Posts tagged dr. jekyll and mr. hyde

Don’t forget: Your Dr. Jekyll essay is due on the class blog (on the Jekyll page, the My Own Worst Enemy page, or the Dr. Jekyll page) before 7:00 am tomorrow morning!

Adapting a text from one medium to another requires many changes to the original source material to fit the new medium. However, there is no exact formula to the art of adaptation. Because it seems to have touched something deep in the human psyche, the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been adapted many times into film (and even for the stage).

Your task is to compare and contrast two television adaptations of our text: My Own Worst Enemy and Jekyll. In your analysis, you should specifically focus on the following features of these two adaptations: (1) How the Mr. Hyde character is depicted visually (especially in comparison with how he is depicted in his Dr. Jekyll persona); (2) How the two personas communicate with each other (if they do); (3) What kind of relationship the two personas have with each other (how the balance of power is depicted); (4) What the impetus is for the “creation” of the Mr. Hyde persona, and (5) what the underlying source of conflict is between the two personas.

Also, part of your criteria should include which performance best interprets and represents the core meaning of the source text, so you should quote from the novel as well in your analysis. You should conclude with an assertion as to which text is better and which most honors the source material in its adaptation.

The Rubric:

Zero points = no post

Ten points = a minimal post with typos and limited substance or engagement; the analysis doesn’t clearly address all five required elements of the assignment

Fifteen points = a more substantive post, but awkward sentences and typos remain; there is some analysis, but all five required elements are not addressed; also, few details from the texts are offered to support any assertions

Twenty points = a more substantive post that develops ideas using evidence from the texts; however, all five required elements have not been addressed and some typos and awkward phrasing remain

Twenty-five points = a substantive post that develops ideas using evidence from the texts and addresses all five required elements; however, typos and awkward phrasing remain and no conclusion has been drawn about which is the better adaptation

Thirty points = a substantive post that addresses all five required elements with evidence from the texts, uses correct grammar, and offers a conclusion about which adaptation is better that has been well earned