Dorian Gray Flashcards
What is the main point of the Picture of Dorian Gray?
The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young, beautiful man who trades his soul for eternal youth, then descends further and further into a moral abyss — until he discovers there is, after all, a price to pay for his actions.
What are the key ideas in Dorian Gray?
The Mortality of Beauty and Youth.
Surfaces, Objects and Appearances.
Art and the Imitation of Life.
Influence.
Women and Men.
Why is the person of Dorian Gray important?
He is Basil’s good friend, muse, and a sitter for his paintings.
What does the name Dorian mean?
In Greek, the meaning of the name Dorian is of Doris, a district of Ancient Greece, or of Dorus, a legendary Greek hero.
Why did Dorian want to destroy the picture?
He decides it is better to destroy the last evidence of his sin—the painting of his soul—than face up to his own depravity. The depravity he seeks to destroy is, in essence, himself; therefore, by killing it, he kills himself.
Why does Dorian hide the painting?
When the picture begins to deteriorate in line with his morals, Dorian hides it in his attic to prevent anyone seeing its terrible decay. After twenty years of various excesses, Dorian still looks like he did when he was eighteen, but the portrait has become foully distorted; a loathsome vision of his shrivelling soul.
What kind of character is Dorian Gray?
A radiantly handsome, impressionable, and wealthy young gentleman, whose portrait the artist Basil Hallward paints.
How does Dorian become corrupted?
Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian becomes extremely concerned with the transience of his beauty and begins to pursue his own pleasure above all else.
What is the theme of the art of Dorian Gray?
The Supremacy of Youth and Beauty
What does the theme of The Supremacy of Youth and Beauty mean?
The first principle of aestheticism, the philosophy of art by which Oscar Wilde lived, is that art serves no other purpose than to offer beauty. Throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray, beauty reigns.
Who wrote Dorian Gray?
Oscar Wilde
What is the theme of love in Dorian Gray?
Dorian’s love for Sibyl is a turning point in the novel; here, he has to choose between real life (marriage with Sibyl, the person) and art (infatuation with Sibyl, the art object). He chooses art over life, and thus throws away the one other person he truly loved.
Who are the main characters in Dorian Gray?
Dorian Gray; Lord Henry Watson; Basil Hallward; Sibyl Vane; James Vane; Alan Campbell.
Why did Dorian love Sybil?
Part of Dorian’s love for Sybil Vane stems from her youth and beauty—traits that he also values in himself. Her youth and beauty seems all the more valuable and precious because it stands in opposition to the tragic heroines that she plays on stage.
What does Basil confess to Dorian?
He confesses that he has never loved a woman and that he is in love with Dorian.
What is the relationship between Basil and Dorian?
Basil is the painter of Dorian Gray’s portrait. From the beginning of their relationship on, he feels that he found his muse in Dorian, who, in Basil’s eyes, embodies the Greek ideal of harmony between body and soul.
How does Dorian Gray reflect society?
The extents that Dorian went to in this novel in order to acquire everlasting youth and beauty and how his corrupt behaviours were overlooked by society shows how dependent society was on outward mannerisms and appearances.
What is the difference between Basil and Lord Henry?
Basil is an artist whose best work stems from a passion for a young man whom he sees as a “Prince of Life.” Lord Henry is a conversationalist who cuts life to pieces with his epigrams.
How does The Picture of Dorian Gray relate to society?
It has been called a criticism on the Victorian society that looked down on overindulgence and criminalised Wilde for engaging and acting on his own feelings of lust and love with members of the same gender,
Why does Dorian Gray hate the painting?
Dorian often associates his portrait with death. The more he thinks about the portrait changing as he ages, the more concerned he becomes about his own mortality.
Why does Dorian refuse to let anyone look at the painting?
Rejecting the inevitable connection between his youth and eventual death, Dorian refuses to have anyone look at the painting.
Why did Basil paint Dorian Gray?
Basil describes meeting Dorian Gray and being so fascinated and enamored with his presence that he feels he must paint him in order to capture all of his beauty.
How does Basil describe Dorian?
Basil describing Dorian as “all my art” signifies an obsession that again revolves around Dorian’s beauty and physical appearance.
Who was Dorian in love with?
Sybil Vane.
Who is Sybil Vane?
Sybil is an impoverished young actress who performs as the female protagonists of Shakespeare’s plays each night at a humble, shabby theater.
Why does Dorian fall in love with Sybil?
Dorian falls in love with her because of her acting and beauty, and she falls in love with him, too.
Why is Dorian evil?
Dorian’s portrait deteriorates not because he’s intentionally evil but because he’s cruel and selfish. He casually uses people and then discards them aside. His action has a ripple effect that leads to lives ruined, and worse, even deaths.
Why is Dorian a tragic hero?
Dorian’s tragic flaw is to be easily influenceable, Lord Henry is too manipulative and Basil just cares too much about Dorian. These are the flaws that finally lead to the ruination of Dorian Gray and make the drama end in a tragedy.
Who kills Dorian Gray?
Dorian Gray.
How does Dorian Gray kill himself?
He stabs the portrait, and inadvertently kills himself.
What evil things did Dorian do?
Dorian has corrupted other people and committed murder, he knows that he has fully given up on trying to live a good life and can be considered evil.
Why does Dorian break the mirror?
He resorts to breaking the mirror because he realizes how much time he has wasted agonizing over his own personal beauty.
How does Dorian feel when he sees his reflection in the mirror before he breaks it?
When Dorian looks at his reflection in the mirror like he used to do, he is filled with hatred and loathing.
Why did Dorian kiss Basil?
Instead of subtly leading Basil to his confession, Dorian steers the conversation away by kissing Basil, who eventually gives in to his passion and succumbs to a sexual encounter.
Why is Dorian jealous of his portrait?
His immediate reaction to the portrait was to admire it. However, after recalling Lord Henry’s warning that he would not always have his looks and youth, this admiration was replaced with anger and jealousy.
How does Dorian explain Sibyl’s death?
Dorian thinks of Sibyl’s death as he would the death of a character in a novel or painting, and chooses not to be affected emotionally by her.
Is Dorian Gray a hero or villain?
Broadly, Dorian is an antihero in that his character is widely discrepant from that of the traditional protagonist, or hero.
What are Dorian Gray’s powers?
Immortality and regeneration.
How did Dorian gain his immortality?
After having his soul trapped within a painting, Dorian gained immortality.
What does Dorian’s immortality give him?
He does not age and seems to be immune to all conventional illnesses, diseases, viruses and infections.
How does Dorian’s ability to regenerate work?
Dorian heals quickly, but still feels the pain of a wound before it heals.
Who is the villain in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
Lord Henry “Harry” Wotton.
