Dorian Gray
A strikingly beautiful and impressionable young man whose portrait ages while he remains eternally youthful.
Core Belief
"Initially, Dorian believes in the importance of beauty and pleasure. As he becomes corrupted, he comes to believe that morality is irrelevant and that the pursuit of pleasure is the ultimate goal."
Worldview
Dorian's worldview shifts dramatically throughout the novel. At first, he sees the world as a place of beauty and potential. As he embraces hedonism, he comes to see it as a playground for his own desires, with little regard for the consequences of his actions on others.
Personality
Dorian is initially innocent and easily influenced, craving pleasure and beauty above all else. He becomes increasingly corrupted by Lord Henry's hedonistic philosophy and his own vanity, leading him down a path of moral decay and eventual despair. He is charming and charismatic, but also selfish and ultimately cruel.
In Their Own Words
"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June.... If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that—for that—I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!"
"You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don’t even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid."
"I am not the same, Harry. I wonder what the rest of your life will be. Don’t spoil it by renunciations. At present you are a perfect type. Don’t make yourself incomplete. You are quite flawless now."
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