Title: "The picture of Dorian Gray"

Publishing House: Oxford Bookworms

Grade: 3

Novelist: Oscar Wilde

Characters: Dorian Gray, the portrait, Lord Henry, Basil Hallward, Sibyl Vane, James Vane, Mrs. Vane, Alan Campbell and Lady Agatha.

Settings: Basil's house, Dorian's house, Lord Henry's house, a theatre and many streets in London.

Topics: Good and worse, youth, beauty and love.

Theme: Conflict by good and worse.

Message: Wilde wants to give us that you must think with your Mind and not to be influenced by other people, you must live your life and accept your mistakes.

New words and new idoms

To laugh at: ridere di...

To shine: splendere

Scent: profumo

Sitter: modello

Unkind: scortese

Old friend of mine: un mio vecchio amico

Seat: panchina

To shake hands with: stringere le mani a...

Pick: raccogliere

Lip: labbro

To run away: correre via, scappare

Wing: ala

To warn off: dare un avvertimento a...

To care about something: interessarsi di qualcosa

Cruel: cruedele

Ashamed: vergognarsi

I am what I am: sono ciò che sono

To smile to yourself: sorridere a te stesso

Evil: cattivo

Towards: rispetto, nei riguardi di...

Suit: andar bene a...

Valuable: prezioso

Sadly: tristemente

Clever: intelligente

Coldly: freddamente

To stare: fissare lo sguardo

Opium: oppio

Plot Summary

A painter, Basil Hallward, painted a portrait for a beautiful boy: Dorian Gray A day he met Basil's friend Lord Henry Wotton, who opened his eyes to his own beauty and told him that he should experience life to the fullest. Upon the completion of the portrait, Dorian wished that the painting would grow old, and not he. So, he fell in love with an actress, Sibil Vane, but Lord Herny told him that she isn't good for him and he left her. Few days later he realised that something was change in the portrait: the picture was becoming old. He decided to show this to Basil but after Dorian Told him his secret he murdered the poor painter. Dorian became well-known for his cruel and evil heart. At the end, he learnt that he had a good-looking face but without heart and he decided to murder himself.