Deacon Brodie & Freud

Deacon Brodie - The Real Jekyll?

Stevenson was raised in Edinburgh, which was divided by wealthy proportions and the impoverished populations (Old Town and New Town). Stevenson would have been familiar with the legend of Deacon William Brodie, and there are some uncanny similarities between Jekyll, and the legend of Deacon Brodie.

Respected reputation

This man was a well-respected cabinet maker and pillar of the community - who was also a member of the local council and a representative of government.
Brodie made his fortune by fixing locks and door mechanisms for people’s homes in the city.

Debauchery

Despite his well-respected reputation, he had a passion for pleasure, and for engaging with less-respectable activities.
At night, he frequented the worst parts of Edinburgh and he drank excessive amounts of alcohol. He had two mistresses and a passion for gambling, and he had five illegitimate children as a result.
To fund his debauchery, he started to steal from people as he entered their houses to repair doors.
Brodie was a master burglar, and he hid his crimes well from the rest of society, and managed to maintain his façade.

Downfall

This false identity and reputation was maintained, until he decided to rob an excise office - he was caught by an officer but ran away.
However, some letters that he was sending to a trusted friend were found by authorities, and this led to him being detained.
Months later, in 1788, he was hanged at the Old Edinburgh Tollbooth.
Today, the old legend and dual character of Deacon Brodie is a common legend of Edinburgh, and many attractions and pubs remain to mark his story.

Freud

Jekyll wanted to divide the human psyche into two parts, essentially the good and evil side. Sigmund Freud, a psychologist, worked over psychoanalysis between 1856 and 1938. He developed his personality theory.

Hyde

Hyde represents the ‘ID’- this is the unharnessed and unchartered desires of human nature. He is unable to restrain himself and he is a primitive representation of humans. Hyde is impulsive, and he acts without consideration for the consequences of his actions.
In a society where citizens were expected to repress desires, the possibility of a primitive criminal wandering the streets of London would have been shocking and terrifying.

Freud's personality theory

Perhaps Freud's single most enduring and important idea was that the human psyche (personality) has more than one aspect.
Freud saw the psyche structured into three parts: the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives.
These are systems, not parts of the brain, or in any way physical.
Although each part of the personality comprises unique features, they interact to form a whole, and each part makes a relative contribution to an individual's behaviour.

Id, ego and superego

The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality that includes sexual and aggressive instincts.
The ego mediates between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision making component of personality.
The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression.

1Plot Summary

1.1Chapters 1-10

1.1.1Chapters 1 & 2

1.1.2Chapters 3 & 4

1.1.3Chapters 5 & 6

1.1.4Chapters 7 & 8

1.1.5Chapters 9 & 10

1.1.6End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-10

2Characters

2.1Jekyll & Hyde

2.1.1Dr Henry Jekyll

2.1.2Jekyll - Name & Quotes

2.1.3Mr Edward Hyde

2.1.4Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapters 1-9

2.1.5Jekyll/Hyde Quotes - Chapter 10

2.1.6End of Topic Test - Jekyll & Hyde

2.1.7Exam-Style Questions - Mr Hyde

2.2Other Characters

2.2.1Mr Gabriel John Utterson

2.2.2Dr Hastie Lanyon

2.2.3Minor Characters

2.2.4End of Topic Test - Other Characters

3Gothic Genre

3.1Gothic Elements

3.1.1Gothic Conventions

3.1.2Gothic Settings & Symbolism

3.1.3End of Topic Test - Gothic Conventions

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes & Quotes

4.1.1Science

4.1.2Dual Nature of Man

4.1.3Religion & Sin

4.1.4Violence & Horror

4.1.5Victorian Gentlemen

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Quotes

5Context & Author

5.1Context & Author

5.1.1The Victorian Era

5.1.2Deacon Brodie & Freud

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Context & Author

6Literary Techniques

6.1Literary Techniques

6.1.1Language

6.1.2Structure & Form

6.1.3End of Topic Test - Literary Techniques

7Grade 9 - Key Character & Theme Questions

7.1Key Character & Themes - Linked Questions

7.1.1Grade 9 - Key Characters & Themes

7.1.2Extract Analysis - Jekyll

7.1.3Extract Analysis - Duality

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