Taking place in England during the 1890s, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tells the tragic story of a young and beautiful man named Dorian Gray. Artist Basil Hallward becomes infatuated with Dorian and his beauty after capturing a glimpse of him at a party. Basil invites Dorian over to paint a portrait of him, but Dorian is soon swept under the influence of Basil 's friend, Lord Henry Wotton. He tells Dorian that beauty and youth are the essence of humans ' existence, and because of that, Dorian 's free-spirited attitude is diminished as he becomes extremely self conscious about his appearance. Eventually, the now unhappy Dorian Gray wishes his soul away for eternal youth and beauty. His soul becomes trapped in his portrait Basil
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However, the movement of aestheticism also plays a crucial role in Dorian 's downward spiral. The Aestheticism Movement during the 1800s s emphasized that art should be judged purely by beauty and form, rather than by any underlying moral or political message. Therefore, though a prominent leader of the movement, Oscar Wilde uses the emphasis of beauty over morality to show the dangers it brings about. The narrator states, "He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul" (Wilde 131). Dorian becomes immersed in the realization of his ageless beauty, and as an indirect result of that, he becomes even more obsessed with his flawed soul. While his bodily image is not affected by his wrongdoings, he has the constant reminder of his flaws hidden away in his picture. As claimed, "The painting is made to serve a moral purpose, being transformed from an object of beauty into a vile record of guilt, something bestial, sodden and unclean" (Buzwell). As the world around Dorian grows old, his slightly deranged and burdensome mind is horrified by his sin-filled painting. After reuniting with Basil Hallward after many years, Dorian agrees to show him the revolting portrait his friend once painted so beautifully. Out of disbelief, Basil jumps to the aid of helping Dorian get out his predicament. However, the delirious Dorian blames Basil for painting the picture and commits another sin to add to the decaying portrait. He picks up a knife and stabs Basil repeatedly. As Basil begins to bleed out, red blood stains appear on the hands of Dorian in the picture to represent the murder of his once good friend. Beauty had engulfed any drop of morality Dorian had
However, the movement of aestheticism also plays a crucial role in Dorian 's downward spiral. The Aestheticism Movement during the 1800s s emphasized that art should be judged purely by beauty and form, rather than by any underlying moral or political message. Therefore, though a prominent leader of the movement, Oscar Wilde uses the emphasis of beauty over morality to show the dangers it brings about. The narrator states, "He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul" (Wilde 131). Dorian becomes immersed in the realization of his ageless beauty, and as an indirect result of that, he becomes even more obsessed with his flawed soul. While his bodily image is not affected by his wrongdoings, he has the constant reminder of his flaws hidden away in his picture. As claimed, "The painting is made to serve a moral purpose, being transformed from an object of beauty into a vile record of guilt, something bestial, sodden and unclean" (Buzwell). As the world around Dorian grows old, his slightly deranged and burdensome mind is horrified by his sin-filled painting. After reuniting with Basil Hallward after many years, Dorian agrees to show him the revolting portrait his friend once painted so beautifully. Out of disbelief, Basil jumps to the aid of helping Dorian get out his predicament. However, the delirious Dorian blames Basil for painting the picture and commits another sin to add to the decaying portrait. He picks up a knife and stabs Basil repeatedly. As Basil begins to bleed out, red blood stains appear on the hands of Dorian in the picture to represent the murder of his once good friend. Beauty had engulfed any drop of morality Dorian had