Francesco Floritto VB

I Would Give My Soul

The scene takes place in the studio of Basil Hallward who is a painter. In this scene, Lord Henry Wotton makes a speech to Dorian Gray who is the boy who has been painted by Basil. From the reading of the text, the intelligent reader notices that Lord Wotton is a very persuasive man, indeed he starts a speech in which he underlines how youth does not last forever and explains to Dorian that his beauty one day will disappear forever. As already said, the language used by Wotton is very persuasive, indeed there’s a repetitive use of the words “youth” and “beauty” as he wanted to make these words print on Dorian. Lord Wotton speaks through paradoxes, for example, “beauty is a form of genius”, “people say sometimes that beauty is only superficial […] it is not so superficial as thought is”, “It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible…”All these reflections are statements, which seem at first untrue and contradictory but that in the end reveal a strong truth. For example when he says that the thoughts are more superficial than beauty, at first it seem a sentence without any sense. However, going on with the analysis the intelligent reader understands that thoughts can change, while beauty cannot. In addition, the comparison between genius and beauty is very suggestive because Lord Wotton make the well-read reader notice that both genius and beauty are something innate, they are not things that can be reached during one’s life.

After all this speech Dorian stares at the picture and for the first time he catches the essence of the words of Wotton, he realizes that he’s the subject of the portrait and that the shining beauty represented in it one day will leave him. The narrator tells the reader that also, Basil had made compliments to him but Dorian had thought that they were exaggerated. While now for the first time, “the sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation”. The words of Lord Wotton had made their effect. It follows a description in which Dorian step by step, realizes the message of Lord Wotton and in the end he’s afraid of the brevity of youth and terrified from the fact that one day, even him, will be an old man. In this description, the narrator seems to enter in Dorian’s head and to show all the thoughts that come across his head. At this point, it is interesting to notice the different personalities of Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray, indeed the first is a very manipulative, persuasive one, while at first Dorian is a very naïve boy. In addition, it is for this reason that Lord Wotton had this great influence on him.

It follows that he felt like a knife had hit him and tears came to his eyes. The intelligent reader notices the influence of Lord Wotton also in the use of language to express the desire that the picture would grow old instead of him, indeed he says” I would give everything” the same words that Wotton used when he asked to have the picture.

In conclusion, Dorian is so desperate to be ready to give everything in the world to make the portrait grow old instead of him, and he concludes with the lapidary sentence” I would give my soul for that”.