The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray kills Basil in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" because Basil has seen the grotesque transformation of Dorian's portrait, a visual manifestation of his moral decay. Fearing exposure of his...

Examples of epigrams in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" include: "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it," and "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and...

Dorian Gray's parents both died tragically. His mother, Margaret Devereux, eloped with a man who was soon killed in a duel arranged by her father, Lord Kelso. Margaret died within a year, leaving...

As The Picture of Dorian Gray opens, Basil describes the beautiful Dorian as his artistic muse, a person who is changing the way he sees the world. After Dorian sells his soul to the devil, the...

Lord Henry and Basil have contrasting relationships with Dorian Gray. Basil, a humble painter, is genuinely devoted to Dorian, seeking to protect and preserve him, and often offers moral guidance. In...

Hetty Merton signifies Dorian's hope for redemption in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian believes that by loving Hetty purely, he can undo the moral corruption reflected in his portrait. However,...

Lord Henry Wotton serves as a catalyst in The Picture of Dorian Gray by influencing Dorian's descent into moral corruption. His charismatic yet hypocritical nature allows him to preach hedonism and...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde employs a range of language features and literary devices such as vivid imagery, symbolism, and irony. The portrait symbolizes Dorian's inner corruption,...

The internal conflict in The Picture of Dorian Gray is Dorian's desire for eternal youth, which clashes with the inevitability of aging and moral decay. Externally, he battles the consequences of his...

Basil's statement about putting too much of himself into the painting in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" reflects his deep emotional connection and personal investment in the artwork. He implies that...

Wilde's statement about music is typical of the nineteenth-century attitude that identifies music as having a special quality raising it above the other arts. Even if Wilde was not directly...

Examples of duality in The Picture of Dorian Gray include the contrast between illusion and reality, beauty and ugliness, and youth and age. Dorian's youthful appearance contrasts with his corrupt...

The theme of manipulation in The Picture of Dorian Gray is central, with Lord Henry as the primary manipulator, using Dorian Gray as his experiment in "new Hedonism." Lord Henry's influence...

Wilde uses "sins" in The Picture of Dorian Gray to critique all forbidden desires, not just sexual misconduct, reflecting Victorian norms without the modern term "heterosexist." Wilde's critique is...

Basil Hallward did not want to exhibit Dorian Gray's portrait because he felt he had put too much of himself into it, revealing his own soul and personality. He believed the portrait was too personal...

Paradox in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is central to Lord Henry Wotton's character, who uses it to express Oscar Wilde's artistic views and influence Dorian. Wotton's paradoxes, especially on...

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde incorporates Gothic elements like a Faustian bargain, supernatural events, and a hidden portrait reflecting Dorian's corrupted soul. The novel's themes...

In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," the portrait undergoes magical changes, reflecting Dorian Gray's moral degeneration while he remains outwardly youthful. Each of Dorian's sinful acts and moral...

Dorian Gray is an antihero because he embodies qualities contrary to traditional heroism. While he appears young, handsome, and vibrant, his actions are far from heroic, involving murder, influencing...

The changes in the portrait in The Picture of Dorian Gray are real. The painting ages and becomes hideous as Dorian Gray remains outwardly youthful, reflecting his inner corruption. This supernatural...

The setting in The Picture of Dorian Gray reflects Dorian's mental deterioration through the contrast between his opulent lifestyle and the increasingly sinister and decayed environments he...

The narrator in The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered reliable because the novel employs an omniscient narrator. This type of narrator possesses a "God-like" perspective, with access to the...

Dorian Gray is considered a "dandy" due to his excessive preoccupation with appearance, fashion, and social status, typical of the Victorian Era's definition of the term. He is primarily concerned...

Dorian's quote is saying that a person has the ability to choose to do good or bad and that person can choose which one they will take throughout their life.

Basil Hallward represents both art and morality, and his character is ironic in that he is both the artist who creates Dorian's beautiful portrait, but he himself becomes the victim of Dorian's fatal...

The Faustian theme in The Picture of Dorian Gray is evident through Dorian's supernatural bargain for eternal youth, paralleling Faust's soul trade for knowledge and power. Like Faust, Dorian's...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde employs rhetorical strategies such as irony, paradox, and epigrams. Irony is used to highlight the contrast between appearance and reality, while paradoxes...

Dorian Gray arranges for the disposal of Basil Hallward's corpse by blackmailing his former friend, Alan Campbell, to use his scientific knowledge to destroy the body. In Chapter Fourteen, Dorian...

Significant locations in The Picture of Dorian Gray include Basil's studio, which symbolizes Dorian's initial innocence and the start of his corruption by Lord Henry. Dorian's attic, where he hides...

In Chapter 4, Lord Henry makes comments that inadvertently reflect on Dorian's masculinity. He describes women as "decorative," implying they lack originality, which parallels Dorian's own...

The main characters in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" are Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, and Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian is a dynamic and complex character who changes under Lord Henry's influence,...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Henry does not see the painting in his home. The novel ends with Dorian Gray dead, a knife in his heart, and the portrait restored to its original form. The movie...

Dorian's past in The Picture of Dorian Gray significantly impacts his life by leading to his moral downfall. His actions, including the murder of Basil Hallward and the blackmail of Alan Campbell,...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, innocence is treated as an accidental state of mind. It is a primitive sense of being that is inherent to the less sophisticated, and more ignorant species. As Lord...

Sibyl stops acting because her love for Dorian makes her see the stage as hollow and false, as she can no longer pretend to feel emotions she doesn't experience. Dorian reacts harshly, feeling that...

Chapter Two of The Picture of Dorian Gray raises several questions pivotal to the story. Why did Basil hesitate to introduce Dorian to Lord Henry, and did he foresee Lord Henry's corrupting...

Mr. Isaacs, Sibyl Vane's manager in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," is described by Dorian as a "fat Jew" with an "oily tremulous" smile. Dorian finds him pompous, loud, and overly demonstrative, with...

Dorian Gray's downfall in The Picture of Dorian Gray is driven by his narcissism, vanity, and susceptibility to influence, particularly by Lord Henry. His obsession with maintaining youth and beauty...

Friendship in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a double-edged sword. It can be used to hurt or help, depending on the characters involved and their intents at the time.

Lord Henry is eager to meet Dorian Gray because he is captivated by the description of Dorian's beauty and charm relayed by his friend Basil. Basil's reluctance to show Dorian's portrait and fear...

Lord Henry's influence on Dorian Gray is a catalyst for Dorian's moral downfall. He encourages Dorian's superficiality, as seen when he dismisses Sibyl Vane's poor acting and suggests marrying her...

Freud's concepts of the id and super-ego are key to understanding Dorian's identity. In the novel, Lord Henry represents the id, urging Dorian towards selfish indulgence, while Basil embodies the...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portrait Basil is working on is significant because it is the catalyst that sets the plot of the novel in motion. Dorian's dissatisfaction that he will age and fade...

Oscar Wilde's characterization of himself through "The Picture of Dorian Gray" reflects his complex self-perception. He identifies with Basil Hallward, seeing himself as a sensitive artist, while...

The characters in The Picture of Dorian Gray are considered stereotypical and somewhat flat, as they do not undergo significant change throughout the novel. Lord Henry Wooton, Dorian Gray, and Basil...

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde makes a number of references to both contemporary and classical texts. The influence of these texts is central to the novel's themes of hedonism and...

Sibyl's mother views Dorian as a potential advantageous match for Sibyl, emphasizing his aristocratic appearance and wealth. She dreams of a "brilliant marriage" despite Sibyl's lack of dowry and...

Oscar Wilde portrays polite London society as deeply divided, with the wealthy enjoying opulence and freedom while the poor face severe limitations. Characters like Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton...

Basil's murder is depicted by Oscar Wilde as a significant act of despair for Dorian Gray. The murder occurs spontaneously, driven by Dorian's uncontrollable anger and his inner demons, which have...

Dorian rejects Sibyl Vane because he is initially attracted to her artistic talent and the illusion she creates on stage. However, after Sibyl falls in love with Dorian and performs poorly, she...