Theme Of Beauty In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

This essay explores the various types of art used in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The focus is made on the three types of art: the picture of Dorian Gray, the yellow book and the actress. It examines the way Wilde chooses to develop his novel’s characters’ personalities and destinies by asking: what is the role of art

looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything,” (Wilde 20). This is when Dorian’s narcissistic behavior begins to show as he believes that beauty is the key to everything. He gives up one of the most important aspects of life, being an individual. In reality, one should find acceptance with themselves regardless of their own beauty, rather than “sell [themselves] to the devil for a pretty face,” (Wilde 107). Instead, Dorian embraces the pride of beauty and with this mindset, commits many

He is told to make the most of life while he is young. And even though time passees he never gets old so he continues acting immoral. When taking to Lord Henry in chapter 8, Lord Henry tells him, “Life has everything in store for you, Dorian. There is nothing that you, with your extraordinary good looks, will not be able to do” (Wilde 76). Lord Henry is expressing the power of Dorian’s youth. He escapes the many troubles of being old by staying young. Dorian is starting to believe nothing is more valuable than his youth. When he becomes aware of how his actions are affecting his soul by observing the changes in his painting, he decides to lock up the painting. The narrator says, “He himself would not see it. Why should he watch the hideous corruption of his soul? He kept his youth -- that was enough” (Wilde 89). Dorian is escaping the reality of who he really is. The painting shows his true colors, and he is represses it. He is running from his corrupt, immoral action because, he cares more about his physical youth. Youth is taking control of his actions and nothing else matters to him. Living the life that he is living takes a toll on his mental state causing him to become

In The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde explores the importance of physical appearances, and its relations to success in society. “Dorian experiences the psychic transformation and gradually ends up in self-destruction after alienating his self-identification” (Zhang). Wilde writes about how his main character, Dorian Grey, explores and learns about the philosophical elements of life and mortality. “To him, man was a being with myriad lives and myriad sensations, a complex multiform creature that bore within itself strange legacies of thought and passion, and whose very flesh was tainted with the monstrous maladies of the dead” (Wilde 150). Oscar Wilde is able to create a fictional world that explores many controversial issues present in real life. Wilde uses the development of his characters to discuss his opinions on several different matters relating to beauty, mortality, and the supernatural.

The intriguing literary masterpiece The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, portrays the story of a ravishing young Englishman who exchanges his soul and discards his innocence for the desperate gift of eternal youth and beauty. The author develops the theme that there are negative consequences to being influenced by others and that naivety can eventually lead to one's downfall and corruption. The ones closest to Dorian Gray ultimately influenced change in his personality and behaviour, which leads to his downfall. The theme is shown significantly through the characterization of the gorgeous actress Sibyl Vane, whom Dorian mistakenly believed he was in love with greatly. He convinced himself that he truly loved her, only to prove in the end, that his love was shallow, and he tactlessly broke her heart when he was no longer impressed with her acting skills.

A critic points this out, “Dorian’s portrait confers visibility upon an internal corruption that otherwise escapes sensory apprehension” (Craft 114). The only way Dorian can see the decimation of his morality is through the portrait, so that is why he continually goes to gaze upon it. Although the upper-class in London have noticed an evil change in Dorian, “I think it right that you should know that the most dreadful things are being said against you in London” (Wilde 153), he is still a prominent member in society because of his beauty and youth.

This becomes starkly contrasted with his ageing portrait at the end of the novel, the eyes described as having: ‘a look of cunning’ (Ch. 20.221.) While Dorian’s soul blackens he becomes more like a monster, his monstrous qualities lying internally. Thus the novel presents there can be an obscure truth lying beneath, something which the Aesthetic movement denied, only seeing art for its external appearance and not the iconology beneath. Wilde demonstrates the conflict between aesthetics and ethics in exploring how beauty can be powerful to the extent which it can be corruptive. Similar to Frankenstein’s monster, Dorian has creator’s.

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray has several major preoccupations which are integral in understanding the depths in which it goes in formulating its central message. The novel presents itself almost as an essay, with a preface concluding with the statement “All art is quite useless” (Wilde 4). From this preface, to its conclusion, it deals with the role of art as catharsis for the artist; however, not only as a release of emotion, but also as a “closet” for the artist’s innermost desires. The novel literally expresses this through its first lines, “The artist is the creator of beautiful things / to reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim” (Wilde 3). Thus, art acts as a vehicle to conceal that which the person truly yearns and

The soul attached to his painting is what makes the portrait degrade due to his selfishness and desires. Moreover, the power of appearance connects to the real world as people in this age are obsessed with the aesthetics of physical traits. People are influenced to look a certain way by their society in order to fit in. Relating to Dorian Gray, he’s wanting to preserve the social standards of what everyone thinks of him, such as his beauty and his wealth. His actions being seen as both good and bad show that it’s significant to the theme since he’s affected by how society views him.

Obsession in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde’s development and use of a metaphoric painting allow multiple characters to interact with various principles of the aesthetic movement. First, I will evaluate Dorian Gray’s obsession with his portrait and its supernatural tendencies. Then, I will examine Dorian Grey’s mild obsession with Lord Henry’s aesthetic

After countless hours of meticulously replicating the handsome man on the pedestal with delicate brushstrokes, Basil Hallward completes yet another exceptional portrait. Dorian Gray’s first glance at the masterpiece leaves him vacant and speechless. The disheartened painter interprets this silence to be disappointment, but in actuality, Dorian’s mind is flourishing with sinister thoughts of envy and detestation toward the everlasting youth the painting possesses. As the

Beauty and youth is a very fickle topic to most. It is highly desired and some go through somewhat unconventional means to achieve their version of beauty. But how far would one be willing to go? Even if one were to preserve their beauty for an extended period, how far would one be willing to go to prevent others from finding out their true selves? This is what Dorian Gray faces in “The Portrait of Dorian Gray.” Before seeing his portrait, Dorian was a young, pure, and beautiful boy who was very modest and would brush off the many compliments he received. But after taking in his beauty and realizing the fragility of it, he goes in a crazy rage, and wishes that the painting would be the one to grow old and ugly instead of him. His wish is granted and he is horrified as he watches himself decay through the painting. This causes a drastic change in his character and morals as he develops from an innocent boy into a sinful and wretched man.

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

Dorian Gray's life is dictated by his physical appeal. His beauty lies within his youth. Dorian's perception of beauty allows him to love. He is

Media demonstrates certain beauty standards that women are expected to meet, similar to Dorian Gray’s obsession with youth and beauty to conform to society’s ideals. Dorian Gray idealizes Lord Henry, therefore he is influenced by Lord Henry’s view on his passion for youth. Henry exemplifies that, “ for youth [he] would do anything