On one hand the tragic play Othello, a man who is deceived by the character, Iago, into thinking that his wife is committing adultery. On the other hand, The Picture of Dorian Gray, a man with rugged good looks influenced by Lord Henry, into thinking that life is all about pleasure. When the reader digs deeper into the play and book, there is something similar about the two. There are various similarities in the tragic play Othello and the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, but one sticks out. How might something written in the early 16th century have any similar themes and characteristics to a book written in the late 18th century? The reader is able to see Dorian Gray’s first take on beauty when he says, “Oh, I am tired of sitting, and I don’t want a life-sized portrait of myself.” (16). By Dorian saying that he doesn’t want a portrait of himself the reader can infer that he doesn’t notice the beauty in himself or rather doesn’t care to recognize it. However, when Lord Henry first meets Dorian he describes Dorian by saying, “Yes, he was certainly wonderfully handsome, with his finely …show more content…
“There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray.” He is saying that nobody knows your life better than you. Depending on the person, one might think someone is a good influence while another person thinks they are a terrible influence. This comes from the theory that every person is free to choose their own paths in life. Lord Henry continues, “… People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty the one owes to one’s self...” He is talking about how people go against their natural instinct of every man for themselves. He believes that everyone’s natural instinct is to put their own interest in front of others, but everyone is choosing to obey the norms of society. The reader can determine that Lord Henry has an egocentric view on the world and
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel written by Oscar Wilde. The story takes place in England, where the artist Basil Hallward paints a portrait of the young and beautiful Dorian Gray. During his stay at the artist’s studio, he gets introduced to Lord Henry who later becomes one of the most influential people in his life. Dorian Gray becomes aware of his amazing beauty and youthfulness due to the portrait and wishes that the portrait ages instead of him. His wish comes true, Dorian remains beautiful and youthful while the portrait changes. Lord Henry becomes his best friend and motivates him to live in abundance, to sin and always strive for beauty. After a while, Dorian discovers that his portrait doesn’t only age, but also changes face expression as a result of all his sins and evil deeds. Dorian gets anxious by the fact that the portrait shows his evil soul and is scared that somebody will see it, therefore he hides it. The portrait haunts Dorian although it’s hidden. As Dorian’s sins gets worse, he feels that he can’t handle the pressure anymore and decides to destroy the portrait that shows his true self.
There is a strong thematic relationship between the texts; Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray. The texts show us two individuals that are influenced by the outside world to make monstrous decisions. In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, a scientist with the intention to bring about life to the world ends up bringing about a hideous creature. The scientist, Victor Frankenstein, is horrified by what he has created and wants nothing to do with him, which causes him to become a terrible human being. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, a beautiful man named Dorian Gray commits many unforgivable acts. Lord Henry Wotton influences Dorian into thinking that he should view the world in his way and in turn creates a monster. That sensual
When Shakespeare composed the tragedy Othello televisions were not. Along with no televisions, life in the late 1500s had many different qualities than it does today. This time period had no war on drugs and no high school shootings. Peer pressure was not an issue. The audiences of Othello in the 1500s did not face the circumstances that we, American high school students, face today. With these significant differences in daily life, come the attempts of movie creators to help prevent our modern day tragedies.
In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations. Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character. In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero. This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world. The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.
Oedipus the King and Othello are both plays in which are known for their dramatic tragedies. Oedipus the King is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed in 429 BC. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, which was written in approximately 1603. These two plays do a profound job at making sure the audience understands the background of the main characters, however, there are minor characters who are just as important. Emilia, Othello’s wife, and Jocasta, Oedipus’s mother and wife, both aid in the understanding of the major characters throughout these plays. These two plays showcase the power of love and how destructive it can be.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a rich story which can be viewed through many literary and cultural lenses. Oscar Wilde himself purposefully filled his novel with a great many direct and indirect allusions to the literary culture of his times, so it seems appropriate to look back at his story - both the novel and the 1945 film version - in this way.
Othello written by Shakespeare and The Iliad written by Homer both consist of a big hero in their story/play. The heroes share many of the same attributes while also having great differences.
In the beginning of the book, Dorian seems to be an innocent, charming, beautiful young man, and even referred to as “a wonderful creation” (ch 2). Dorian is described as this amazing person, with looks comparable to a God, charm that could swoon any woman, and a mesmerizing persona about him with the ability to draw anyone near, yet he seems to be so imperceptive to himself. His attitude of simplicity causes readers to be fond of him, passing their first judgments that he could not possibly be evil. As the story moves along readers see the first inkling that Dorian may not be so perfect. Dorian comments on “how sad it is…[that he] shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But the picture will remain always young” (ch 2). This statement lets readers inside Dorian’s thoughts, showing how shallow and frivolous Dorian views life to be. He places so much value and esteem on looks alone, forgetting that being painted should be an honor, or at the very least...
Moreover, his first sin being the starting point of his inevitable future after meeting the infamous Lord Henry is Dorians introduction to his own beauty. As a result, his vanity is displayed through his self portrait
The portrait of Dorian Gray represents his inner beauty. The longer Dorian Gray stays beautiful on the outside the worse his personality gets. That’s why the portrait becomes so ugly in the end that Dorian had to destroy it.
Dorian’s beauty is greatly appreciated by Basil, and he is the one who makes Dorian realize his beauty and charm. Henry, being a part of the Victorian Society, values beauty too much. To him, beauty is a sensory pleasure. Henry’s strong views and preference towards beauty greatly influence Dorian throughout the novel. About his friendships and enmities, Henry mentions that he “chooses [his] friends for their good looks, acquaintances for their good characters, and enemies for their good intellects” (Wilde 10)....
Although Wilde halts short of stating that Basil and Lord Henry have sexual feelings for Dorian , the language he uses to describe their devotion for Dorian is unmistakably the language of deep, romantic intimacy. “Tell me more about Mr. Dorian Gray. How often do you see him?”. “Every day. I couldn’t be happy if I didn’t see him everyday. He is absolutely necessary to me”. This common motif of homoerotic bonds between men plays a large role in structuring the novel. Basils painting is born from his adoration of Dorians beauty , comparatively Lord Henry is overcome with desire to seduce Dorian. This sense of camaraderie between men fits into Wildes aesthetic values, for it returns him to his past where the philosophy of beauty was not only the basis of society but fundamental to culture. As a homosexual living in an intolerant society, Wilde asserted this philosophy in order to justify his own lifestyle.
When looking at Iago his actions are very similar to those of Richard the third the reaction of the people around him is very much different as is the reaction by the audience reading this play. Where in the text we see the characters hate Richard in Othello we see Iago being constantly called ‘ the good and honest Iago’. Looking through text he is called good Iago four times and honest Iago five times, which when asking audiences is nine times to many. One of the most important thing is that Iago himself mentions this honest side of himself in his own speech in act three of the play. In "The Art of Persuasion and Shakespeare’s Two Iagos." By Benjamin V. Beier he points out that ‘Much later in 3.3, Iago references his own “honesty and love”
In Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, beauty is depicted as the driving force in the lives of the three main characters, Dorian, Basil and Lord Henry. Dorian, the main character, believes in seizing the day. Basil, the artist, admires all that is beautiful in life. Lord Henry, accredited ones physical appearance to the ability of achieving accomplishments in life. Beauty ordains the fate of Dorian, Basil, and Lord Henry. The novel embodies the relationship of beauty and morality. Beauty is not based on how attractive an object is to everyone, but how attractive it is to one.
To avoid getting hurt, he pretended to be Lord Henry: decadent, cynical, eloquent, rebellious, and a bit evil in the eyes of bluenoses. Dorian Gray is what he would like to be: be loved, taste all the beauties and exquisite in life and die for what he wants to defend. In this novel, Wilde portrays his philosophy of "aesthetic idealism." He favored nature when it was explained as an internal individualistic impulse, just like Lord Henry who suggests that beauty is the greatest good and doing so diminishes the role of the soul. He does this out of a half-facetious, half-earnest pursuit of that which is more genuine, less socially constructed and therefore less hypocritical.