In *The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,* Jekyll’s titles, as listed in his will, include D.C.L. (Doctor of Civil Law), and LL.D. (legum doctor), as well as M.D. and F.R.S. Only I don’t understand the purpose behind making him an expert in law as well as medicine and chemistry – IIRC in the original book he’s never once even mentioned as practising anything close to legal work, aside from re-writing up his will in the last few chapters, but he didn’t need two whole doctorates in law to do that, especially as he has his lawyer best friend Mr. Utterson handling most of the legal legwork around his will.
Again, what was the purpose of making him an expert in law? I’m sure the story wouldn’t have changed a bit if he was just listed as M.D. and F.R.S., maybe PhD, and most adaptations don’t even remotely allude to his supposed legal prowess since even the original text didn’t really allude to it.
by PrinceJustice237
2 Comments
I suppose it might be just to increase the contrast between Jekyll and Hyde, by making Jekyll exceptionally estimable.
It’s one more way of making him seem intelligent and rational, to contrast Jekyll with Hyde.
Doubly so as Jekyll’s qualifications in law throw Hyde’s fundamental **lawlessness** (Hyde commits murder, and does so in a particularly brutal and savage way) into sharper relief. Hyde is everything Jekyll is not, and utterly ignores or lacks knowledge Jekyll would have been rightly proud to possess.