The scandalous novel "Portrait of Dorian Gray", which came out of the pen of Oscar Wilde in 1890, remains relevant today. It is read, discussed and recommended. Today we’ll talk about the main characters and track the changes using a quote characterization.
Prologue from Oscar Wilde
The words of the author play a big role in the whole book. But the prologue helps the reader to understand that he will then have an unusual journey into the world of art, aesthetics and pleasures. Ahead of events, Wilde insists that "there are no books of moral or immorality, there are good or poorly written books - that’s all." The attitude to art expressed by him will be reflected in each character individually.
Dorian Gray's quote
Arriving in London, the young Dorian Gray immediately began to join the high society, where he first met with the artist Basil Halluod, and then with Henry (Harry) Watton, who actually shaped his future destiny. The youth felt sincerity, innocence and chastity, he smiled a lot and was not worried about anything thanks to the inheritance, as evidenced by the quotation characteristic. At first, Dorian Gray was not attracted to the entertainment of high society, he did not think about vices.
Before meeting Henry Watton, the young man was well-mannered and dreamed of love, had his own, provincial (as Henry would say) outlook on life. When Wotton criticizes women for constantly demanding something from men, Dorian steps up to defend them and objects to him. According to the unspoiled (so far) youth, women are worthy of respect and have every right to demand reciprocity, as they give men the best that they have - love.
Falling under the influence of the charismatic Harry, Dorian begins to change. Changes in it spoil everything clean, including relations with Sybil Wayne. A girl kills herself, unable to stop loving him. The tragedy is that Doriana does not touch this, he does not consider himself responsible for what happened.
There comes a time when a young man begins to get tired of himself, and his speeches become very similar to the philosophy of Henry Wotton. Instead of the young man in love, who was looking for simple happiness, we still see a young, seemingly young one, but another Dorian Gray: he insists that he sought only pleasures in life, and he never needed happiness.
Henry (Harry) Wotton: Character Characterization
Henry Wotton is a family man who, however, is unhappy in marriage. Departing from the realities of an unbearable, boring life, he professes only one religion, and this is hedonism. The main thing in life is not moral principles, but pleasure and beauty. “Your life is the most important thing,” is his brief quotation. Dorian Gray is immensely attracted by the difference between Henry and the rest, his courage and cynicism. It was Harry who became for him a guide to the world of pleasure.
Love does not exist, there is only a feeling and desire, most people are in love only with the image of love - says Wotton Dorianu. And the young man who was in love and believed in love begins to grow stale. The world would become better and much more joyful if every person could give an expression to his every thought, to every feeling that arises in him, Harry believes, and Dorian begins to bring his life in line with this statement.
We can say that in the novel, Henry Wotton is a theorist of hedonism, and Dorian Gray is a practitioner who decided to test his viability.
Portrait of Dorian Gray: a quote from artist Basil Hallward
Basil Hallward is an artist. It serves art - and this reflects its quote characteristic. He met Dorian Gray at a social gathering, and they immediately became friends. The beauty of the young man - pure and innocent - shocked him to the core. The portrait of Dorian turned out best from what he painted until then.
“An artist must create beautiful works of art without bringing anything from his personal life into them,” Basil says and violates this rule. He admits to Lord Henry that he put too much of himself in the portrait of Dorian Gray and therefore cannot send him to any exhibition.
“It often occurs to me that art hides the artist to a much greater extent than reveals him,” Basil argues, but this is only a theory that has nothing to do with his work after meeting Dorian. It is to this character that most of the quotes are about the art of the artist.
So, pleasure as the basis of life and the consequence of this choice is how Dorian Gray thinks. The quotation of the characters in the novel allows us to add a certain opinion about them and the book. Nevertheless, it is worth reading the book completely in order to understand its relevance in the modern world and to enjoy Oscar Wilde’s imaginative, rich prose.