Compare or contrast The Picture of Dorian Gray to the Faust legend
Compare or contrast The Picture of Dorian Gray to the Faust legend, making direct references to both stories. Consider motivation, character development,
Compare or contrast The Picture of Dorian Gray to the Faust legend
Compare or contrast The Picture of Dorian Gray to the Faust legend, making direct references to both stories (at least 1 quote from each story).
We have copies of the play in our anthologies we used last semester (it is on my webpage).
Consider motivation, character development, reader sympathy, thematic ideas, conclusion, etc. 700 words minimum.
More Details:
Dorian Gray is a novel telling the rather Gothic story of a young man whom the book owes its name to.
Dorian is introduced to the readers as being the adored subject of a painter named
Basil Hallward who paints his best work in the opening chapters – Dorian’s portrait.
However also present in these first scenes is a character named Lord Henry Wotton
who encourages Dorian to seek a more hedonistic life, based on beauty and self fulfillment.
It is at this point that Dorian exclaims his wish that the picture should take all of the knocks of the world and he himself should never age.
However this lifestyle comes with a price and Dorian becomes obsesse d with is
portrait, often being impresse d with the evil of his soul but also committing several odd
behaviours in order that no one else should ever set eyes on it.
Furthermore everyone around him seems to die or fall under some great misfortune and
it soon becomes obvious to society that even though Dorian has money and therefore status, he is still a character to be avoide d.
Finally however, Dorian decides that he is being silly and that he shouldn’t allow himself to be ruled over by a portrait and so he stabs it but in doing so, restores the portrait to its original appearance and unintentionally takes his own life.