What was the difference between Dorian and Lord Henry?
Dorian notices a difference between Lord Henry and Basil, “He was so unlike Basil. They made a delightful contrast”(Wilde 12 -13). Basil is a middle class man while Lord Henry speaks against middle class values. Lord Henry believes in beauty and pleasure and lives a very hedonistic and aesthetic life.
How does Lord Henry affect Dorian?
Lord Henry negatively affects Dorian’s character in a number of ways. He convinces him that beauty is better than intellect and character and that life is best lived selfishly if one is to live at all. Lord Henry chooses Dorian because he is a Tabula Rasa – young, innocent, and beautiful.
Why was Dorian Gray banned?
Wilde used The Picture of Dorian Gray as his autobiography claiming, “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be- in other ages perhaps.” Not only was this book banned because of the sexual undertones, it eventually helped send Wilde to a couple of years of …
Was Dorian Gray evil?
Now that Dorian has corrupted other people and committed murder, he knows that he has fully given up on trying to live a good life and can be considered evil. In his mind’s eye he sees Basil, who appears as a timeless paragon of goodness, as well as memories of his former life, and Dorian cannot bear the guilt.
Is Dorian Gray an antagonist?
Even though Dorian is a murderer and a bad man it does not make him the antagonist for the real antagonist is the person who triggered all the events and his name is Lord Henry Wotton.
Who is Lord Henry Wotton?
Lord Henry is a man possessed of “wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories.” He is a charming talker, a famous wit, and a brilliant intellect. He is as coolly composed, unshakable, and possessed of the same dry wit in the final pages of the novel as he is upon his introduction. …
What is the role of Lord Henry in Dorian Gray?
An aristocrat and hedonist, Lord Henry Wotton is the middle-aged, rich, and powerful nephew of Lord Fermor, and he is also the friend of Dorian Gray’s friend and painter, Basil Hallward. Henry takes particular interest in Dorian Gray because the young man is described as the epitome of male physical beauty.
Does basil like Dorian Gray?
Basil Hallward is a talented, though somewhat conventionally minded, painter. His love for Dorian Gray changes the way he sees art; indeed, it defines a new school of expression for him. Basil’s portrait of Dorian marks a new phase of his career.
What does the yellow book symbolize in Dorian Gray?
Most importantly, the yellow book represents the “poisonous” influence Lord Henry has on Dorian; Henry gives the book to Dorian as a kind of experiment, and it works horrifyingly well. Its hedonistic, decadent message makes it a kind of guide book for Dorian, who lives his whole life in pursuit of its ideals.