Analysis Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray - 1301 Words

Haley Morrow Mrs. Crook 12 AP English 15 Oct. 2015 Irony in The Picture of Dorian Gray More often than not, it is hard to face the consciousness of the inevitable. Everyone feels the distress of realizing that time is fleeting and they will soon grow old and wrinkly, no longer their youthful self. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, illustrates this human condition specifically through the main character Dorian Gray. Mr. Gray captures the artistic imagination of artist Basil Howard, who constantly paints portraits of Dorian. Basil usually depicts Dorian as an ancient Greek hero or a mythological creature, but when he completes his first portrait of Dorian for who he truly is he is disappointed because he feels as though this painting reveals too much about his subject. Dorian on the other hand goes to the extreme when he sees this portrait. Worrisome, Dorian believes that one day the portrait will remind him of his former beautiful and young self. Out of anguish, he curses the portrait, ultimately selling his soul to spare himself of the burdens of age and infa my, allowing him to stay forever young. In his novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde uses irony to exemplify an anomaly between the aging process of Dorian Gray in contrast with that of the portrait of himself, particularly in a society that prizes beauty and youth. Dorian’s first big act of cruelty begins when he inconsiderately calls of his engagement with Sibyl Vane, a beautiful actress. SibylShow MoreRelatedThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1892 Words   |  8 Pagesnovel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, with a reflection on Art, the Artist, and the utility of both. After watchful investigation, he finishes up: All art is quite useless. In other words, genuine Art takes no part in embellishing the social or moral constructs of the society, nor should it. Art ought to be lovely and give pleasure to its spectator. The masterpiece of an artist is very absurd and abstract no matter how clear it appears to the eyes. In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde triesRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis830 Words   |  4 Pagesthe way the characters themselves interact with both their own thoughts and the world around them. In the works chosen, the appearances of the characters to be analyzed fall on opposite ends of the spectrum of aestheticism. Dorian Gray, from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray possesses an â€Å"...extraordinary personal beauty (Wilde 1),† one that controls other character’s reception of him, as well as affecting his own inner thoughts, for he knows that he seen as beautiful. On the opposite side ofRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1282 Words   |  6 PagesTo create a moral balance in the brain, one must have a good amount of self-regulation with the occasional act of self-indulgence. However, in â€Å"The Picture of Dorian Gray† by Oscar Wilde, both Dorian’s desires and virtues are out of balance and in conflict with themselves. Dorian’s obsession with maintaining his youth and beauty prevents him from seeing right from wrong, especially when it comes to his own morality. By committing illegal acts, having evil intentions while influencing both loversRead MoreAnalysis Of Picture Of Dorian Gray 804 Words   |  4 Pa gesAssignment Ivan Albright Picture of Dorian Gray 1943/44 Oil on canvas 215.9 x 106.7 cm (85 x 42 in.) The painting is a self-portrait of the fictional character Dorian gray. The painting was used in the film where the character had asked a portrait of him as a handsome man. Dorian gray trades in his soul for him to remain forever young and handsome. Gray lives a life where he does things that are morally corrupt. Gray continues not to age but the painting starts to change showing grays moral corruption.Read MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1087 Words   |  5 Pagesmore opposing forces, is continually plagued by them and eventually gives in to one or the other. In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character Dorian faces two conflicting forces in the symbolic form of two of his dearest friends, which ties in with the stories most prevalent theme of good vs. evil. At the very beginning of the novel, readers meet Dorian as a very young man who has been untouched by any kind of evil or wrongdoing. He is completely innocent and ignorant to allRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1257 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Victorian prose, The Portrait of Dorian Gray explores the idea of duality. The divided self within the character of Dorian Gray begins with his misunderstanding of his self-image, because of the influence of a portrait. Dorian’s fate and transformation connect to the painting, which leads to his downfall. The painting contains Dorians moral decline as changes to the picture affects his life. Through the portrait, he gains an image of himself as an independent individual compared to his previousRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Analysis1623 Words   |  7 Pages Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray shows us the triumph of a corrupting influence over a virtuous one. In the novel, Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian overpowers Basil’s and leads to Dorian’s eventual demise. In analyzing Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of good versus evil reflects off of Lord Henry’s and Basil’s interactions with Dorian and Dorian’s internal struggles, thus exemplifying that a person with weak virtues will falter in the face of hedonistic temptationRead MoreEssay on Analysis of the Women in The Picture of Dorian Gray1149 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of the Women in The Picture of Dorian Gray   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sibyl falls head over heels in love with Dorian Gray, willing to commit her life to him after only two weeks. Lady Henry hardly knows her husband, to whom she has been married for some time. Because neither woman is in a stable and comfortable situation, both eventually take drastic measures to move on. Therefore, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, both Sibyl Vane and Lady Henry are weak, flighty, and naive.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The weakness ofRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Aestheticism Analysis935 Words   |  4 Pagesof aestheticism, a nineteenth-century arts movement that had a significant impact on the writings of Oscar Wilde; in particular, his enrapturing novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is an insightful narration that expresses many of the central elements of this aesthetic philosophy. Centered on the life of an attractive young man named Dorian Gray, the novel details how through the influence of others, he becomes morally depraved, and sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth. The main instigatorRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Aestheticism Analysis1585 Words   |  7 Pagesmaking a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.† This is a stark claim made by Oscar Wilde in the preface to his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (3). Along with the rest o f Wilde’s preface, this sentence rebukes literary realism in favor of aestheticism. This is unsurprising to anyone who is familiar with the playwright’s other plays and lectures; Wilde was an avid opponent of realism