Concetti Chiave
- Lord Henry Watton, a dandy, influences Dorian Gray by emphasizing the importance of beauty and pleasure over morality.
- Dorian becomes enchanted with his own portrait, wishing for eternal youth while the portrait ages, reminiscent of a Faustian pact.
- Lord Henry's persuasive words lead Dorian to prioritize youth and beauty, suggesting they are the ultimate goals in life.
- The characters are upper middle class, with Lord Henry's speech rich in paradox, highlighting Victorian societal hypocrisy.
- The narrative is presented by a third-person narrator, primarily reflecting Lord Henry's and Dorian's perspectives.
I would give my soul from 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde (1891)
This passage is taken from chapter 2 of the novel. There are three characters, i.e., Lord Henry Watton, the painter Basil Hallward and Dorian Gray. The painter has just finished painting Dorian's portrait and Henry Watton is speaking to the young man.
Lord Henry is a typical dandy who has devoted his life to the search for beauty and pleasure and is now trying to convince Dorian that beauty matters more than anything else in life, it is a form of genius which makes you unique.
Lord Henry's words affects Dorian deeply and, looking at his portrait, he realizes that he is as beautiful as Lord Henry has told him. He 'falls in love'with his portrait and starts feeling anxious about what will happen to him in the future. So, he expresses the wish the rules of time might be reversed; he wishes he would forever be young and beautiful and the portrait could show the signs of time and old age. His wish reminds us of a 'Faustian pact', it is a pact with the devil. Dorian sells his soul in exchange for eternal beauty and youth. By doing that, he goes against the laws of God and nature.
Lord Henry is very skilled at convincing people through the power of words. He succeeds in dominating Dorian and making him choose to live his life for art and forget moral responsibility. He uses a lot of words and expressions relating to youth, beauty and old age and they convey the idea that youth is beautiful and divine while old age stands for physical and mental decay. What only matters in life is being young and beautiful.
All characters belong to the upper middle class and Lord Henry's speech is eloquent and refined. He makes use of 'paradox', a statement which seems untrue and contradictory, but reveals a deeper truth. In lines 11 and 12, he says that 'the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible'. Although at first this statement sounds non-sensical, after second thought it may reveal some truth about Victorian people's hypocrisy.
The story is told by a third-person narrator who is unobtrusive,since he never intervenes in the narration and never addresses the reader directly. The point of view adopted is Lord Henry's in the first part and Dorian's in the second part of the extract.
The main theme of the text is the relationship between beauty and morality.
Domande da interrogazione
- Qual é a principal mensagem que Lord Henry tenta transmitir a Dorian Gray?
- Como as palavras de Lord Henry afetam Dorian Gray?
- O que simboliza o desejo de Dorian em relação ao seu retrato?
- Qual é o papel do narrador na história?
Lord Henry tenta convencer Dorian de que a beleza é a coisa mais importante na vida, uma forma de gênio que o torna único, e que ele deve aproveitar enquanto pode.
As palavras de Lord Henry afetam profundamente Dorian, levando-o a desejar que ele pudesse permanecer jovem e belo para sempre, enquanto seu retrato envelhecesse em seu lugar.
O desejo de Dorian simboliza um pacto faustiano, onde ele vende sua alma em troca de beleza e juventude eternas, desafiando as leis de Deus e da natureza.
O narrador é em terceira pessoa e não intervém na narração, adotando o ponto de vista de Lord Henry na primeira parte e de Dorian na segunda parte do trecho.
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