Essay Database

In London, England, the well-known artist Basil Hallward becomes obsessed with the beauty of a wealthy young gentleman, Dorian Gray. He paints Dorian's portrait, and introduces him to Lord Henry Wotton, a clever nobleman who enjoys embracing the sensibilities of his friends by advocating selfishness, praising youth and beauty, and celebrating the pursuit of pleasure. Dorian, captivated with Lord Henry's ideas, looks at his beautiful portrait and wishes impulsively that its image would grow old, …

…believes himself to be in love with Sibyl Vane, in fact he only loves her artistic ability as an actress, and while Lord Henry praises him for this, the novel does not, contrasting his false, artistic love, with her true, self-giving adoration. And appearing over all these events is the painting itself the perfect example of "morality" in art, for it provides a portrait not of the natural world but of its owner's own soul.