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Personality In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

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A youthful, special personality lies in the heart of a man that inspires a painter’s best work. It is intricate, kind, pure, and a wonderful focus for portraits and paintings alike. This youth is sadly robbed by a close friend who changes past thought and leads the man to a life that terminates out of evil. Dorian Gray, the man of interest for corruption in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, has a convoluted personality, giving him many different companions in the story. Fatefully, he meets the artist Basil at a party due to Basil’s interest in Dorian’s striking personality. Lord Henry’s charisma and charm draw Dorian to him when first introduced at Basil’s home. Sibyl Vane, an actress that Dorian fell in love with at first sight when …show more content…

The first occurrence of this characteristic takes place when Basil describes Dorian to Lord Henry with approbation and protection for Dorian’s personality. Wilde writes: “Don’t take away from me the one person who gives my art whatever charm it possesses” (Wilde 10). Dorian gives life and “charm” to Basil’s art, hence, the painter grows defensive of the unique qualities that compose Dorian’s personality, most importantly his youthfulness. As a result, Basil strives to display Dorian’s persona to the best of his ability in his pieces. In Basil’s eyes, the portraits represent “the best work of my life” (Wilde 7). Similarly, Dorian’s strong character and manners mesmerize Sibyl as well. The author states: “He is called prince charming… If only you saw him, you would think him the most wonderful person in the world” (Wilde 49). It would seem that Wilde coined the name “Prince Charming” to indicate that Dorian saved Sibyl, possibly from her false reality of acting that she absorbed herself into each evening. Sibyl admires Dorian the way that a damsel in distress would look up to her hero. Furthermore, Basil and Sibyl recognize Dorian as an inspiration, as it appears they have the utmost faith in him because he saved something important to each of them: art, and passion in

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