The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves as a prime example of supernatural fiction. This genre explores metaphysical themes, driven by a curiosity to comprehend the mysterious and indescribable. In ancient cultures, people used folktales and fables to explain the unexplainable, laying the groundwork for all supernatural literature. These tales often feature at least one primary character who defies natural laws. Central themes in these narratives frequently examine the contrasts between good and evil, as well as love and hate. A common goal within these stories is to restore the universe's natural balance, to escape from the unknown's horrors and return to normalcy. As characters work to reestablish this balance, readers may feel awe, fear, or relief.

A particular branch of supernatural fiction focuses on the Promethean archetype, a concept rooted in Greek mythology. Prometheus, offspring of Iapetus and Clymene, was a key benefactor to humanity. According to legend, he crafted humans from clay and water and later took fire from the gods to bestow upon humanity, fostering the development of sciences. Zeus perceived these actions as sacrilege and punished Prometheus by chaining him to a mountain in the Caucasus, where an eagle would consume his liver daily, only for it to regenerate each night to be eaten again the following day.

Promethean themes appear in works like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Characters such as Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll embody Promethean figures, as they challenge divine and natural laws in their quests to create life. These stories offer limited scientific explanations, concentrating instead on the consequences of "playing God." The genre also uses gothic elements, particularly settings characterized by bleak landscapes and dark alleys.

Jekyll expresses his Promethean aspirations when he describes the seemingly noble goals of his experiments. He envisions that if evil impulses could be isolated from good ones,

"if each ... could be housed in separate identities, life would be relieved of all that was unbearable; the unjust might go his way, delivered from the aspirations and remorse of his more upright twin; and the just could walk steadfastly and securely on his upward path, doing the good things in which he found his pleasure, and no longer exposed to disgrace and penitence by the hands of this extraneous evil. It was the curse of mankind that these incongruous faggots were thus bound together—that the agonized womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling."

However, similar to Frankenstein, Jekyll's ambition eventually eclipses his prudence. In his confession, Jekyll reveals,

"The allure of such a unique and profound discovery eventually overcame my fears. Had I approached my discovery with a more noble mindset, had I conducted the experiment driven by generous or pious motives, everything might have been different. But at that time, my virtue was dormant; my ambition-fueled evil was alert and quick to seize the opportunity."