the picture of dorian gray conclusion essay

A Summary and Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s one novel, published originally in 1890 (as a serial) and then in book form the following year. The novel is at once an example of late Victorian Gothic horror and , in some ways, the greatest English-language novel about decadence and aestheticism, or ‘art for art’s sake’.

To show how these themes and movements find their way into the novel, it’s necessary to offer some words of analysis. But before we analyse The Picture of Dorian Gray , it might be worth summarising the plot of the novel.

The Picture of Dorian Gray : summary

The three main characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray are the title character (a beautiful young man), Basil Hallward (a painter), and Lord Henry Wotton (Basil Hallward’s friend).

The novel opens with Basil painting Dorian Gray’s portrait. Lord Henry Wotton takes a shine to the young man, and advises him to be constantly in search of new ‘sensations’ in life. He encourages Dorian to drink deep of life’s pleasures.

When the picture of Dorian is finished, Dorian marvels at how young and beautiful he looks, before wishing that he could always remain as young and attractive while his portrait is the one that ages and decays, rather than the other way around. When he proclaims that he would give his soul to have such a wish granted, it’s as if he has made a pact with the devil.

Basil’s finished portrait is sent to Dorian’s house, while Dorian himself goes out and follows Lord Henry’s advice. He falls head over heels in love with an actress, Sibyl Vane, but when she loses her ability to act well – because, she claims, now she has fallen in love for real she cannot imitate it on the stage – Dorian cruelly discards her. He had fallen in love with her art as an actress, and now she has lost that, she is meaningless to him.

Sibyl takes her own life before Dorian – who has observed a change in his portrait, which looks to have a slightly meaner expression than before – can apologise to her and beg her forgiveness. But Lord Henry consoles Dorian, arguing that Sibyl, in dying young, has given her last beautiful performance.

Dorian, shocked by the change in the portrait, locks it away at the top of his house, in his old schoolroom. Inspired by an immoral ‘yellow book’ which Lord Henry gives to him, Dorian continues to experience all manner of ‘sensations’, no matter how immoral they are. When he next takes a look at the portrait in his attic, he finds an old and evil face, disfigured by sin, staring out at him.

The novel moves forward some thirteen years. Dorian, of course, is still young and fresh-faced, but his portrait looks meaner and older than ever. When Dorian shows the portrait to Basil, who painted it, the artist – who had worshipped Dorian’s beauty when he painted the picture – is shocked and appalled. Dorian stabs Basil to death, before enlisting the help of someone to dispose of the body (this man, horrified by what he has done, will later take his own life).

Dorian slides further into sin and evil, until one day, the brother of the dead actress, Sibyl Vane, bumps into Dorian Gray and intends to exact revenge for his sister’s mistreatment at the hands of Dorian. But when he follows Dorian to the latter’s country estate, he is accidentally shot by one of Dorian’s shooting party.

Dorian becomes intent on reforming his character, hoping that the portrait will start to improve if he behaves better. But when he goes up to look at the painting, he finds that it shows the face of a hypocrite, because even his abstinence from vice was, in its own way, a quest for a new sensation to experience.

Horrified and angered, Dorian plunges a knife into the canvas, but when the servants walk in on him, they find the portrait as it was originally painted, showing Dorian Gray as a youthful man. Meanwhile, on the floor, there is the body of a wrinkled old man with a ‘loathsome’ face.

The Picture of Dorian Gray : analysis

The Picture of Dorian Gray has been analysed as an example of the Gothic horror novel, as a variation on the theme of the ‘double’, and as a narrative embodying some of the key aspects of late nineteenth-century aestheticism and decadence.

Wilde’s skill lies in how he manages to weave these various elements together, creating a modern take on the old Faust story (the German figure Faust sold his soul to the devil, via Mephistopheles) which also, in its depictions of late Victorian sin and vice, may remind readers of another work of fiction published just four years earlier: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (which we’ve analysed here ).

Indeed, the discovery of the body of Dorian Gray as a wrinkled and horrifically ugly corpse at the end of the novel recalls the discovery of Jekyll/Hyde in Stevenson’s novella.

To find the novel’s value as a book of the aesthetic movement, we need look no further than Wilde’s preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray , in which he states, for instance, that ‘there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book’ (what matters is whether the book is written well or not) and ‘all art is quite useless’ (art shouldn’t change the world: art exists as, and for, itself, and no more).

Lord Henry Wotton is very much the voice of the aesthetic movement in the novel, and many of his pronouncements echo those made by the prominent art critic (under whom Wilde had studied at Oxford), Walter Pater. But whereas Pater talked of ‘new impressions’, Lord Henry (or Wilde, in his novel) took this up a notch, calling for new ‘sensations’.

We tend to speak conveniently of ‘periods’ or ‘movements’ or ‘eras’ in literary history, but these labels aren’t always useful. Both Oscar Wilde and Elizabeth Gaskell, the author of Mary Barton and North and South , were ‘Victorian’ in that they were both writing and publishing their work in Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

But whereas Gaskell, writing in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s, wrote ‘realist’ novels about the plight of factory workers in northern England, Wilde wrote a fantastical horror story about upper-class men who are able to stay forever young and spotless while their portraits decay in their attic. They’re a world away from each other.

Wilde’s novel is a good example of how later Victorian fiction often turned against the values and approaches favourited by earlier Victorian writers. It was Wilde who, famously, said of the sad ending of Dickens’s The Old Curiosity Shop , which Dickens’s original readers in the 1840s wept buckets over, ‘one must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without’ – what, crying?

No. Wilde’s word was ‘laughing’. The overly sentimental style favoured by mid-century novelists like Dickens had given way to a more casual, poised, nonchalant, and detached mode of storytelling.

At the same time, we can overstate the extent to which Wilde’s novel turns its back on earlier Victorian attitudes and values. Despite his statement that there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a highly moral work, as the tale of Faust was. Dorian’s life is destroyed by his commitment to a life of pleasure, even though it entails the destruction of other lives – most notably, Sibyl Vane’s.

Far from being a book that would be denounced from the pulpits by Anglican clergymen for being ‘immoral’, The Picture of Dorian Gray could make for a pretty good moral sermon in itself, albeit one that’s more witty and entertaining than most Christian sermons.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is, at bottom, a novel of surfaces and appearance. We say ‘at bottom’, but that is precisely the point: the novel is, as many critics have commented, all surface. Lord Henry is so taken by the beauty of Dorian Gray that he sets about being a bad influence on him.

Dorian is so taken by the painting of him – a two-dimensional representation of his outward appearance – that he makes his deal with the devil, trading his soul, that thing which represents inner meaning and inner depth, in exchange for remaining youthful on the outside.

Then, when Dorian falls in love, it’s with an actress, not because he loves her but because he loves her performance. When she loses her ability to act, he abandons her. Her name, Sibyl Vane, points up the vanity of acting and the pursuit of skin-deep appearance at the cost if something more substantial, but her first name also acts as a warning: in Greek mythology, the Sibyls made cryptic statements about future events.

But there’s probably a particular Sibyl that Wilde had in mind: the Sibyl at Cumae, who, in Petronius’ scurrilous Roman novel Satyricon (which Wilde would surely have known) and in other stories, was destined to live forever but to age and wither away. She had eternal life, but not eternal youth. Dorian’s own eternal youth comes at a horrible cost: without a soul, all he can do is go in pursuit of new sensations, forever chasing desire yet never attaining true fulfilment.

It will, in the end, destroy him: in lashing out and trying to destroy the truth that stares back at him from his portrait, much as he had destroyed the artist who held up a mirror to his corrupt self, Dorian Gray destroys himself. In the last analysis, as he and his portrait do not exist separately from each other, he must live with himself – and with his conscience – or must die in his vain attempt to close his eyes to who he has really become.

About Oscar Wilde

The life of the Irish novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is as famous as – perhaps even more famous than – his work. But in a career spanning some twenty years, Wilde created a body of work which continues to be read an enjoyed by people around the world: a novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray ; short stories and fairy tales such as ‘ The Happy Prince ’ and ‘ The Selfish Giant ’; poems including The Ballad of Reading Gaol ; and essay-dialogues which were witty revivals of the Platonic philosophical dialogue.

But above all, it is Wilde’s plays that he continues to be known for, and these include witty drawing-room comedies such as Lady Windermere’s Fan , A Woman of No Importance , and The Importance of Being Earnest , as well as a Biblical drama, Salome (which was banned from performance in the UK and had to be staged abroad). Wilde is also often remembered for his witty quips and paradoxes and his conversational one-liners, which are legion.

5 thoughts on “A Summary and Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray”

‘Genius lasts longer than beauty’ – a very appropriate quote from Chapter 1

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The “yellow book”, referred to is probably Huysmans’s A Rebours, which was sold in a yellow jacket. It is not the Yellow Book quarterly (a publication featuring poetry, prose and illustrations from followers of the Aesthetic movement), which came later, and which probably took its title from the reference in Wilde’s novel.

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar wilde, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Introduction

The picture of dorian gray: plot summary, the picture of dorian gray: detailed summary & analysis, the picture of dorian gray: themes, the picture of dorian gray: quotes, the picture of dorian gray: characters, the picture of dorian gray: symbols, the picture of dorian gray: literary devices, the picture of dorian gray: quizzes, the picture of dorian gray: theme wheel, brief biography of oscar wilde.

Historical Context of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Other books related to the picture of dorian gray.

• Full Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
• When Written: Some time between 1889, when the story was commissioned, and 1890
• Where Written: London
• When Published: It was initially published in a magazine called Lippincott’s Monthly in July of 1890.
• Literary Period: Aestheticism
• Genre: Aestheticism, Philosophical Fiction, Gothic Fiction
• Setting: London
• Climax: Dorian becomes so tormented by the portrait that he stabs it with a knife, but when the scene is discovered, it is Dorian himself who lies dead on the floor.
• Antagonist: Dorian and the other characters are surrounded by antagonistic influences, which seem to be a part of day to day life in the high society of London. These influences, fashion, classism, obsessions with aesthetics and reputation are embodied by Lord Henry Wotton, making the man and his ideas seem like the main antagonist of the book.
• Point of View: An omniscient narrator; this narrator guides us in the past tense between one place and another, able to show us the interior workings of the main characters

Extra Credit for The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray Syndrome. Dorian Gray’s name still haunts popular culture but it also has a more serious legacy. Dorian Gray Syndrome is now a common term to describe a cluster of narcissistic qualities. It often refers to severe mental illness and can be diagnosed from symptoms reminiscent of Dorian’s in the novel.

The real Dorian? It has been suggested that the inspiration for Dorian Gray was a man called John Gray, who, though very handsome and a good poet, was dropped by Wilde in favor of his new love Lord Alfred Douglas. He apparently signed his love letters “Dorian”, after an ancient tribe called “The Dorians”.

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The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This famous line clearly explains the varying perspectives that people have when it comes to the idea of beauty. Beauty is subjective as an individual might believe that something or someone is beautiful while another person might have the exact opposite...

2 178 words

Science is neither good nor evil, but in how your use it is what is evil or good. The authors of Br. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Picture of Dorian Gray, Frankenstein show how mankind is evil. The works show how abusing the law of nature and society lead to the destruction of mankind. Science is a toll...

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of moral corruption by the means of aestheticism. In the novel, the well meaning artist Basil Hallward presets young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. After conversing with...

1 410 words

The picture of Dorian Gray is a morality tale since the entire story revolves around the degradation of Dorian's soul, which is reflected by his portrait. As Dorian stepped closer to immorality and corruption, the portrait changed in appearance which eventually gave form to a hideous...

Throughout the nineteenth century setting of London a recurring theme of hedonism and thorough admiration for beauty and individualism reflect Dorian’s inner motives as well as his long sought self purpose. In this sense the most significant moral of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is...

“Aestheticism, Homoeroticism, and Christian Guilt in The Picture of Dorian Gray” James Carroll introduces the article with a definition on literary criticism. He focuses on Darwinian criticism and the aspects the set it apart from other literary criticisms. Darwinian criticism examines behaviors...

diction The diction of this book, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is very formal. Words he uses throughout the novel like, “upon” and “Desire” show that formality. The formality of the words makes the novel seem serious The language through is very strong, Wilde uses many harsh sounding...

1 261 words

Amanda Boyd The Picture of Dorian Gray A key mistake established by the main characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray, is that their focus is always set on one another’s outer beauty rather than their moral backbone. In Oscar Wilde’s time era the society that he lived in was significantly...

The picture of Dorian Gray This famous portrait is the only novel written by the author Oscar Wilde, who otherwise wrote poetry, plays and short stories. It first published in 1890, but since Wilde’s work became much criticized for its homoerotic parts and its lack of moral message, he had to...

Table of contents: Introduction Basil Hallward Dorian Gray Lord Henry Conclusion References I will try to answer these questions as carefully as I can. Oscar Wilde, the author said himself that all the main characters had something that he, himself had. Basil Hallward. Basil Hallward represents...

Setting: The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by, Oscar Wilde is set in London England in the nineteenth century; the setting is credible for many reasons first of all because the setting is not based in a fictional place but a real world place (London England). The setting is also credible...

English Essay Oscar Wilde’s novel is an extended metaphor that reinforces his idea that ‘There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book’. In The Picture Of Dorian Gray his view is very contradictory. His theory is reinforced through the changes in Dorian’s personality, the ‘yellow book’ A...

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Henry James' The Turn Of the Screw are key examples of the way in which gothic texts use and adapt the conventions of the genre. These changes occur due to the author's own personal context and values. The inexorable link between text, context and...

4 182 words

Compare and contrast the styles (including word choices, syntax, and distinctive metaphors or patterns of imagery) to two of the following texts: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”. What purposes do these different styles serve? You should ground your...

The Picture of Dorian Gray Vocabulary List 1 (Q2) Precis (noun): Make summary of. "I know she goes in for giving a rapid precis of all her guests. " (Pg. 14) Ravelled (verb): To tangle or entangle. ""How horribly unjust of you! " cried Lord Henry, tilting his hat back and looking up at the little...

University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi English Literature Home Assignment The NATURE of LOVE between DORIAN GRAY and SYBIL VANE Nguyen Thu Trang trangthu. nguyen92@gmail. com This essay argues that Oscar Wilde’s novel. The picture of Dorian Gray is a charming novel which has...

ure Khadijah Wiley Boswell British Literature 12-5-10 The Picture of Dorian Gray Social classes are very evident in The Picture of Dorian Gray; they are represented through some of the main characters. The goal of this analysis is to identify the factors, which influence people’s ideals about...

Religion throughout history has been a dominating social factor, and in Britain during the nineteenth century, this same religious domination can be seen. The Victorian era was marked by the Church of England, which developed such an influence in politics as well as religion that it became...

“The picture of Dorian Gray” I want to tell you about the famous novel “The picture of Dorian Gray” which was written by Oscar Wilde. “The picture of Dorian Gray” is the only published novel of this writer. Some words about Oscar Wilde. He was born on the 16 of October in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland...

1 376 words

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Plot Overview In the stately London home of his aunt, Lady Brandon, the well-known artist Basil Hallward meets Dorian Gray. Dorian is a cultured, wealthy, and impossibly beautiful young man who immediately captures Basil’s artistic imagination. Dorian sits for several...

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By oscar wilde, the picture of dorian gray essay questions.

In the preface, Wilde claims that there is "no such thing as a moral or an immoral book," and that an "ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style." Yet Dorian's eventual ruin suggests a strong moral warning against the protagonist's vanity and selfishness. Is Wilde breaking his own rules and exhibiting "an unpardonable mannerism of style"? Or is the book meant to be read amorally?

Lord Henry and Dorian claim to be artists in the way they live their lives. Is this true, based on Wilde's definition of the artist, as expressed in the preface? Is this true based on your own definition?

Time moves linearly in The Picture of Dorian Gray , but not in even increments. Discuss the passage of time in the novel and how it influences our impression of characters and events. Be sure to touch on the glossing-over of 18 years in chapter 11.

When Basil confronts Dorian about the fact that he has allegedly corrupted many people, Dorian defends himself by saying that "Each of us has Heaven and Hell in him." Is Dorian responsible for the ruined lives of his friends? Is Lord Henry responsible for the ruined life of Dorian?

Dorian is outwardly young and charming, and inwardly old and corrupt. He is decidedly inconsistent in his social interactions and intellectal interests, while extremely consistent in appearance. Discuss the theme of duplicity throughout the novel.

In chapter 11, we encounter a peculiar first-person interjection from the narrator: "Is insincerity such a terrible thing? I think not." Does this voice, or this argument, remind you of any of the characters in the novel? Discuss Wilde's narrative voice in three or four instances. How does it relate to the different characters, does it seem to espouse similar views, or to sympathize with certain people more than others? Are we expected to trust the narrator on every occasion? What does this tell us about how the story is told?

At the time of its publication, The Picture of Dorian Gray sparked countless debates about the role of morality in art. What is your contribution to this debate? Do artists have the responsibility to convey good morals to their audience?

In 1895, the critic Ernest Newman, in a discussion of Wilde's contribution to literary thought, celebrated the author's use of paradoxes, saying that "a paradox is a truth seen round a corner" (Drew xxv). Countless paradoxes appear in The Picture of Dorian Gray , most often in the words of Lord Henry Wotton. Identify and discuss several paradoxes in the novel.

Traditionally, faustian tales contain explicit depictions of the protagonist's pact with the devil, giving a clearly defined source for his later woes. But the closest Wilde comes to identifying the reason for the portrait's metaphyisical powers is in chapter 8, when Dorian wonders if there is somehow "some subtle affinity between the chemical atoms, that shaped themselves into form and colour on the canvas, and the soul that was within." Wilde seems content to leave the actual mechanism by which the portrait ages and withers instead of Dorian completely unexplained. How does this affect our overall impression of the novel? How would the work be different if it included, for instance, a scene in which Mephistofoles appears and has Dorian sign a contract?

The Picture of Dorian Gray Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Picture of Dorian Gray is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why is James worried about his sister's suitor?

James is very jealous, protective of his sister, and suspicious of the situation, since Sibyl doesn't even seem to know her suitor's name.

picture of dorian gray

I think that Basil knows what Henry is capable. He doesn't want Henry's influence to turn Dorian from good to evil.

List all the sensory experiences mentioned in the first two paragraphs.

From the text:

The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses , and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac , or the more delicate perfume of the...

Study Guide for The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray study guide contains a biography of Oscar Wilde, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

• Morality and Immorality (The Picture of Dorian Gray and A Streetcar Named Desire)
• The Life of Secrecy
• Break On Through To the Other Side
• The Art of Immorality: Character Fate and Morality in Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray
• The Unconscious Image of the Conscious Mind

Lesson Plan for The Picture of Dorian Gray

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Picture of Dorian Gray Bibliography

E-Text of The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray e-text contains the full text of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

• Chapters 1-4
• Chapters 5-8
• Chapters 9-12
• Chapters 13-16

Wikipedia Entries for The Picture of Dorian Gray

• Introduction
• Publication and versions

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Picture of Dorian Gray — A Theme Of Beauty And Appearance In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

A Theme of Beauty and Appearance in The Picture of Dorian Gray

• Categories: Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray

About this sample

Words: 1031 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 1031 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Bristow, J. (2016). Oscar Wilde and the art of dying. In S. Nash (Ed.), Palgrave Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture (pp. 161-182). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Ellmann, R. (1988). Oscar Wilde. Vintage.
• Freeman, N. (2009). Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In B. K. Reynolds (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde (pp. 45-59). Cambridge University Press.
• Gillespie, M. (2011). Oscar Wilde and the creation of beauty. In M. T. Alkana & J. Bryant (Eds.), Oscar Wilde as a Character in Victorian Fiction (pp. 11-24). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Helford, E. R. (2016). Oscar Wilde: The importance of being Irish. Routledge.
• Lahr, J. (2018). The Picture of Dorian Gray: An annotated, uncensored edition. Harvard University Press.
• Lysaght, C. (2018). ‘The portrait and the artist’: Self-fashioning in The Picture of Dorian Gray. In M. K. Cornish, J. P. McCormack, & C. O'Sullivan (Eds.), Irish Literatures in Transition: A Companion (pp. 140-156). Cambridge University Press.
• Raby, P. (2012). The Cambridge companion to Oscar Wilde. Cambridge University Press.
• Raby, P. (2016). Wilde's "black novel": The picture of Dorian Gray. The Wildean, 48, 4-28.
• Wilde, O. (1890). The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ward, Lock, and Co.

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77 The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best the picture of dorian gray topic ideas & essay examples, 🥇 most interesting the picture of dorian gray topics to write about, 📌 simple & easy the picture of dorian gray essay titles, ❓ dorian gray essay questions.

• Relationships Between Dorian Gray, Lord Henry, and Basil Hallward The relationships between Dorian Gray, Lord Henry, and Basil Hallward are all different yet interesting to analyze. The Picture of Dorian Gray explores topics of male friendship and feelings.
• Dorian Gray and His Downfall Since Basil is the one to introduce the audience to Dorian by describing him in detail, it is only natural to start the assessment of Dorian’s relationships with other characters wit. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Dorian Gray’s and Oscar Wilde’s Connection He completes the portrait of Dorian as he is, and he introduces Gray to Lord Henry, who is a friend of his that he thinks is not morally upright.
• Youth and Beauty in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray It is in the bounds of the story where the great saying, “the most beautiful flower is the rarest,” is witnessed.
• Immorality in “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde The issue of immortality as portrayed in the novel ‘The Portrait of Dorian Gray’ is one of the main themes, which the novel unveils throughout its plot.
• “The Picture of Dorian Gray”: The Question of Love in the Novel It turns out that the only pure love Dorian experiences is love to art, not to a woman. Dorian is deprived of the ability to love a woman.
• Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Gray”: The Problem of Deep-Rooted Evil At the outset, Dorian is the model of perfection of male youth and handsomeness. Dorian is totally taken in by Wotton’s glib flattery along with his fascinating theories, and begins developing a paranoia about youth, […]
• Aesthetics in Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” The story, as a monument to aestheticism, however, is supportive of the idea of individuality and shows not the Victorian disciplining of evil, but the aesthetic punishment of likelihood.
• Characters in Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” Wilde uses the character of Dorian as a symbol of his ideas regarding the interaction of art and ethics. In it, assertions are made as to the inability of moral judgments to be made on […]
• LGBT Literature: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” The chosen book is Oscar Wilde’s 1891 classic: The Picture of Dorian Gray; a story carefully fashioned to affirm the tilt youths have toward beauty, and the extent most could go to retain that unique […]
• “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde: Dorian’s Life Philosophy and Double Life Answering the question why Dorian Gray was motivated to adopt his life philosophy and to lead a double life it is possible to look at the facts.
• Why Picture of Dorian Gray Is in the Canon? In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is a handsome man and wants to maintain that image. People do respect and value life in the novelThe Picture of Dorian Gray.
• The Importance of Being Bored: The Dividends of Ennui in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
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Corruption In Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde that tells the story of a young man, Dorian Gray, who becomes corrupted by his own vanity. The novel explores the themes of morality, corruption, and art. The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 and has been adapted into various forms of media, including film and stage.

The novel has been controversial since its publication due to its explicit content and because it promotes a lifestyle that many people find objectionable. However, it remains one of Wilde’s most popular works and continues to be studied by scholars and students today. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic example of a novel that explores the dark side of human nature. The story’s protagonist, Dorian Gray, is a young man who is consumed by his own vanity.

He believes that his good looks will last forever and that he can never grow old or die. As a result, he leads a life of decadence and luxury, indulging in all sorts of vices without consequences. The only thing that remains unchanged throughout Dorian’s life is a portrait of himself that he keeps hidden away. The portrait gradually becomes more and more corrupted as Dorian’s soul grows blacker.

The novel culminates with Dorian realizing the true extent of his corruption and the destruction that it has wrought on his life. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a cautionary tale about the dangers of vanity and the corrupting influence of power. It is also a unique and timeless work of literature that continues to be relevant today.

According to the nurture theory of human behavior’s development, a child is born without any understanding of how to interpret things and has no experience. The youngster is innocent and pure. It leans on others for direction and trusts them to show it the way.

When a kid is delivered, most are greeted by attentive nurses, doctors, and parents who care for them. The first encounter between this kid and these other people has an impact on him or her. Their parents and classmates have an influence on their personalities, as well as who they become over time.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tells the story of corruption. The novel is a study of the power that corrupt influences have not just on individuals, but also on society as a whole.

Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man who lives a life of luxury. He has everything he could ever want and more. However, what he doesn’t realize is that all of his possessions come at a cost. As he indulges in his pleasures, he gradually becomes more and more corrupt. The novel addresses the idea that when someone has everything they could ever want, they become bored and start to look for new ways to entertain themselves. This often leads to them engaging in activities that are harmful to both themselves and those around them.

One of the things that makes The Picture of Dorian Gray so interesting is the way it addresses the issue of corruption. It doesn’t just focus on how someone can be corrupted, but also on how that corruption can spread to those around them. The novel shows how a corrupt individual can influence those around them and ultimately lead to the downfall of society as a whole.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an important work not just because it is a well-written story, but also because it highlights a very real issue that is still relevant today. Corruption is something that can start small, but if left unchecked, can quickly spiral out of control. The novel is a cautionary tale about the dangers of corruption and the need for people to be aware of its dangers.

While The Picture of Dorian Gray is a work of fiction, it contains many elements that are based in reality. The issue of corruption is something that is all too real and it is something that people need to be aware of. The novel highlights the importance of maintaining a sense of morality and being aware of the corrupting influence that those around us can have. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a timeless work that is still relevant today. It is a story that everyone should read and learn from.

In the United States, cannabis possession is a misdemeanor in some states and a felony in others. In other places, it’s not considered as harmful as alcohol or tobacco. However, there are severe penalties for those who break the law: jail time or fines.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the corruption and consequences are represented by Lord Henry Wotton’s influence on Dorian Gray as well as his painting. Wilde emphasizes Dorian’s attractiveness and youth to imply his incorruptibility. Throughout the book, Dorian is characterized as attractive, good-looking, and beautiful.

The Dorian Gray we are first introduced to is an innocent, naïve young man who knows very little about the world. However, as the novel progresses and Dorian becomes more corrupt, his physical appearance changes to match his inner ugliness. The once beautiful and handsome youth is transformed into a hideous creature. The portrait of Dorian Gray becomes an accurate representation of his soul, which has become corrupted by evil.

The physical changes that take place in the portrait show the progression of corruption in Dorian’s soul. The picture reflects every sinful deed that he commits, and as a result, it becomes increasingly ugly. Wilde uses the contrast between Dorian’s actual physical appearance and the appearance of his portrait to demonstrate the power of corruption. The portrait serves as a representation of Dorian’s true self, which has been corrupted by evil.

While Lord Henry does not necessarily corrupt Dorian directly, his words and actions have a profound influence on the young man. Lord Henry is a hedonist who lives for pleasure and believes that one should pursue any desire in order to achieve happiness. He encourages Dorian to live life to the fullest and to never let anything stand in his way. In other words, he teaches Dorian to be selfish. As a result of Lord Henry’s influence, Dorian becomes obsessed with pleasure and pursues it relentlessly. He becomes careless and reckless, leading to his eventual downfall.

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‘Sunset Boulevard,’ Heading to Broadway, Wins Big at Olivier Awards

The musical, which stars Nicole Scherzinger, won seven awards at Britain’s version of the Tonys. And Sarah Snook won best actress for “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

By Alex Marshall

A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, the long forgotten silent movie star who descends into madness, was the big winner at this year’s Olivier Awards, Britain’s equivalent of the Tonys.

The musical, which will open at the St. James Theater on Broadway this fall , was honored Sunday during a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London with seven awards, including best musical revival, best actress in a musical for Scherzinger, best actor in a musical for Tom Francis, as the screenwriter who falls for Desmond’s charms, and best director for Jamie Lloyd.

The number of awards was hardly a surprise. After the musical opened last fall, critics praised Lloyd’s stark production, especially highlighting its contemporary twists that included using cameras to zoom in on characters’ faces, then beam their emotions onto a screen at the back of the stage.

Matt Wolf, writing in The New York Times , said that Lloyd’s production belonged firmly “to the here and now.” With this show, the director “takes an established musical by the scruff of the neck and sends it careering into the modern day,” Wolf added.

Sarah Hemming, in The Financial Times , was among the critics to praise Scherzinger’s magnetic performance. “She’s not afraid to look scary or ridiculous,” Hemming said, “but there’s also a strung-out vulnerability about her. And when she sings, she pins you to your seat with the harrowing intensity of her delivery.”

“Sunset Boulevard” beat several other acclaimed productions to the best musical revival award, including “Guys & Dolls” at the Bridge Theater and “Hadestown” at the Lyric Theater.

A host of musicals and plays shared the night’s other major prizes. “ Operation Mincemeat ,” a word-of-mouth hit about a bizarre World War II counterintelligence plot that is running at the Fortune Theater, won best new musical. While “ Stranger Things: The First Shadow ,” a prequel to the Netflix show, now at the Phoenix Theater, was chosen as best new entertainment or comedy play.

The best new play award went to James Graham’s “ Dear England ,” about the English national soccer team, which transferred to the West End from the National Theater.

In the hotly contested acting categories, Sarah Snook (“Succession”) was named best actress for “ The Picture of Dorian Gray ,” a solo show running through May 11 at the Theater Royal Haymarket. Snook plays all 26 roles, often interacting with recorded projections of her characters.

Before Sunday’s ceremony, some critics had expected the best actor award to go to Andrew Scott for a similarly dazzling solo performance: a one-man “ Vanya ” at the Duke of York’s Theater. In the end, the prize went to Mark Gatiss for his role as the revered actor and director John Gielgud in “ The Motive and the Cue ,” a play by Jack Thorne that dramatizes the fraught backstage relationship between Gielgud and Richard Burton as they worked on a Broadway show. Like “ Dear England ,” that play ran at the National Theater before transferring to the West End.

Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London. More about Alex Marshall

Arts and Culture Across Europe

A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” starring Nicole Scherzinger as Norma Desmond, the long forgotten silent movie star who descends into madness, was the big winner at this year’s Olivier Awards .

New productions of “Macbeth” and “Hamlet” in Paris follow a French tradition of adapting familiar works . The results are innovative, and sometimes cryptic.

The internet latched on to 16-year-old Felicia Dawkins’ performance as The Unknown at a shambolic Willy Wonka-inspired event . Now she’s heading to a bigger and scarier stage in London.

When activists urged Tate Britain in London to take an offensive artwork off its walls, the institution commissioned Keith Piper  to create a response instead. The result recently went on display.

The new National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam has been in the works for almost 20 years. It is the first institution to tell the full story  of the persecution of Dutch Jews during World War II.

At a retrospective of John Singer Sargent’s portraits in London, where the American expatriate fled after creating a scandal in Paris, clothes offer both armor and self-expression .