THE
PICTURE
of Dorian Gray
Discussion Point:
Imagine having the power to remain
young and beautiful forever—without
working out, without having any special
medical procedures. What would be the
advantages? Disadvantages? Would you
wish to be given this power? Why/Why
not?
DOPPELGÄNGER
Literal meaning: “double goer”-- a
person’s ghostly counterpart; alter ego
DOPPELGÄNGERS
Clark Kent
Superman
Darth Vader
Anikin Skywalker
Peter Parker
Victor Frankenstein
Spiderman
Creature
picture that was to grow
old…I would give my
soul for that!”
“If it were I who was to be
always young, and the…
DOPPELGÄNGERS
Ja, but vhere did
zis doppelgänger
idea come from?
Sigmund
Freud
The idea of everyone
having an evil twin has
existed since ancient
folklore, but the term
“doppelgänger” was first
published in 1796.
However, psychologist
Sigmund Freud, who
lived during the
Victorian Age, developed
theories of the human
mind that may have
influenced writers such
as Oscar Wilde and
Robert Louis Stevenson.
Other Influences upon Wilde
FAUST– Like Dr. Faust,
Dorian makes an “eternal
bargain”—youth and beauty in
exchange for his soul. Lord
Henry acts as the chief tempter
who advises Dorian: “the only
way to get rid of a
temptation is to yield to it.
Resist it, and your soul
grows sick with longing.”
Other Influences upon Wilde
NARCISSUS – When Dorian sees his picture, he seems to
fall instantly in love with his own beauty. Like
Narcissus, he is unable to love anyone else, even
Sibyl. Echo falls in love with Narcissus and is harshly
rejected; Dorian treats Sibyl with equal cruelty. “You
simply produce no effect,” he tells her. Echo pines away
for love of Narcissus. Sibyl commits suicide for love of
Dorian. Narcissus cannot gain the thing he loves (his
own reflection); Dorian has "mad hungers" that grow the
more he feeds them. Narcissus seeks release from his body,
& wishes his reflection longer life; Dorian eventually seeks
release from the condition he had once wished. He feels a
strange pity for his other self: “A sense of infinite pity, not
for himself, but for the painted image of himself, came over
him.” Dorian later says: “I wish I could love, ... But I
seem to have lost the passion, and forgotten the desire. I
am too much concentrated on myself.”
Other Influences upon Wilde
PLATO – The Greek
Philosopher’s renowned work
Republic is a philosophical dialogue
between various characters. Book 2,
presents the myth of Gyges’ Ring,
which grants the power of invisibility
to its owner. Plato asks, “If one
came into possession of such a ring,
why should he act justly?” To which
Socrates replies that even if no one
can see one's physical appearance,
the soul is disfigured by the evils one
commits.
Other Influences upon Wilde
Dorian’s pursuit of passion increases after Lord Henry gives him
the “YELLOW BOOK,” which seems to act as a guide for his
personal journey. Like the protagonist of that novel, Dorian
spirals into a world of self-gratification and exotic sensations. The
book is based on a 19th century French novel À Rebours
(“Against Nature”), by Joris-Karl Huysmans, in which a decadent
and wealthy Frenchman indulges himself in a host of bizarre
sensory experiences. THE YELLOW BOOK has such an influence
on Dorian, one might argue that it leads to his downfall.
“There is no such
thing as a moral or
immoral book.”—
Oscar Wilde’s Preface
to Dorian Gray
WHY WOULD DORIAN, WHO IS AT FIRST SO
INNOCENT THAT HE IS “UNTAINTED” BY
LIFE, WISH TO INDULGE SO DEEPLY IN
THE FORBIDDEN PASSIONS OF
VICTORIAN SOCIETY?
From what did
Dorian wish to
be free?
RECALL THE EXTREME PROPRIETY AND STRICT
MORALS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA.
Pass me a
drumstick,
please.
Egad
I spy
an
ankle!
ankle
Notice the length of dresses, long
sleeves, and high collars.
PROBLEM: Dorian believes that his
“doppelgänger” allows him to live a “secret”
life of sin and indulgence while maintaining
the appearance of innocence and purity. This
allows him to live as he wishes in both parts
of society.
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN
GRAY IS A RESPONSE TO THE
EXTREMES OF VICTORIAN
SOCIETY
portrait
In a sense, the
allows Dorian to
separate his good side from his evil side—his
indulgent, uninhibited side from his proper,
strict and refined side. He could indulge in all
temptations without constraint and then return
to his “normal” living in the upper class. Why
doesn’t Dorian’s plan to live this “double life”
work?
What is Wilde’s message to his society? Does
the message still address today’s society? If
so, how? If not, what would need to change
about the story in order to better relate it to
Restraints
today?
of society?
Unfair
expectations
between social
classes?
Dual
personalities?
WILDE’S USE OF EPIGRAMS
Epigram: A short, witty
and often paradoxical
statement about life.
Epigrams express a single
idea and are usually
satirical. Oscar Wilde is
well-known for his use of
epigrams. His character
Lord Henry is called
“Prince Paradox” and is
constantly speaking in
epigrams.
Examples: “Nothing can
cure the soul but the senses,
just as nothing can cure the
senses but the soul.”
“The advantage of the
emotions is that they lead us
astray, and the advantage of
Science is that it is not
emotional.”
“Men marry because they
are tired; women because
they are curious: both are
disappointed.”
WILDE’S USE OF EPIGRAMS
Assignment: www.voki.com
1.) Create a doppelgänger of yourself
who will present three of your own
original epigrams.
2.) Create a second character as an
advertisement that would appeal to
someone living in Victorian society’s
upper OR lower class. Consider the
materialism and wealth of the upper
class, the extreme morals, Dorian’s
desires, etc. The ad may not run
longer than one minute.
3.) You will present your ad and
epigrams in class. If preferable, you
may create a video of your ad. You
may also draw or paint a portrait of
your doppelgänger.