Oscar Wilde Character Analysis

That was no way of treating the fragile, little actress! Dorian was very heartless to her just because she had one bad performance. Did the painting really change? Gray doesn’t seem himself by the end of the chapter, so it was probably an illusion. The cruel grin is still present to Dorian. Is the picture to become uglier with every awful thing he does? That would interesting.

Furthermore, Dorian’s moral principles get progressively worse, eventually leading to the murder of Dorian’s longtime friend, Basil Hallward. Dorian acts impulsively and erratically while showing Basil the mutilated portrait, “and suddenly an uncontrollable hatred for Basil Hallward came over him” (115) spurring Dorian to stab Basil repeatedly. Due to his impulsive nature and devotion to seeking pleasure, the moment his anger took over, Dorian chose to ignore his conscience. He retains his childish behavior because he never

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 beginning of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is viewed highly by Basil and is claimed to be his sole inspiration. By this little description we read of Dorian, the reader can already see how Dorian at the beginning of the book has a strong presence. However Basil describes Dorian as having a “simple and beautiful nature”(pg-12) and tells Lord Henry, “Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad.” (pg-12). Lord Henry is the first person to start to influence and change Dorian into being deceitful. The second factor that changes Dorian is the painting. In chapter two, Basil finishes the Painting and presents it to Dorian. Instead of being filled with joy, Dorian realizes that he will grow old and the Painting will stay young. Later in the story the Portrait changes to show a sneer around Dorians mouth. The reason for this is because Dorian broke Sybil’s heart. After learning about Sybil’s suicide, Dorian accepts that the Painting will show ageing while he appears to have not aged. This forces Dorian to lock away his painting and this also shows Dorian being deceitful with his looks.

Basil begins to notice this corruption in Dorian's face right after Dorian meets Henry. When Basil is painting Dorian, he notices a change. Basil "...deep in his work, and conscious only that a look had come into the lad's face that he had never seen there before" (Wilde 13). Dorian is loosing his innocence and purity due to Henry's influence and Basil can detect

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.

Both Dorian and the creature acquire knowledge both agreeable and disagreeable, but they both choose to be the sordid version of themselves. Dorian’s influences include Basil and Henry, and the creature’s include the peasant family he observes and Victor. The monster and the portrait are, first, a blank slate. Others’ reactions to his presence and influences mold the monster, just as the painting is just a painting until Dorian curses it to reflect his reality. Almost everyone will have a different interpretations of the same artwork, but their personal experiences will determine how they interpret the art. Victor Frankenstein creates the creature, then, abandons him, leaving him to discover the Dark Side of society while discovering himself. Nevertheless, Lord Henry transforms Dorian’s view on life by basically telling him to live a life of pleasure without any regrets. The creature’s experiences form his Consciousness, but Dorian's Consciousness evolved as his desire for pleasure

It is interesting to note that he doesn't ask for it to show his sins, only take on his aging. The painting gets progressively more horrible throughout the story, but it is not just aging it shows, it seems to portray an awful decay. Dorian uses a mirror to compare himself to the painting (one that Lord Henry gave him) and seems to take pleasure in his corruption: "...looking now at the evil and aging face on the canvas, and now at the fair young face that laughed back at him from the polished glass. The very sharpness of the contrast used to quicken his sense of pleasure. He grew more and more enamored of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul ... wondering sometimes which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age" (Wilde 106). The use of the mirror further points out his narcissism. This is also the same mirror that he crushes under his feet the night he tries to "kill" the painting.

His conception is hedeonistic. If Basil is the art creator, the picture’s creator, Lord Henry is the creator of Dorian’s new aspect. The experience of the sin is finished by killing his friend, Basil Hallward. His act does not stirs remorse, his only concern being to erase the traces in order to avoid getting discovered. His diabolism can be compared to the one of Des Esseintes , which attempts to transform a young man, Auguste Langlois, into an assassin, through vice, but the difference is that the Huysmans's character has not the power to commit a murder himself. The murder is followed by the destruction of the portrait.

He is even told by Lord Henry he is far too charming to go into philantropy. This remark may be the beginning of the flattery that opened Dorian's mind up to his corruption. Dorian is being moved by Harry's speech about cherishing youth and enjoying it. His mind was being challenged by the thought of his own passions until the point when he proclaimed "stop! You bewilder me. I do not know what to say. There is some answer to you, but I cannot find it. Do not speak. Let me think. Or rather let me try not to think". Dorian allows himself to be corrupted. He begins to fear aging and begins to think that everything will be loss with the loss of his youth and beauty. Dorian goes from no worries to this thought as Harry speaks. He was convinced that this "new Hedonism" was the way. This shows the weakness of his mind in his youth it is also the begginning of his fate. With this flaw of character, Dorian seemed to write his fate unknowingly. When Basil Hallward, the painter, rewarded Dorian with the portrait he replied "If I were to be the one always young, and the picture grow old! For that-for that-Iwould give everything!…Iwould give my soul for that!". This was just a plea at the depth of his sorrow, a remark made totally through whim.

“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! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!" (Wilde 30-31). After making this deal Dorian start to become a horrible person he make his girlfriend and soon to be fiance Sibyl to commit suicide after he yelled at her, he smokes cigarettes, ruins other people's lives, does drugs such as opium, and goes on to kill Basil. All of society knows that something is up with Dorian because he has never aged and still looks like he's twenty. As the years go on Dorian begins to lose his soul while still remaining young which seems similar to the state of limbo in “Inception” where you don't grow older physically but your mind and soul do. Dorian eventually goes on a downward spiral after killing Basil and sees that the painting gets ugly for every bad deed he does.. So in response he tries to do a good deed to change the painting. But when this backfires and the painting gets worst he stabs it which basically means he stabbed his soul and he ends up dying and the painting returns to normal.

Throughout the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde tells a tale about a young man named Dorian whose entire life changes after he meets Basil Hallward, who paints a portrait of Gray that ultimately leads to Gray’s demise. At the same time, Dorian also meets Lord Henry, who eventually plays a bad influence over Dorian. The portrait shows the man Dorian has become

The first sign of Dorian’s new development is when he first lays eyes on the portrait after hearing Lord Henry’s panegyric of youth. As Dorian gazes upon himself on the portrait, he comes to a shocking realisation. Wilde writes it as, “The sense of his own beauty came upon him like a revelation… Basil Hallward’s compliments had seemed to him to be merely the charming exaggerations of friendship… They had not influenced his nature. Then had come Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric on youth, his terrible warning of its brevity. That had stirred him at the time, and now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the full reality of the description flashed across him… He would become dreadful, hideous, and uncouth. As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain struck through him like a knife, and made each delicate fibre of his nature quiver” (Wilde 18-19). His beauty would not last forever, and he would become old and withered just like everyone else will. Dorian, who once didn’t care about his looks, had now become obsessed with the ideals and ideas fed to him from Henry. He makes his wish for the portrait to take on the burden of time and sin, instead of him. He says, “I know, now, that when one loses one’s good

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.

After receiving this advice Dorian soon becomes distraught over the fact that he will get older. He sees the portrait Basil Hallward has painted of him and prophetically wishes, “How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young…If only it was the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old! For this—for this—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!” (205). When Dorian realizes the transient nature of life he decides to embrace new hedonism to the fullest, giving in to every impulse.