Basil's Murder In 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'

95 Words1 Page

The climax of the story is when Dorian murdered Basil. Basil has been the moral center of the novel, serving as a foil to both Lord Henry and Dorian. Basil's murder is the ultimate act of insanity that Dorian commits and illustrates Dorian’s permanent moral decay. Dorian is seized by a profound and primitive anger that urges him to act instinctively. His hatred of Basil comes from the painting. Even though Dorian uttered the wish for eternal youth himself, he blames Basil for the picture and every single sin and evil that he has committed.

Show More
Related

  • 'The Changeling' - The ending

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    To conclude, through his masterful use of setting, symbolism and characterisation, Robin Jenkins portrays the horrific consequences of people’s failure to alleviate the suffering of those less fortunate. This horrific consequence is represented as Tom’s suicide at the end of the novel, which is definitely unexpected when the reader compares his initial character to the needy, despairing character he became towards the end. This results in a powerful and harrowing novel which certainly leaves a bitter taste in the reader’s mouth, forcing them to think about their own lives and what they may be doing to help others.

    Read More

  • Bad Relationships In Dorian Gray

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    Basil Hallward is the person who Dorian really destroys. He is a well-known artist whose life is turned upside down when he meets Dorian. He is so taken by Dorian's beauty that he virtually falls in love with him. Dorian then serves as his artis...

    Read More

  • The Pupil Exceeds the Master: The Authentic Dandy within The Portrait of Dorian Gray

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s to live and experience as much as you can in the short time you are allotted. He shows how art can help an individual experience moments of exhilaration, but he also warns that one should connect to the innate beauty of art rather than impose their own morality into art. Though Dorian Gray fails to separate his own morality from art he is the character that most accurately illustrates Pater’s philosophy. Henry does illustrate the ideals of Pater’s philosophy through his dialogue, but the reader must not ignore Basil’s firm belief against Henry’s dedication to the words that he preaches. As Dorian embodies the ideals of Pater he also shows the dangerous side of Pater’s philosophy. Pater’s philosophy is not naturally corrupt, but when Dorian chooses to ignore morality through the murder of Basil he shows the wicked extremes to which Pater’s philosophy can be taken.

    Read More

  • Symbolism of the Scaffold in The Scarlet Letter

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...rted” (233) that the cuckold’s bore once he realized his failure, symbolizing the total downfall of the antagonist. In contrast to the previous scenes, this final passage gave Dimmesdale absolute control of the situation and took away his former feebleness so that his final moments further emphasize the divine qualities of his repentance.

    Read More

  • Morality In C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength And Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    youthfulness, naivety, and lack of experience. Dorian Gray listens to Lord Henry due to the lack of a

    Read More

  • Realization of the imitation

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    Basil goes to speak to Dorian to tell to him of the rumors they have been spreading. Many people believe him to be immoral and a corrupting influence that must be avoided to keep one’s good name. Hearing such rumors trouble Basil because he worships Dorian so strongly and is so devoted to him. He even refuses to exhibit the portrait of Dorian, the imitation he made, “Because, without intending it, I have put into it some expression of all this curious idolatry.” (13 Wilde) Basil feared that the world would be able to tell how much he adored Dorian. Continuing his conversation, Basil claims “but you, Dorian with your pure, bright, innocent face, and your marvelous untroubled youth—I can’t believe anything against you.” (127 Wilde) Which is to say that Basil believes that when one commits sin it changes the man’s outward appearance, corrupting him and since Dorian is beautiful he is without sin...

    Read More

  • Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: Looks Can Kill

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Have you ever heard the saying, "If looks could kill"? Well, they can. Oscar Wilde reveals how looks can be charming, deceitful and even deadly.

    Read More

  • Soul In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    1322 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story starts with Basil gushing about Dorian. He does not want Lord Henry to have anything to do with him. When he finds that their meeting is inevitable

    Read More

  • The Cost Of Revenge In Hamlet

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    Humanity’s most motivational instinct is revenge. It is this inclination that is the catalyst which has brought about pivotal historical events forever shaping society today. Revenge is a defining characteristic of humans, intent on inflicting harm upon another who has wronged them in some way. It is this internal lust for reprisal which William Shakespeare explores in the play Hamlet to create the ultimate ambition of the protagonist. Each of Hamlet’s actions brings him closer to enacting his retaliation against his father’s killer. The repercussions of his actions, however, dramatically alter the storyline as other characters suffer and change, such as Ophelia, due to his actions. Hamlet’s carelessness in turn, creates

    Read More

  • Good And Evil In Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the novel, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth have conflict between good and evil signified by light and dark imagery. Good and evil exist in each character, but each person gets to decide which will win. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s lives were controlled by the darkness that lived inside of them, while Hester overcame the evil and let the good shine through. Overcoming the evil inside is the true test that everyone must

    Read More

  • The Vixen and Immortal: A Comparison of Brett Ashley and Dorian Gray

    1521 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dorian Gray loses his eternal youth due to his disconnect with the world, but to realize this disconnect the reader must first examine the context for his connections to Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. Nikolai Enders examines these relationships within his article, “Platonic Love and Closet Eros in...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Conscience In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dorian goes from having childlike innocent to deep depravity in four steps (McCollister 20). First Dorian is painted by Basil. Second Dorian falls into and out of love with Sibyl. Third Dorian surrenders himself to Lord Henry’s influence (maybe the surname Lord has a double meaning in that case), and finally Dorian with his own soul, making his defining decision in an all-out display of Wilde’s candid style stabbing himself (McCollister

    Read More

  • Corruption in Denmark

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare is famous for many plays and the tragedies that fall upon them. Hamlet is a play of a young man who saw his father’s ghost who demands vengeance for his death. The hero while trying to kill his stepfather finds him trying to be a villain. What lays out for the hero can he truly avenge his father’s death? If not will he crumble and turn mad himself with all the dilemmas around him? The tears, effort, laughter, and all frustrations the audience has to go through to find about almost the whole main cast wiped out. However for Hamlet to not only avenge his father, but to stay sane through the end. While many of these problems come from the corruption of other characters, may it be forced upon them or accepting with open arms, many of the characters go mad to the end. Shakespeare uses the dramatic elements of plot, characters, and dialogue to illustrate the theme of corruption in Hamlet.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

    2392 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...n goes on to murder Basil in a moment of pure hatred, allowing Lord Henry to ultimately succeed in his aims of winning Dorian’s soul.

    Read More

  • Picture of Dorian Gray: Influence, Corruption and Conscience

    3042 Words  | 7 Pages

    Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, explores the themes of influence, corruption and conscience. “The obvious influence of Lord Henry upon Dorian shows how one may corrupt another to such an extent that one's own conscience withers and dies”(Weintraub 116).

    Read More

More about Basil's Murder In 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'

Open Document