Chapter 13 Quotes Flashcards
Description of room
‘The lamp cast fantastic shadows on the wall and staircase. A rising wind made…
some of the windows rattle.’
Gothic description and builds tension
Description of room
‘A cold current of air passed them, and the light shot up for a moment in a …
flame of murky orange.’
Something wrong, cold atmosphere
Orange the colour of danger. Murky- everything is not clear. Locked room= part of the Gothic trope.
Description of room
‘he saw the whole place was covered with dust, and that the carpet was in holes. A mouse ran…
scuffling being the wainscoting. There was a damp odour of mildew.’
the portrait has tarnished and made the room horrible and dirty. The room is representative of Dorian’s soul, was once his place of boyhood purity but is now ruined.
'’So you think it is only God who sees the soul, Basil? Draw the curtain back and ….
you will see mine.’ The voice that spoke was cold and cruel. ‘You are mad Dorian or playing a part.’
Basil is Christian and this shows how anti-religious the portrait is. Perhaps Dorian is almost playing God with the lives of others and his own life, deciding who lives forever and who dies.’
’ An exclamation broke from the painter’s lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas …
grinning at him. There was something in its expression that filled him with disgust and loathing.’
The portrait is now completely changed the thing of beauty brings loathing now
’ The horror, whatever it was, had not yet entirely spoiled that marvellous beauty. There was still some gold in the thinning hair and some scarlet on the sensual mouth. The sodden eyes…
had kept something of the loveliness of their blue, the noble curves had not yet completely passed away.’
Basil sees there is still chance to save his soul, the picture is not completely ruined.
Basil
‘It was some foul parody, some infamous, ignoble satire… Still, he knew it was his own picture. He knew it, and he felt…
as if his blood had changed in a moment from fire to sluggish ice.’
fire- the joy of life and his anger at Dorian
Ice- feels frozen with guilt and fear
sluggish- slow realisation, reclining into himself.
Dorian
‘Years ago, when I was a boy’ said Dorian Gray, crushing the…
flower in his hand.’
The flower represents Dorian in youth and when he had a good soul, beautiful. But he crushed this version of himself, he does not accept Basil’s help to get out of this Faustian pact. The flower that eventually dies is an idea Dorian crushes.
Basil
‘I tell you the thing is…
impossible.’
Basil can not rationalise the supernatural in this age of science. He refer to the painting as a thing, he doesn’t want to give it a name or admit it is alive.
B- ‘You told me you had destroyed it.’
D- ‘I was wrong, It has…
destroyed me.’
Dorian admits he is destroyed, he has no hope for recovering his soul.
Dorian
‘It is the face of my…
soul.’
'’Each of us has Heaven and Hell in him, Basil,’ cried Dorian, with…
a wild gesture of despair.’
he rationalises his duality, there are two sides to him, the public persona and his dark inside. He is heaven to look at but inside he is hellish.
Basil
‘It was from within (the painting), apparently, that the…
foulness and horror had come.’
Basil tries to rationalise the painting by thinking an outside influence caused the decay but eventually admits the work of this supernatural thing.
Basil
‘Pray, Dorian,…
Pray.’
Basil tries to save Dorian through Christianity. In the tale of Dr Faustus he is offered a way out but like Dorian refuses to take it.
Basil
‘I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself…
too much. We are both punished.’
God is punishing them both In Basil’s view.
