8/9/2019 The views on morality in The Portrait of Dorian Gray

1/3

Badea Ioana Mihaela

Group 1, Year 2,

Victorian Literature Seminar

Seminar Instructor Alina Bottez

16.1.21!

Vie"s on Moralit# in $scar %ilde&s The Portrait of Dorian Gray

$scar %ilde states in the pre'ace o' The Portrait of Dorian Gray that ()here is no such

thin* as a moral or an immoral +oo. Boos are "ell "ritten, or +adl# "ritten. )hat is all.&

-%ilde and this is ho" he states his /ie" on art. )his essa# 'ocuses on the /ie"s on moralit# in

%ilde&s no/el, the no/el "as e0tremel# contro/ersial "hen it "as pu+lished, and its /arious

interpretations are not al"a#s to the ad/anta*e o' the "riter.

Lord enr# is the one that seduces the #oun* orian and someho" poisons his innocent

mind "ith the most3 there'ore orian ends up creatin* his o"n moral code "ith stron* in'luences

'rom enr#&s +elie's. But the thin* that de*raded orian the most "as The Yellow Book, he

accuses enr# o' the harm the +oo did to him and his moralit#. )his actuall# contradicts

%ilde&s /ie"s o' aesthetics, and he sli*htl# ridicules his character.

In his essa# 45ome See A+out Me 7nchantment o' the ou+le in )he 8icture o' orian

Gra#,9 5hristopher 5ra't compares orian "ith :arcissus, the Gree m#tholo*ical character that

'alls in lo/e "ith himsel'. orian ends up sel';a+sor+ed3 he is o+sessed "ith the portrait that

su''ers the mutilations and e''ects o' his actions. As :arcissus is 'illed up "ith himsel' 'or "hole

his li'e, the same is 'or orian "ho steps into delirium "hen decidin* to 'ollo" enr#&s

philosoph#. orian Gra# e0poses the immoralit# o' sel' a+sorption, as orian&s portrait

+ecomes more dis'i*ured "ith each one o' orian&s sel'ish acts.& -u**an 6

8/9/2019 The views on morality in The Portrait of Dorian Gray

2/3

mere sensation and pleasure, tries to ill conscience, and at that moment ills himsel'.& -St. =ames&s

Gazette, %ilde.

orian li/es a purel# aesthetic li'e, he disre*ards all social moral codes, and creates his o"n, he

is a representati/e character 'or the a+solute aesthetic li'est#le, +ut (his +eha/ior ultimatel# ills

him and others, and he dies unhappier than e/er. >ather than an ad/ocate 'or pure aestheticism,

then, orian Gra# is a cautionar# tale in "hich %ilde illustrates the dan*ers o' the aesthetic

philosoph# "hen not practiced "ith prudence.& -u**an 62. As the "riter himsel' states the

no/el ("as intended to +e understood +# the readers to descri+e the relations, intimacies and

passions o' certain persons *uilt# o' unnatural practices& -Mason, that are in the end "ithout

e0ception punished or /ictims o' their o"n 'ate.

In 5hapter t"o Lord enr# tals to orian a+out the return o' the (ellenic Ideal& o' li'e

"here, the main 'ocus is on +eaut#, +ut "hich implies a denial o' sel';denial. )his (ideal&disre*ards the idea o' sin, and sin is seen onl# as a super'icial ima*e created +# humans. Sin is

seen onl# as a product o' the human mind, it should not ha/e an# e''ect on the +od#, +ut as the

no/el 'ollo"s, orian&s portrait chan*es proportionall# "ith the sins he commits, so this "ould

lead to the idea that orian is a prisoner o' his consciousness, and cannot renounce the sicness

his soul +ears.

In m# opinion Lord enr# is the one that creates the monster that orian has +ecome. e

pushes the #oun* orian to 'ollo" his philosoph# and seduces him "ith the s"eetest "ords, +ut

he ne/er sho"s an# proo' that he 'ollo"s his o"n +elie's. orian is 'or him merel# an o+?ect o'

stud#, althou*h he is sustainer o' sin, he is not a sinner, +ut he 'orces orian to +ecome one in

order 'or him to o+ser/e "hat e''ect the# ha/e. e is stron*l# a*ainst modern moralit# and is in

'a/or o' a sel';determined moralit#, +ut he ne/er applies an# o' his deran*ed +elie's.

In conclusion $scar %ilde&s The Portrait of Dorian Grayis e/en toda# a contro/ersial

no/el, +ecause it still contradicts man# reli*ious and moral codes. )he "riter states in the pre'ace

o' the +oo that & In "ritin* a pla# or a +oo I am concerned entirel# "ith literature, that is, "ith

art. I aim not at doin* *ood or e/il, +ut in tr#in* to mae a thin* that "ill ha/e some @ualit# o'

+eaut#.&-%ilde. So it is clear that the moralit# descri+ed in the +oo is not to o''end the pu+lic

and the reader, +ut to create art and send a po"er'ul messa*e. Men are to +e consumed +# their

o"n e0cessi/e desires3 desires that are impossi+le to +ear, +ecause humans are limited, thus the#

cannot de'# the la"s o' nature and in the end the# "ill su''er the conse@uences o' their actions.

8/9/2019 The views on morality in The Portrait of Dorian Gray

3/3

%ors 5ited

1. 5ra't, 5hristopher. 45ome See A+out Me 7nchantment o' the ou+le in )he 8icture

o' orian Gra#.9 >epresentations 1 -2!

2. u**an, 8atric. =ournal o' the 5AS %ritin* 8ro*ram. 7d. e+orah Breen.The

Conflict Between Aestheticism an !orality in "scar #iles The Pict$re of Dorian

Gray-2 61;6C. #ww.%$.e$. %e+. 1< =an. 21!.

DhttpEE""".+u.eduE"ritin*pro*ramE'ilesE2E11E"r?ournal1du**an.pd'F.

. Mason, Stuart. )7 M$>ALI)Y $H $>IA: G>AY.Art an !orality& a

Defence of 'The Pict$re of Dorian Gray'London =aco+s, 1C. :. pa*. 8rint.

httpEE""".*uten+er*.or*E'ilesE6CE6C;hE6C;

h.htm)7JM$>ALI)YJ$HJ$>IA:JG>AY