Doppelgänger Motif

The Legend … According to legend, doppelgangers (German for “double- walker”) are paranormal duplicates of a real person. They can manifest in a number of ways: You can see them out of the corner of your eye, meet them on a lonely road somewhere, or, chillingly, see them standing behind you when looking in a mirror. Sometimes a doppelganger can’t be seen by the person at all, but instead manifests to other people in a completely different location. It may even cooperate with the person, help them with tasks, or act as a surrogate body of sorts.

Definition of Doppelgänger A German term, literally meaning a “double- goer”, an apparition or double of a living person. As a literary device, a doppelgänger is used to show two different distinct, often opposite, personalities or personality traits. It is also used to show internal conflict and the multifaceted nature of a character.

Famous Doppelgangers Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Batman and the Joker Bruce Banner and The Incredible Hulk James Bond and Blofeld Mario and Donkey Kong Optimus Prime and Megatron

How does this relate to Literature? Originated with Mary Shelley. She was interested in the idea of a doppelgänger and used it as a literary motif in Frankenstein. It can be interpreted in a number of ways … It can be seen simply as double, an alternative version of the individual concerned It can be seen as a complement, a version of the individual that possesses different qualities and thus completes the personality It can be seen as an opposite, a being that possesses all the qualities that the individual lacks and most abhors

By the way … An important literary form employing the doppelgänger motif is the psychomachia – meaning to depict “conflict within the soul” or the struggle between virtue and vice within the individual. The psychomachia was particularly important in medieval art and drama, where separate characters were perceived as representing different aspects of a single human personality, so that conflict within the drama depicted the struggle of conscience or the need for integration of the personality.

So for you … We have concluded that Shelley uses the doppelgänger motif in Frankenstein and Stevenson uses it in Jekyll and Hyde. Explain how Mr. Hyde is actually Dr. Jekyll’s evil “shadow”. Use specific examples from the story to support your assertion that Hyde is actually Jekyll’s doppelgänger.