The Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis - 830 Words

It can be argued that appearances have much to do with the perception of characters in literature. The way a character looks can have a great effect on both the way other characters interact with them and the way the characters themselves interact with both their own thoughts and the world around them. In the works chosen, the appearances of the characters to be analyzed fall on opposite ends of the spectrum of aestheticism. Dorian Gray, from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray possesses an â€Å"...extraordinary personal beauty (Wilde 1),† one that controls other character’s reception of him, as well as affecting his own inner thoughts, for he knows that he seen as beautiful. On the opposite side of the spectrum lies the Creature from†¦show more content†¦Focusing strictly on the development of only two characers will strengthen the argument by narrowing the scope to the research the question has put forth. By doing this, it will prevent the additi on of ineffectual tangents and similar off-topic investigations. The sources that have been used in this investigation have been limited to the two texts themselves. This allows the material to be purely at the subject of interpretation of the reader, and thus compiled into an essay of one investigative source. In reading the two novels, prior knowledge from analyzing literary works was administered in annotating and taking notes from the works. The backgrounds of the authors and literary eras have been researched using basic history texts, to provide context to the essay. On the subject of the historical backgrounds of the texts, the time periods of the two novels are different. The Picture of Dorian Gray takes place in the Victorian Era, roughly in the 1890’s. Frankenstein, however, takes place in a much earlier time period, in the early 1800s. Both of the novels were written in an era of gothic revival, where dark themes and gothic styles of writing were coming into play again. The setting for both of the novels is Europe, but The Pictur e of Dorian Gray exists solely in Great Britain, while Frankenstein transpires from Switzerland to the northern ice sheets to Scotland. The settings both provide a similar mood to the novelsShow MoreRelatedThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis863 Words   |  4 Pagesaffect the main characters in the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the short story, Face, based on their external appearances, which creates many differences, but ultimately leads to some major similarities in the lives of the main characters. Both of the main characters have something extraordinary about their outward appearances. Dorian Gray has the gift of youth and beauty, while the main character in Face has a large birthmark covering half of his face. The main characters are affected inRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray Character Analysis1860 Words   |  8 PagesIn Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray a beautiful young man gets to stay young because a portrait receives all the si gns of aging and sin. Although the portrait grows truly grotesque with the marks of sin, Dorian gets to continue on his path of immorality. Yet, when he stabs the portrait to free his conscience, he dies because he has killed the essence of who he is. In the novel, Wilde uses the ideals of conscience and beauty to reveal how affixation with one’s outward appearance willRead MoreOscar Fingal O Flahertie Wilde1533 Words   |  7 PagesConstance Lloyd. During the first years of his marriage, he had two children, Cyril and Vyvyan, and had become a successful writing reviewer. He also became a famous playwright and novel author; releasing his only, yet successful novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. 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Therefore, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, both Sibyl Vane and Lady Henry are weak, flighty, and naive.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The weakness ofRead MoreThe Relationship between Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton1374 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is a story about debauchery and corruption of innocence and well known as a Gothic melodrama. Violent twists and a sneaky plot make this novel a distinct reflection of human pride and corrupt nature. Before we examine the quality of the error that Dorian Gray commits, we should first examine his friends and their relation to him because Dorian falls into this error with a little help from his friends. 1. The relationship between Dorian Gray and BasilRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1778 Words   |  8 PagesXI of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the eponymous character, Dorian, practices escapist behavior. 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Wilde, comparable to a puppeteer, manipulates each character in order to ultimately depict the ideas behind aestheticism; he plays upon each characters eternal search for contentment, their connections with their innerRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Oscar Wilde s Work Essay1786 Words   |  8 Pages Literary Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s work. Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. He is viewed as one of the best dramatists of the Victorian Era. Besides literary accomplishments, he is also famous, or perhaps infamous, for his intelligence, showiness, and affairs with men. He was tried and imprisoned for his homosexual relationship (then considered a crime). In the wake of writing in various structures all through the 1880s, heRead MoreLiterary Criticism Of Oscar Wilde s The Canterville Ghost And The Picture Of Dorian Gray Essay2157 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of characters, plot and literary criticism of Oscar Wilde’s Novel â€Å"The Canterville Ghost† and â€Å"The Picture of Dorian Gray† Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. He is viewed as one of the best dramatists of the Victorian Era. Besides literary accomplishments, he is also famous, or perhaps or notorious, for his intelligence, showiness, and affairs with men. He was tried and imprisoned for his homosexual relationship (then considered a crime)Read MoreThe Balance of Dorian Grays Structure of Personality in Oscar Wildes Novel the Picture of Dorian Gray: a Study of Psychoanalysis3447 Words   |  14 PagesTHE BALANCE OF DORIAN GRAY’S STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY IN OSCAR WILDE’S NOVEL THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: A STUDY OF PSYCHOANALYSIS Background of the study Human lives with their desire though some of their desire are failed to deliver because of the norms border. As a human, we live in a community and it is impossible to do as we please. Norms play the role as law where it limits our behavior and make the standard law points about what we can do or what we cannot do. This law usually opposes