Paradoxical Epigrams In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde is known for his wit, which is expressed through his countless epigrams. Specifically, many are stated in The Picture of Dorian Gray, a novel that discusses the imitation of life through art. Dorian Gray, the titular protagonist, never ages; instead, a portrait of him does. He is influenced into immoral activities by Lord Henry, who is often seen as a Devilish figure. Dorian is inspired by—but later kills—Basil Hallward, an artist known for his lavish paintings. All three characters, but Lord Henry particularly, contribute a fair share of paradoxical epigrams to foreshadow and explain the novel’s course, allowing the novel’s truth to be “seen around a corner.” One of the novel’s most well-known proverbs is when Lord Henry …show more content…
He states this proverb to Dorian after Dorian tells Henry that he murdered Basil Hallward. Lord Henry does not believe Dorian’s words, and replies with this proverb, saying that crime is simply a method for one to “procure…ordinary sensations” (242). The urge to utilize crime for sensational purposes is supported by Dorian’s blunt breakup with Sibyl Vane. After Sibyl describes how Dorian has provoked feelings of love in her, Dorian says, “You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don’t even stir my curiosity. You simply produced no effect…You are shallow and stupid…What are you now? A third-rate actress with a pretty face” (98). He ends the conversation by saying, “You have disappointed me” (100). This act, while not a crime, is very blunt and imprudent, resulting in vulgarity. Although this proves half of Lord Henry’s adage to be true, the other half is proved true in the next chapter, when Wilde writes of Sibyl’s death: “I have no doubt it was not an accident, Dorian, though it must be put in that way to the public…They ultimately found [Sibyl] lying dead on the floor of her dressing-room. She had swallowed something by mistake…as she seems to have died instantaneously” (111). Dorian is in a state of disbelief, and in response to Lord Henry says, “So I have murdered Sibyl Vane” (111). Dorian’s original vulgar act resulted in the crime of Sibyl’s death, which …show more content…
Dorian kills Basil and stabs his portrait to help numb his pain, both of which are examples showing how “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul” (23). Similarly, Lord Henry’s expression that, “all crime is vulgar, just as all vulgarity is crime” is supported by Dorian’s brisk breakup with Sibyl, and her resulting suicide (242). With all of Dorian’s crimes coming “full-circle,” it comes as a surprise that one of Lord Henry’s epigrams was not “What goes around, comes