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Essay about the characters in the picture of Dorian grey
Essay about the characters in the picture of Dorian grey
The portrait in the picture of dorian gray
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The Significance of the Portrait in The Picture of Dorian Gray
The portrait in the book was originally painted by Basil Hallward who
believed it was the greatest thing he had ever done. Everyone admired
the painting and it wins him the respect of all his friends. Another
significance of the portrait to Basil Hallward is that it poignantly
turned out to be the cause of his own death when Dorian madly murders
him, as he was the man who painted the portrait that went so wrong.
"The mad passions of a wild animal stirred within him…" (Dorian Gray)
This shows how angry and disturbed Dorian had become. The portrait was
also a physical representation of Basil's fascination with Dorian and
how much he admired him that the painting he did was thought to be the
best he had ever done.
This leads to the significance of the portrait and Dorian. When Dorian
first met Lord Henry, he had no idea of how good-looking he was. Lord
Henry alerted him to the power of his appearance. This lead to Dorian
becoming narcissistic and obsessive, he looked upon the painting with
genuine fascination. Dorian believed that it too was the loveliest
portrait he had seen.
Wilde uses Dorian's obsession with the painting to implicitly condemn
aestheticism. However, this is contradicting what he said in his
preface and how he portrays Lord Henry, which is a representation of
himself. Lord Henry believes that art is completely distinct from
morality. Lord Henry like Wilde is an aesthete. So, when he says that
the way Dorian is obsessed with the painting, he is being hypocritical
as he to thinks that beauty is the ultimate pursuit in life. In the
preface of the book Wilde says that,
"Beautiful things mean only beauty."
Wilde is also ironic when he says that
"There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book."
He is being ironic because after the preface is a book, which is very
immoral as it is full of aesthetic beliefs.
Basil Hallward adheres to the conventional belief that looking at
Within The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde depicts two characters that follow the philosophy of Walter Pater. These two characters are Dorian Gray and Henry Wotton. They both embody Pater’s ideal of placing as much enjoyment in one’s short life as possible. While Dorian learns of Pater’s philosophy from Henry he soon exceeds his teacher and becomes invested within the philosophy of living life to the fullest. Dorian exceeds Henry in Pater’s philosophy through his active experimentation and desire for beauty, but Dorian fails to live up to all of Pater’s expectations due to his inability to separate morality for art.
The Gothic is one of the most well known genres in literature, not for the reason that it has been around for centuries, but because of the psychological impact that comes along with it. Gothic literature is one of the few that deals with as stated, the “awful obscurity that haunted eighteenth century rationality and morality (Botting).” However, what is not known is most authors who write Gothic literature may feel like a large portion of science fiction and interest in the futurism, but many pieces also stem from their own personal lives. Oscar Wilde, writer of The Picture of Dorian Gray, is one notable author who holds subtle boundaries between his personal life and his works.
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.
In his own painting, he was trying to extend to the general public what he perceived as the
In society, there has constantly been the question as to whether people can change or not. Author Oscar Wilde proves in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, that one can. The question he poses to his readers is “What kind of transformation is shown by the protagonist Dorian Gray: good or bad?” It is possible to think that Dorian Gray has become a better person, not for others, but for himself since he lives in the pursuit of pleasure and always achieves it. However, as it is demonstrated by the portrait, the damnation of the lives of others can provoke damage to one’s conscience and soul. Dorian’s soul is ruined gradually by his hedonistic adventures, eventually failing to redeem his actions, but not before he leaves a devastating path of destruction and experiences self-inflicted destruction.
Monstrosity is not just defined by disfigurement, but also by the actions and obsessions of man. Most, if not all, tales of monsters often came about as exaggerations of sins and immoral actions. Others see men who become too obsessed with the idea of overstepping their own humanity and playing God as monsters in society. Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray reflect this idea. While the painting and the creation mirror the monstrous nature and the sin Gray and Frankenstein enact throughout the course of each novel, both Dorian Gray and Victor Frankenstein are the true monsters.
Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an “exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters” and “the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary” (“Aestheticism,” def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader.
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.
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.
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
and rich people in his town as well. His beauty charmed the world. Basil was
In the Victorian Era of mid nineteen to early twentieth century, a woman’s role in society remained to be in the household, away from the business and cares of men. The feminine side is portrayed as negative, powerless, and lacking (Kileen 49). Society discouraged women from having power in society and neglecting women represented normal in the eyes of most men and women. However, Victorian novels such as The Picture of Dorian Gray illustrate the consequences of disregarding women. In Oscar Wilde’s only novel, the lack of importance surrounding the female characters and their careless treatment from men results in the selfishness of the male characters exemplified through Dorian Gray’s acts of evil.
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.
The beauty of a portrait, the adventure of a saga, the delicacy of a porcelain vase, the emotion of a symphony – all forms of art, all forms of expression. Art, as Oscar Wilde explains it, is the “most intense mode of individualism that the world has ever known” (Wilde, The Soul of a Man Under Socialism). Art allows one to express themselves through a thousand mediums using all five senses. It allows words that are not meant to be spoken, to be expressed, and ideas not meant to be thought, imagined. Perhaps the most prevalent form of art in today 's society is literature, as is the most direct form of art. In Oscar Wilde 's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray reads a yellow book given to him by mentor-friend, Sir Henry Wotton. In the years
The power of influence takes a hold of Dorian Gray, transforming him from an innocent youth to a corrupt and deceitful man. Dorian’s character begins slowly deteriorating with the introduction of Lord Henry. Wilde portrays Lord Henry as a self-centered man. He perceptively creates a domino effect by influencing Dorian’s morals and altering his character. Oscar Wilde demonstrates negative influence throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray using a dark tone, intriguing imagery, and ominous diction, thus portraying the social theme.