OSCAR WILDE

The Picture of Dorian Gray

TEXT ONE

1.Read lines 1-16 of the text and explain.

1.What Lord Henry values in life most of all?

Lord Henry value most of all in life is beauty.

2. What he exhorts Dorian to do?

He exhorts Dorian to live every moment of his life deeply.

2.Read the text to the end.

1.What influence do Lord Henry's words exert on Dorian?

Lord Henry's words exert on Dorian afraid of losing his beauty represented on the picture.

2. What wish does Dorian express?

He wishes to remain handsome forever, and the picture to become older instead of him.

3.Why is Lord Henry's wish to own the picture consistent with his philosophy of life?

Lord Henry's philosophy highlights beauty as the perfection of everything. The picture represents eternal beauty because time will not change it. For this reason he wants to own it.

TEXT ONE

1.Read the text and explain.

1.What happened to the artist that painted Dorian's picture?

He was killed by Dorian Gray.

2.What happens to Dorian and to the picture itself?

Dorian destroys the picture, but in it lives his soul. When he hits the picture he dies, while the picture remains intact.

2. Focus on the main character.

1.What does Dorian hope to achieve with his action? What is its consequence?

Dorian wanted to destroy the picture to erase the prove of his guilt. The consequence is that he dies.

2.What feelings and thoughts have prompter Dorian to behave as he does?

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.

3. How do you think the figure of Dorian is perceived by the other characters in the text?

I think the characters in the text respect the person of Dorian Gray, and they are not afraid of him.

4. Do you think the writer passes any judgement on the figure of Dorian?

I think that the writer doesn't judge Dorian Gray, in line to the Aesthetic principles.