130 years since The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a literary work that was published in 1886 receiving great success in both England and the United States, where sold more than forty thousand copies in a few months.

The origin of the history of this literary work occurred when the author, Robert Luis Stevenson, studied the history of a patient with multiple personality. From there he came up with the beginning of the title of the work "The strange case." After that he wrote a first draft and then burned it as it was more a testimony than a real work.

The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is well known worldwide not only for the impact it had at the time, but also for the amount of adaptations that have been made and are still taking place.

In a rough way, the play tells the story of a man with a mental case that is attributed to drug use and, in this way, it is how Dr. Jekyll, a man of good and noble nature, transforms into his opposite character , Mr. Hyde, which satisfies the darkest desires.

Here are some adaptations of this work as well as cases in which this same idea has been glimpsed in different series or movies.

Some adaptations

• Monster, starring Christopher Lee.
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), winner of the Academy Awards for best actor with Fredric March.
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, played by Boris Karloff
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), starring John Barrymore
• Mary Reilly, the story from the point of view of a maid from the doctor's mansion.

In the following video you can see the trailer for the adaptation produced in 1931.

In animated series

We can find signs of this work in the series "Monster High", there is a character named Jackson Jekyll. He is a normal and ordinary human except for the peculiarity that, when listening to music, he becomes Holt Hyde, a blue character with the full on fire lover of the party.

Likewise, in the cartoon series "Happy Tree Friends", there is a character named Flippy who transforms into a sinister character when facing situations that remind him of war.

In the world of Marvel Comics

With the Marvel world being so well known for its strange characters, it would be surprising if none of them suffered from Dr. Jekyll syndrome. In fact there is a villain based on Mr. Hyde and with the same name. In this case, Dr. Jekyll is Dr. Calvin Zabo, who from a potion he discovered, becomes a criminal until Mr. Hyde ends up completely dominating him.

On the other hand, Marvel Comics also recognized that this work served as inspiration for the character Hulk, who is a normal and ordinary scientist but who, when the fury overcomes him, becomes the so-called "The Incredible Hulk", escaping reasoning humans and destroying everything in their path. A character known both in the world of comics and in the cinema for the different adaptations he has had.

Even in Asia you still see glimpses of the work

Just a year ago you could see in Korea a series called "Haideu Jikil, Na", also called "Hyde Jekyll, Me" which has a male protagonist who supposes the opposite idea to the work we are talking about today. In this case, the protagonist is, as a rule, a cold, controlling and lonely character but, when his heartbeats reach a certain point, he becomes a sweet and kind person capable of saving anyone who is in danger.

It is not surprising that it is such a well-known story because, despite turning 130 years old today, we can continue to see its story everywhere, whether in real versions of the story, or different modifications that are hidden in current series and movies.