The Bizarre Truth Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has transcended its era and become a landmark of popular culture. Keep watching to discover the bizarre truth behind this classic of gothic horror.

For his model of sinister duality, Stevenson looked to the life of Deacon William Brodie. A respected city councilman and carpenter, Brodie walked the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland as a paragon of mid-18th century virtue. A skilled craftsman, he was the head of the trade guild The Incorporation of Wrights and Masons. He made his living as a cabinetmaker and locksmith, crafting keys and repairing locks and doors for the city's wealthy and elite.

But behind Brodie's facade of genteel respectability lurked a craven criminal. His secret penchant for late-night drinking, gambling, and cockfighting in an unsavory tavern in Edinburgh's Fleshmarket Close led to his secret life as the leader of a gang of burglars. Using duplicate keys and his skills as a locksmith, he could enter any home or business unfettered, leaving behind no trace of entry. His luck eventually ran out, though, when he was implicated in an audacious attempted armed robbery of Edinburgh's Excise Office. Sentenced to death, his trial lasted a mere 21 hours. He was hanged in front of a crowd of 40,000 spectators. Stevenson would go on to find even more fertile dramatic ground in Brodie's sordid tale. With the help of his friend W.E. Henley, he wrote a play based on the diabolical deacon's life. Although that production ultimately failed, it sowed the seeds for the novella.

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Real-life inspiration | 0:00
Dreaming up a story | 1:38
Significant critic | 2:35
Not so fast | 3:46
Misunderstood relationship | 5:09
Criticizing Victorian society | 6:36
A Freudian nightmare | 7:48
Common mispronunciation | 9:09
Hyde the Ripper | 10:14
Jekyll and Hyde on film | 11:19

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