Oscar Wilde

“Each of us is in the world to make him self perfectly”

Oscar Wilde was born in 1854 in Dublin.

His father Sir William was a doctor and his mother was an Irish poet.

When he was a child, he studied at home. Then he went to university.

He was a dandy. In 1884 he married Constance

Lloyd and he had two children but they eventually divorced.

In 1891 he wrote his most famous novel , “The Picture of Dorian Gray”.

He died In 1900

Dorian Gray - He is the protagonist, a radiantly handsome and wealthy young gentleman. But when he meets Lord Henry Wotton he will be influenced by him and he will begin to pursue his own pleasure. In fact when Dorian realises of his beauty looking at the picture Basil had done for him, he makes a terrible wish: that the portrait will grow older and that he will remain young forever.

Lord Henry Wotton - a nobleman and a close friend of Basil. He has a fascinating personality and he always has prompt responses. In fact he influences Dorian with his cynical words and makes him a cruel person.

Basil Hallward - an artist and a friend of Lord Henry’s. He meets Dorian at a party and from that moment he becomes so obsessed and infatuated that he decides to make a portrait of him.

Lord Henry and Dorian

Sibyl Vane - a poor, beautiful talented actress with whom Dorian falls in love. She also loves Dorian but this relationship compromises her ability to act.

James Vane - Sybil’s brother. He is very protective to Sybil and he doesn’t accept her relationship with Dorian.

Alan Campbell – A chemistry student . Once he was a friend of Dorian’s but now they are estranged. Dorian will blackmail him to force him to help.

Dorian is in Basil Hallward’s studio to get a portrait of himself by the painter.

Dorain meets Lord Henry Wotton, Basil’s friend, in the studio.

Lord Henry influences Dorian and makes him realize the power of his beauty.

When the portrait is finished, Dorian wishes that the picture will grow older and that he will remain young forever.

Dorian meets Sibyl Vane, a poor actress, at theatre and he falls in love with her.

Dorian refuses her after she acts horribly and she kills herself.

Dorian discovers his picture has changed.

When Basil sees the picture, Dorian kills him. He then calls Alan Campbell and asks him to destroy Basil’s dead body, blackmailing him.

Dorian, haunted by his remorse for his bad actions, destroys the picture but, being the portrait his soul, he kills him self.

The overreacher - Dorian challenges Nature and goes beyond the limits imposed by it desiring and obtaining eternal youth. For this reason, he is punished with death, like all overreachers.

Art - It is the only thing that is immortal.

The Double - The portrait is the soul of Dorian Gray. An atypical kind of double, being the alter ego a picture not a human being.

The conflict between the good side and the dark side.

The Victorian Compromise – Dorian’s fake youth is the symbol of the hypocricy of the Victorian middle class.

Dandyism was an English cultural movement of 19th century.

It searched for perfection in all things - especially in clothes - to rebel to the social conventions.

“living life as a work of art” became a life style.

Victorianism collided with dandyism.

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein: Gothic elements The overreacher The double

Faustus: Dorian is like Faustus. Lord Henry is close to be like

Mefistopheles (He offered to Faustus magic power in exchange for his soul . After 22 years Mefistopheles comes back to Faustus to take his soul, but he refuses. So Mefistopheles kills Faustus and takes his soul)