditional narrative structure is respected only in Dorian Gray, in fact has a first person
narrator with a chronological sequence.
Frankenstein is in part in epistolary style, there are three narrators, Walton, Frankenstein and
Victor. There are many flashbacks and for that the chronological sequence isn’t respected.
In Dr. Jekyll there are three narrators: Utterson, a friend and Jekyll himself, when we write a letter
in which explains everything about him. The traditional structure isn’t respected, the story starts at the
begging and there isn’t an epistolary form.
The setting is different between the novels. In Dr. Jekyll is the most impressive. We don’t know
the name of the city, but only we know that the city is in half way to London and Edinburg. The house
is very important for analyzing the place: in the west side there is the main entrance, the part of Dr.
Jekyll and in the east side there is the entrance of the laboratory, the part of Mr. Hyde. That resumes
the division of London in the east and west side and of Edinburg in the mediaeval town and the new town.