Dorian+Gray

__//**Synopsis:**//__

//The Picture of Dorian Gray// is a novel about a man's own undoing of himself. Dorian Gray, an utterly beautiful youth, captures the muse of devoted artist Basil Hallward and so poses for a portrait. Dorian encounters the cynically divine Lord Henry who manages to "charm listeners out of themselves"; in fact, he manages to charm Dorian out of his "simple and beautiful" nature into a man of "strange and dangerous charm". Ultimately, Dorian's portrait by Basil's hand not only destins both artist and subject to a disasterous end, but the subject himself falls victim to the dark influences of his vanity - which is spurred further by Henry.

Thus, Dorian Gray falls into a world of "wild joys and wilder sins" out of his adoration for his own looks, they and his wealth elements of security in 19th century London society. On and off the streets, at every turn, Dorian finds himself seeking pleasure without restraint - to practice "New Hedonism" and become "more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul". The more wicked his acts become, the greater the scandals disintegrate his spirit which is reflected in the gradual deterioration of his portrait - for "the portrait [is] to bear the burden of his shame" (119). However, Dorian"s pleging of his soul in exchange for eternal youth and boundless passion not only causes the deaths of the ones he supposedly holds dearest, but also himself. Such an account significantly mirrors the story of Narcissus, who was no infatuated with his own beauty that he accepted nothing less than his own appearance as his lover. He rejected the nymph, Echo, as Dorian did Sibyl Vane; he was so focused on himself that his beauty, arrogance, and conceit were his demise much like Dorian Gray's.

__//**Dorian Gray as a Tragic-Byronic "Prince Charming":**//__

In //The Picture of Dorian Gray//, the main character – Dorian Gray- is portrayed as a modern Narcissus who, under the influence of vanity, loses himself to the pursuit of boundless pleasure. Originally, “he has a simple and beautiful nature” that is tainted by the “strange and dangerous charm” he develops as he grows from boy to man in 19th century London society. Youth and beauty are continuously proclaimed to be Dorian Gray’s greatest attributes, and said qualities mold him into the tragic-Byronic persona that has captivated audiences of the sort throughout time: not only are Dorian’s youth and beauty seemingly larger than life, but are also his most tragic flaws that induce him to an inevitable, regrettable, and deadly end.

What make Dorian Gray the tragic-Byronic prototype are vanity, the desperation for perfection and purity, the practice of “new Hedonism”, maintain social status, and redemption by means to preserve beauty. Under Lord Henry’s influence, who chooses his friends only “for their good looks”, Dorian strives for “self-development[, to] realize one’s nature perfectly[…, for people] are afraid of themselves, nowadays” (20). At the very beginning of the novel, the reader can notice the shift of a once simplistic youth to a rebellious young man who wishes to embrace temptation rather than shy from it: }[resist] it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden itself” (21). What spurs Dorian to even consider such notions, -they parts of Lord Henry’s cynical dogma- is his own vanity. Beauty and youth, as mentioned before, are the precious ideals instilled in a human being due to their representing “passionate purity”. It’s all or nothing in high society, or at any level of the social class, depending one’s appearance – for “when one loses one’s good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything” (30). Dorian takes this, quite literally, to heart so profoundly that he gives up the most vital aspect of existing in society: being an individual, one’s own person who is not the pawn of a puppeteer such as Lord Henry or even of their own flaws. In truth, one must find acceptance with themselves regardless of their appearance – not “[sell himself to the devil for a pretty face” (218). Due to this larger-than-life pride of his appearance, Dorian’s tragic flaw is true to definition and eventually leads to his demise.

What practically sets Dorian Gray’s fate in stone are his actions –sins which, over the years, only grow worse- that manifest into something poisonous, disintegrating his soul whilst his appearance remains in tact. During the novel’s eighteen year time span, the reader is confronted with the horrific detachment, nonchalance, and stagnant ways of 19th century aristocracy in London. These aristocrats are the elitists of society; that is, they are exposed to the best of “perfumes”, grandest of “jewels”, the most captivating “stories” and plays and poetry, as well as the finest of furniture and “tapestries”. Social status is key, and Dorian Gray is quite aware of this as he crosses paths with the most refined figures of society. He is a nobleman, and is sure to put one of lower class –one who disappoints him, especially- in their place such as Sibyl Vane: “I would have made you famous…the world would have worshipped you and you would have borne my name” (98). Like the items that surround him and his own beauty, Dorian grows to desire nothing less – especially not a third-rate actress who takes her own life because he had taken her heart and had broken it.

This holier-than-thou attitude is not just the effect of Dorian’s noble birth, but also returns once again to his vanity – to his absolute adoration for his youth and beauty. He claims youth to be “the only thing worth having”; he is jealous of anything that retains beauty whilst he is fated to lose it, for “[how] sad it is! [He] shall grow so old…But this picture will always remain young” (29, 30). The portrait of Dorian Gray is the cursed motif that haunts the deepest depths of Dorian’s soul, for it is the emblem of his vanity and the actions he later ensues by his awareness of his beauty and youth: “He grew more and more enamoured with his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruptions of his own soul…which were the more horrible, the signs of sin or the signs of age[?]” (144-5).

The practice of “new Hedonism” progresses as Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian grows stronger, convincing the latter to “cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul” (209). In essence, now intoxicated by the fascination his appearance conjures from himself and others, Dorian believes “[eternal] youth, infinite passion, pleasurable subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins – he [is] to have all these things. The portrait [is] to bear the burden of his shame: that [is] all” (119). The portrait, he believes, is his means of redemption whilst he preserves his seemingly interminable beauty. However, the portrait is nothing more than a “visible emblem of conscience” that ultimately reveals the real Dorian Gray: a withered and worn man, soulless from his giving of himself for the means of materialism and sin.

__//**How to Speak Like Dorian Gray:**//__

1.) //Act as vain as possible, and speak as such.// "I am jealous of everything whose beauty does not die. I am jealous of the portrait you have painted of me. Why should it keep what I must lose? Every moment that passes takes something from me and gives something to it" (29).

Commentary: Pride is a deadly sin, and Dorian definitely exhibits this to be his flaw early in the novel. For he to be jealous of everything else that is beautiful illustrates Dorian's obsession for his own appearance. He fears aging, aching "every moment that passes", and despises a painting that shall stay young forever. Throughout the story, Dorian does not say as much as he thinks, for his statements are few but overall proclaim what his intentions are: to long for a way to stay youthful. In fact, vanity //does// become his downfall the moment he pleges his soul to strive for any means to retain his good looks: "when one loses one's good looks, whatever they may be, one loses everything" (30). If one is vain, one has ever-strengthening pride in not just their appearance, but also themselves that permeates their infatuation.

2.) //Once self-aware, dismiss anything--with elegant words--that falls short of your own image.// "You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art...You are nothing to me now...Without your art, you are nothing" (98).

Commentary: By heavily criticizing aspiring actress Silby Vane, Dorian expresses his tarnished idolization of her. He molds her into a figurine that insults Art itself, mocking her love for it pales in comparison to how he viewed her - to the potential she could have achieved, and could have even "borne [his] name" (98). Dorian reveals his true passions; that are, not for Sibyl, but for his desire for beauty, dreams, art, and ultimately life. He displaces the ideals upon her, and the moment Sibyl disappoints Dorian is the following moment he rejects her and forgoes the consequences for doing such. By doing this, one can remain focused on just their interests without having to worry about other concerns that they do not care about.

3.) //Consequences of these dismals shall arise - do not falter, but wave them off with a speech of "artistic triumph".// "So I have murdered Sibyl Vane...Yet the roses are not less lovely for all that. The birds sing just as happily in my garden...How extroadinarily dramatic life is...! Somehow, now that it has happened, and t ome, it seems far too wonderful for tears" (111-112).

Commentary: This correlates to the commentary in Step Two, but heightens the impact Dorian's monstrous vanity has in the story. Throughout his reflection of Sibyl's death, he ironically contrasts the grim realization to happy visions of "birds singing" and "lovely roses". This produces a double-meaning of Sibyl's passing, for it symbolizes a tragic mockery yet also a suppedly splended way to die that one such as Dorian can "weep" over. He is not concerned or contemplative over the death of a woman who once loved him; rather, Dorian degrades something in which he had lost interest to nothing but a vague notion that is easy to forget. If this accomplished, one can always remain free of the effects of consequences that their actions may conjure.

4.) //When the "lesser" is no longer an obstacle, pursue pleasure unabashedly by means of all senses; satisfy yourself with the flattery of such pleasures through your speech.// "What is done is done. What is past is past. A man who is a master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them" (122).

Commentary: As time passes, Dorian -under Lord Henry's influence- becomes one for the practice of "new Hedonism", which is the unscrupulous pursuit of pleasure. "To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul" graduates to his growing "more and more enamoured with his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruptions of his own soul" (144-5, 209). Dorian's conscience grows less present the more sins he commits, for he belives regret to be a "mercy of emotion" under what he does not wish to be subjected. Thus, despite his actions, Dorian ventures out for the worse in order to gain the greatest pleasure, to keep the most ideal modes of beauty he can such as jewels, perfumes, and tapestries. Pursuing pleasure fearlessly not only achieves self-fullment, but also makes one a supposed individual, which is the aim of life.

5.) //When the truth is revealed, try to avoid and reproach it.// "I wish I could love, but I seem to have lost the passion, and forgotten the desire. I am too much concentrated on myself. My own personality has become a burden to me. I want to scape, to go away, to forget" (233).

Commentary: Towards the end of the novel, the rising action and climax of Dorian's vanity has completed - only the end remains. He loses passion and forgets desire, having quelled them through the destruction of others and of himself. Hypocritically, Dorian attempts to right his wrongs by sparing a girl from seduction; however, the painting mocks him for it and he takes his frustration out on his own portrait. A crack can be seen in Dorian's overzealous desperation for beauty and youth through the want "to escape, to go away, to forget" in as much of a means to isolate himself from a society in which he has submerged himself. What goes around does, indeed, come around so one must be prepared to avoid this karmatic effect as much as possible - for it only means to bring them end, which could possibly bring death.

//**Conclusion:**// Overall, awareness of oneself can lead to their destruction. For Dorian Gray, his greatest flaw was not something on the surface; in contrast, his vices were burrowed deep underneath. Oscar Wilde communicates to his readers through this aesthetic, Gothic tale by saying this: for one to see the true meaning of Art, one must explore beneath the surface. It is a challenge, one that Dorian undertook, but also is a deadly challenge. One's speech and actions such as Dorian's please for now, yet induce one to suffer a catastrophic fate later.

__[|From Novel to Film, the Tale of Dorian Gray Never Wavers]__ __[|Human Vanity: Literary Criticism]__
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Commentary: The purpose of this discussion is to illustrate the dark seduction of vanity and the price it demands. As portrayed in //Dorian Gray,// the literary criticism connects self-awareness to one's downfall; that is, is said awareness leads to the destruction of another and their aspirations. From Basil's mistake in giving form to Dorian's beauty to Lord Henry's influence of Dorian excercising said beauty to Dorian's pursuit of all things pleasurable, the blog entry perfectly mirrors the fate of one's obsession for materialistic things.