Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
How Lord Henry is portrayed as a Machiavellian character in The pictute if Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde homosexual relationship and backlash
Character analysis of the picture of dorian gray
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: How Lord Henry is portrayed as a Machiavellian character in The pictute if Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Homosexuality in The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray is a well renowned book written by Oscar Wilde. When first published in July of 1880, the novel was edited and many passages were taken out by the British magazine, Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. These passages that were deleted, included an explicit homosexual relationship between two of the three main characters, Basil Hallward and Dorian Gray. During the 1880’s, the subject matter of the book was not acceptable to society’s standards. At the time, only men and women married and even the thought of the same sex marrying was detestable. Not only was this behavior frowned upon, but it was illegal and could get you arrested. Because of this, most homosexuals kept quiet and
Wilde later moved to France and got married to a woman named Constance, later bearing two sons with her. The marriage may have been just to cover up his homosexuality because even though he was married, Wilde had a long list of male lovers that basically worshipped the ground he walked on. Throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde makes several hints towards his views of marriage that can be connected to his marriage with Constance. There is a scene in chapter 4 between Lord Henry and Dorian where the subject of marriage is brought up. Lord Henry warns Dorian to “Never marry at all, . . . Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed” (49). Wilde may have been tired in his own marriage, leaving his wife disappointed. If the only reason Wilde married Constance was to say get him off the radar then obviously it would leave the couple disappointed. In order to have a happy marriage, there needs to be a love connection and since Wilde was not attracted to the opposite sex, there were problems. On the other hand, Wilde wrote other pieces like poems and stories that contradicted his homosexuality. In 1895, Wilde was involved in a case with the Marquess of Queensberry. The Marquess of Queensberry denounced Wilde as a homosexual. Why did he accuse him of being a homosexual? It was known that Wilde had been in an affair with the Marquess of Queensburry’s son since 1891. This was a huge shock to the public. Many were disgusted. Once denounced, he then turned around and sued for libel. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of libel is “the act of publishing a false statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone.” While up on the stands, Wilde was asked to explain one of his most well-known quotes “The Love that dare not speak its name.” Wilde’s response explained
We know that Oscar is married and has children but these letters he has written to different men strike him as gay to some. During this time period, many disagreed with this act, especially Lord Alfred Douglas of Queensberry, one of Wilde’s partners father. Some may say this lead to the theme of hate for the fact that Lord Alfred Douglas of Queensberry despised Wilde for sending these letters to his son and having these feelings towards him (Polashuk, 2007).
words, he models his life after a work of art. The fact that Dorian's one female
I think this because as I was reading the book I could see that Lord
The French born author, Anais Nin once wrote, “We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative” ("Think Exist Quotations"). Anais is expounding upon the inconsistency all people have in aspects of their personalities. Some days a person may be hailed as a saint for their actions, while other days they seem absolutely evil. In most literature, characters are defined as good or evil based on their revealed thoughts and actions. On occasion an anomaly may be found, where a character is more ambiguous. Dorian Gray’s Actions throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray paralyzes the readers’ ability to condemn Dorian as purely good or purely evil, causing them to be more sympathetic than usual.
The soul is the primary focus of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The term is used freely in the book with Dorian making a wish right in the beginning. Dorian exclaims “’If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that – for that – I would give everything! I would give my soul for that!’” (28). Dorian does not arrive at this wish independently, however. Right off the bat Dorian is influenced by Lord Henry. Lord Henry and his yellow book are the harbingers that bring the corruption to Dorian’s soul. The soul is very much a physical thing in this world.
A critical analysis of Oscar Wildes only novel would yield that it is in fact a homosexual allegory of doomed, forbidden passion. The relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian, as well as Basil and Dorian is, clearly Homoerotic and must’ve shocked Victorian society.
The novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde shows the life of three men who are affected by art in the Victorian society. In Victorian times men were expected to provide for himself and his family, accumulate wealth, exemplify good morals and prove his masculinity. If a man did not show one of these qualities in the Victorian time his masculinity would be questioned. In the novel these men show three different sides to masculinity. Each character finds himself unhappy with the role he is forced to play in order to prove his masculinity. For them it seems in order to be successful or achieve happiness they must push past the gender roles society has placed on them. Basil Hallward represents the artist, Dorian
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.
"I turned half way around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself" (7). During the Victorian era, this was a dangerous quote. The Victorian era was about progress. It was an attempt aimed at cleaning up the society and setting a moral standard. The Victorian era was a time of relative peace and economic stability (Marshall 783). Victorians did not want anything "unclean" or "unacceptable" to interfere with their idea of perfection. Therefore, this quote, taken from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, brimming with homosexual undertones, was considered inappropriate. Due to the time period's standards, Oscar Wilde was forced to hide behind a thin layer of inference and parallel. Wilde was obsessed with the perfect image. Although he dressed more flamboyantly than the contemporary dress, it was to create an image of himself. Wilde was terrified of revealing his homosexuality because he knew that he would be alienated and ostracized from the society. Through his works, Oscar Wilde implicitly reflected his homosexual lifestyle because he feared the repercussions from the conservative Victorian era in which he lived.
In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde readers are presented with a vast depiction of the art of immorality in the face of ignorant innocence portrayed by the character Dorian Gray. In the beginning it seems to be a quaint novel on artistry and the paradoxical relationship between two lifelong friends by the name of Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. The plot takes a surprising twist when introduced to the real center of attention, the character of the seemingly innocent Dorian Gray. Upon this introduction Wilde then begins to tell the tale of what a life of secrecy and deception will lead to without the consciousness of a moral threshold and the inescapable burden of Dorians horrid accumulation of sins. The deception begins with a simple shout out to the heavens for the impossible to be granted. This then flourishes into unspeakable acts caused by an Egyptian statue, bringing misfortune to Dorian Gray by giving him exactly what he so desperately desires, thus teaching the world a lesson. Not everything we so strongly desire the world to provide is good for the soul.
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.
Oscar Wilde was born in October 16, 1854, in the mid era of the Victorian period—which was when Queen Victoria ruled. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901.While she ruined Britain, the nation rise than never before, and no one thought that she was capable of doing that. “The Victorian era was both good and bad due to the rise and fall of the empires and many pointless wars were fought. During that time, culture and technology improved greatly” (Anne Shepherd, “Overview of the Victorian Era”). During this time period of English, England was facing countless major changes, in the way people lived and thought during this era. Today, Victorian society is mostly known as practicing strict religious or moral behavior, authoritarian, preoccupied with the way they look and being respectable. They were extremely harsh in discipline and order at all times. Determination became a usual Victorian quality, and was part of Victorian lifestyle such as religion, literature and human behavior. However, Victorian has its perks, for example they were biased, contradictory, pretense, they cared a lot of about what economic or social rank a person is, and people were not allowed to express their sexuality. Oscar Wilde was seen as an icon of the Victorian age. In his plays and writings, he uses wit, intelligence and humor. Because of his sexuality he suffered substantially the humiliation and embarrassment of imprisonment. He was married and had an affair with a man, which back then was an act of vulgarity and grossness. But, that was not what Oscar Wilde was only known for; he is remembered for criticizing the social life of the Victorian era, his wit and his amazing skills of writing. Oscar Wilde poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” typifies the Vi...
Wilde presents marriage as a state that is accepted in its superficiality. Lady Bracknell states’ ‘when you do become engaged to someone, I, or your father… will inform you of the fact’’. This statement exemplifies the typecast of a firm Victorian women reinforcing the idea that marriage was a business arrangement,; marriages were understood to be a useful financial and social ‘alliance’ instead of a joint enterprise of love and commitment. Lady Bracknell attempts to impose these illogical concepts from her own generation which are based on traditions and conventions. Wilde conveys this idea of ridiculing
The Picture of Dorian Gray was a remarkably well-written book due to the reaction of its themes by society. In the preface of the novel, Wilde introduces the opinion that "...there is no moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." Numerous views can be taken upon this fastidious comment. Many would agree that Wilde is justifiably correct because the preface was written with the intention that his readers understand the deeper meaning of the themes than worrying about whether it is considered morally acceptable; or perhaps, the view that it could be considered moral or immoral by the impact it has on the readers' lives. Even though there are several positions held on what The Picture of Dorian Gray's most important meaning is about, the most prominent is the novel as a moral book. Lord Henry Wotton immediately begins to corrupt Dorian's mind after they first meet by forcing his immoral thoughts of "yielding to temptation" which allows Lord Henry to hold his attention. After listening for quite a while to Lord Henry's views, Dorian begins to change his own to match them, and therefore begins to live a life of immorality. The yellow book is a device that Lord Henry uses to further corrupt and drive Dorian deeper into the pits of sin. Through Lord Henry's influence, the changes in Dorian Gray, and the impact of the yellow book, Oscar Wilde efficiently reveals The Picture of Dorian Gray as a moral book.
Though Wilde wrote in the preface to this book that, "To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim", we can still trace the shadow of the author himself in all of the three major characters. Basil Hallward, the artist who painted the picture of Dorian Gray, probably has a homosexual attachment to the young Dorian. And as a homosexual himself (or to be exact, bisexual, because he also loved his wife and two sons), Wilde here might be commenting on the enforced secret homosexuals' lives in the late nineteenth century. Seemingly striving after impersonality and aesthetic perfection in his work, Basil feels the greatest anxiety of having put "too much of himself" into his picture of Dorian (Chapter 1, page 20) that he can't exhibit it. To display his work of art in public would, in a sense, amount to exposure of Basil's attraction to Dorian Gray.