OSCAR WILDE

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

Text One

•1.1)     Lord Henry considers Art and, in particular, Beauty the wonder of wonders. To him, only visible things are important in life. He has an aesthetic  and materialistic vision of the world.

•1.2)     He exhorts Dorian to live really, perfectly and fully during his young ages, because when he will become older and older, his beauty will die and gods will quickly take it away.

2.1) By looking the portrait, Dorian admires his beauty and remembers Lord Henry's words about the brevity of life. He admits he will be never young and handsome like the figure of the portrait.

2.2) He wishes he will be always young like the portrait.

2.3) Lord Henry's wish to own the picture is consistent with his philosophy of life because it is clear how much is important and relevant  to him to have visible, concrete and beautiful things.

Text Two

•1.1)     The artist, Basil Hallward, is killed by Dorian Gray.

•1.2)     Dorian decides to destroy the portrait with a knife, in this way his soul will be free. He stabs the picture with the knife and immediately Dorian falls down dead, while his body becomes older and loathsome, and the figure of the portrait becomes young and beautiful.

2.1) Dorian wishes his soul to be free, but in this way he kills himself.

2.2) He feels angry and totally confused about the crime he did. He does not know if he has to confess or not, he believes the picture caught his soul.

2.3) In my opinion, other characters consider Dorian as a sort of Evil or so, because although years go on, Dorian never becomes old. This produces an effect of afraid of this man who seems immortal.

2.4) I believe the writer tries to underline the importance of Aesthetic during his age. Dorian'sossession for his beauty takes him to kill his friend Hallward and then to kill himself.

3.1) The story is told by a third person, omniscient and intrusive narrator. The point of view shifts through different characters. Its effect is to make the reader to know all thoughts and all reactions to Dorian's actions.

3.4) The atmosphere is dark and sad.