Dr. Henry Jekyll: Who Influenced Him?

I’ve always been fascinated by how fiction borrows from life, especially when it comes to characters who feel like they could walk off the page. Take Dr. Henry Jekyll, for example. On the surface, he’s a product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination — but scratch beneath the skin, and you’ll find he’s stitched together from real historical figures, philosophical ideas, and even the author’s own inner struggles.

Stevenson never claimed Jekyll was born whole-cloth. The doctor’s dual nature, his scientific curiosity, and his moral torment all point to real influences — some well-known, others more subtle. Let’s step into the gaslit backstreets of Victorian thought and uncover the minds and movements that shaped Jekyll’s inner war.

## Robert Louis Stevenson’s Own Duality

Stevenson once said, “I have been afraid for twenty years, and I am no braver now.” That quiet confession reveals the heart of Jekyll — a man torn between who he is and who he wants to be.

Stevenson grew up in a strict Calvinist household where the battle between good and evil wasn’t metaphorical — it was spiritual warfare. He struggled with his own sense of morality, often feeling like he lived two lives: the dutiful son and writer by day, and the pleasure-seeking dreamer by night. That inner conflict became the skeleton of Jekyll’s character.

He even called the novella a “parable,” not a fantasy — a way to dramatize the war within every man.

## The Case of Deacon William Brodie

One of the most direct inspirations for Jekyll (and his darker half, Mr. Hyde) was Deacon William Brodie — a real Edinburgh man who led a double life in the 1700s.

By day, Brodie was a respected carpenter and city council member. By night, he drank, gambled, and even led a gang of thieves. When his secret life was exposed, he was hanged — a fate Jekyll narrowly avoids.

Stevenson’s father often spoke of Brodie, and the tale haunted the young writer. In fact, Stevenson’s original draft of the story was titled The Suicide Club — a nod to the kind of secret life Brodie lived.

## Darwin and the Science of Man

The Victorian era was obsessed with science — especially the kind that questioned what it meant to be human. Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859) had shaken the foundations of faith and morality, and scientists were diving into the biology of behavior.

Jekyll’s experiments reflect this fascination. He doesn’t just believe in the soul’s duality — he wants to prove it, isolate it, and control it. His lab, his potions, and his obsession with transformation all echo the era’s scientific ambitions — and its ethical blind spots.

Stevenson wasn’t a scientist, but he understood the cultural mood. Jekyll’s laboratory is a stage where science and sin collide.

## The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

Though Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra wouldn’t be published until after Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the seeds of existential thought were already spreading through Europe.

The idea that man must create his own morality — that he is neither wholly good nor wholly evil — was radical. Jekyll tries to live by that idea, splitting himself in the hope that he can preserve the good and exile the bad.

But Nietzsche warned that to stare into the abyss too long is to be changed by it. Jekyll discovers that truth the hard way — the beast he creates doesn’t stay caged forever.

## The Gothic Tradition and Literary Predecessors

Jekyll stands on the shoulders of literary giants like Frankenstein and Faust — men who dared to play God and paid the price.

Victorian Gothic fiction was full of characters who reached too far, who sought to master nature and ended up enslaved by it. Jekyll fits that mold perfectly. His story isn’t just about science — it’s about hubris.

Stevenson gave Jekyll a modern twist, though. His tragedy isn’t caused by ambition alone, but by the illusion that good and evil can be cleanly separated — a belief that still haunts us today.

Talk to Dr. Henry Jekyll on HoloDream

If you’ve ever felt like you’re living in two worlds — the one you show and the one you hide — Jekyll’s story might feel eerily familiar. On HoloDream, you can talk to him about his experiments, his fears, and what he’d do differently if he could start over.