In both Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey and Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo the main characters are lend to believe in a greater notion of life. Specifically, Oscar Wilde and Alexandre Dumas appear to illustrate the idea that one cannot better themselves through others. Both protagonists, Dorian Grey and Edmond Dantès fail to recognize and act on their own fortune and, consequently, seek out to better themselves which eventually leads to their downfall. In both The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Count of Monte Cristo we are introduce to two young, fresh faced men who are yet to see enough of the world for it to negatively affect their being. In the case of Dorian Grey much of the first part of the book is spent …show more content…
He is young and has the world at his fingertips, he was just promoted after docking, and engaged on his way to get married. For Edmond the future is looking and his personality reflects that. The all seems well and good in the being this only means that they have further to fall. Thought the paths taken by Dorian and Edmond are different in execution they are both that of a dark and twisted nature the leads to the same conclusion. For Dorian, his descent down a dangerous path beings with the most dangerous thing of all knowledge. Specifically a book given to him by Lord Henry a short time after meeting him which enlightens him to the self serving side of life using his youth, charm, status and beauty to get what he wanted. This is the being of the end for him as he takes it to far, driving everyone who could or did care about him away. With the his descent into the darkness only being furthered by the realisation that though many years have past he hasn’t aged and he has remained externally beautiful, while the portrait done by Basil has instead, but has been twisted and turned into something dark and unrecognizable. As for Edmond his fall from grace is, surprisingly, not when he’s betrayed by those three men or when he is sent to a prison that he is never to leave again. No the being of his dark descent is when he learns that by working with inmate in the cell over he could get out. It is at that moment Edmond beings
One soldier even suggests that the locket is a lucky charm for Edmond, seeing as though he has never even gotten a scratch from battle. This foreshadowing made the ending more predictable because the story continues to lead up to Edmond’s “death” when it has already been discussed that Edmond has never been injured from battle. Though it would’ve been very ironic if Edmond were really dead because of how “lucky” the locket is; that’s not the case here. The locket was introduced to the readers as being lucky, so throughout the story it is then seen as Edmond’s good luck charm, so obviously in the end he would reveal himself as
When Dorian is told that his beauty will be lost once he outgrows his boyhood, he makes a desperate wish: “[i]f it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that I would give everything” (Wilde LOC 64). From this point forward in the novel, Dorian remains forever young and the picture assumes his burdens of age and sin. Dorian’s unchanging face causes those around him to falsely believe he is incapable of evil. This can be seen in Basil’s disbeliefs of the rumors surrounding Dorian when he states, “[b]ut you, Dorian, with your pure, bright, innocent face, and your marvellous untroubled youth— I can't believe anything against you” (Wilde LOC 360). Dorian even gets away with murder because the people of London refuse to believe that someone of his appearance is capable of sin. Lady Narborough later confirms this when she says, “‘Lord Henry is very wicked… but you are made to be good— you look so good’” (Wilde LOC 431). Dorian’s charming good looks contradict the monstrosity of the portrait, proving that people are not always what they seem.
Edmond was foreshadowing by Kate when he was laying down in the hill slope, dreaming about his lady Octavie. He was homesick, and missed his lady. By having Kate write this, it would be foreshadowing, implying that maybe he will get to see her again, if hes dreaming about her, it
The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel laced with sin, treachery, and raging battles of inner conflict, is Oscar Wilde’s sole novel. Considered immoral and scandalous upon publication, the book centers around a young man named Dorian Gray, who does not age or reflect the darkness of his heart outwardly, and instead a portrait of him bears the damage his destructive life wreaks on his soul. However, the meaning of the story extends past the simple fact that Dorian lives a life of immorality—he walks the path that takes him there with his two friends, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotten. The two attempt to guide and influence Dorian throughout the novel in their own ways, and are a vital piece of Dorian’s tale. Basil and Henry act as character foils as well as a symbolic angel and devil for Dorian Gray’s character, and also contribute themes of choosing one’s own fate.
In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde is able to show how possessions can change a man so drastically. Over the course of the book the readers examine how many items such as the painting, the yellow book and much more, shape and alter Dorian from being outgoing, likable, and overall good to secluded, manipulative and most of all deceitful. Dorian gray has many motives for being deceitful that help develop the characters, and change the way they interact with each other.
This is important because Edmond is telling Max do not live life full of hate and vengeance as I have live life and when given power over another’s life spare them. Much like how Edmond spared Danglar letting him live just not wealth and powerful. But instead Edmond hopes Danglars will learn that greed comes back to haunt you. Wait and hope could mean that the Count may return to France. Or that all we can do at the end
As a whole, this opening confrontation between Lord Henry and Dorian’s initial character proves several points: one, Dorian does have his own passions and soul before meeting Lord Henry, and two, Lord Henry’s teachings initially echo Dorian’s own feelings, which are what draw him to Lord Henry over the two-dimensional Basil Hallward. Later, ironically, it is Lord Henry’s own teachings which leads to Dorian’s struggle to repress his "true self" and ultimately bring about his downfall.
In the beginning Edmond was a highly ranked soldier and was untouchable throughout the entire war. When one of the other soldiers found out that his way of staying alive might be because of his locket they stole it and wore it so that he wouldn’t die.
Since it is only the dead who go free from here, I must take place of the dead!’” (Dumas 80). Edmond thinks of taking the place of the abbe Faria, which freed him from prison. This further authenticate Edmond being perseverant and patient, showing how he pushes through obstacles presented to him no matter what. One could say that Into Thin Air had no perseverance
Oscar Wilde’s The picture of Dorian Grey’s novel is about a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and believes his beauty should not be wasted and it is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enslaved by Lord Henry's world view. He shows him a new hedonism, and suggests the only things worth following in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. When he realizes that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian feels a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait that Basil has painted would age instead of him. Dorian's wish
The Picture of Dorian Grey as a novel in the Victorian Era was shocking to readers of the time due to the open nature of topics like: sexuality, greed and corruption. A Freudian perspective of the characters: Basil, Lord Henry and Dorian can be seen as the Id, Ego and Super Ego. Basil is the Super Ego, he conforms to a certain extent and tries to make Dorian lead a moral life when it comes to desperate times of the loss of the 'real Dorian'; Lord Henry can be seen as the Id, the immoral character who tries to convince Dorian to submit to his natural urges and passions; Dorian is the Ego, one who in the beginning is in between the two and has a power struggle within as to how he should act as a character in the novel. In answering this question and exploring the conflicts shown in the novel one must look at the gender, identity and sexuality.
Things go from bad to worse for Dorian’s soul when he becomes known for his wrongdoings and ruining the reputations of others. It is clear by this point that he has chosen to live
In The Picture of Dorian Gray the main character Dorian gray was first an innocent man and role model to artist Basil Howard who represented humanity. Overtime influences, interactions, and beauty got the best of him. In The Picture of Dorian Gray Basil says “He has a simple and a beautiful nature. Your aunt was quite right in what she said of him. Don't spoil him. Don't try to influence him. Your influence would be bad” this shows how even at the very beginning Basil knew how Lord Henry would influence him in a negative way. As we read on we can see how lord Henry teaches him to only care about beauty which causes Dorian to believe beauty is the only thing that matters in life. Lord Henry was the main cause of the corruption of Dorian's soul. In the novel another quote Lord Henry says is Oh, she is better than good – she is beautiful,". This demonstrates how from the very get go he told Dorian that beauty is better than goodness. The poisonous book was another way Dorian was overtaken by the evil. In the novel it says “It was a poisonous book. The heavy odor of incense seemed to cling about its pages and to trouble the brain. The mere cadence of the sentences, the subtle monotony of their music, so full as it was of complex refrains and movements elaborately repeated, produced in the mind of the lad, as he passed from chapter to chapter, a form of reverie, a malady of dreaming, that made him unconscious of the falling day and creeping shadows.” This quote proves how the evil has already taken over him and now the book is taking over his soul. A clear piece of evidence that shows readers how the evil has really won in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the
He is infatuated with Dorian's beauty in the beginning. He appreciated Dorian's beauty but did not wish to possess it for himself. Basil exclaims, “When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale... 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.” His love for Dorian changed the way he perceived art. Basil eventually paints a portrait of Dorian to capture his beauty forever. Basil’s portrait marks a new phase in his career. Once he has painted Dorian, he fears that he has put too much of himself into the work. Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to Lord Henry, who he fears will have a damaging influence on Dorian. He admits, “Yes, that is his name. I didn't intend to tell it to you.” Basil is later envious of the relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian. Lord Henry upsets Dorian with a speech about the transient nature of beauty and youth. Basil, wishing to protect and defect him, voices his objection to Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian. Dorian felt Basil had come to realize his true personality and that he would bring it to someones attention. Basil is murdered by Dorian. The murder of Basil marks the beginning of Dorian's end. He cannot overcome the realization that he killed his friend.
In my opinion, in Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1890, an interesting character is the central character, Dorian Gray. At the beginning of the novel, Dorian appears to be a beautiful, naive and youthful character to readers, until he is corrupted by vanity and appearences. Dorian makes a fraustian deal. He will remain youthful and beautiful physically while a potrait painted of him will reflect his age and his continuous guilty conscience. Dorian thinks that as long as he remains physically attractive, then his personality will not matter. Throughout the novel, readers see him bringing suffering, duplicity and death to all members in the social circles that he switches to. For example, Dorian falls in love with