Dorian Gray is a fictional character and the protagonist of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's 1890 novel ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

''. He is an aristocratic Victorian

man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromos ...

Background

Dorian is the grandson of the late Lord Kelso. Dorian's mother, Lady Margaret Devereux, was portrayed as a beautiful aristocrat who married below her class without the consent of her father. Lord Kelso then paid a man to provoke Dorian's father, a junior military officer, into a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

, leading to the death of Dorian's father. Margaret then returned to Kelso's home, but died soon after. It is revealed that Lord Kelso raised Dorian until Kelso's death, but that the two had a mutual dislike for each other.

Plot

The novel's plot varies among the published versions. The summary below deals with the longest version, the 1891 novel. However, certain episodes describe in particular Dorian's encounter with (and subsequent murder of) James Vane. This does not appear in the version originally submitted by Wilde for publishing. ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' begins on a summer day in Victorian England, where Lord Henry Wotton, an opinionated man, is observing the sensitive artist Basil Hallward painting a portrait of Dorian Gray, a handsome young man, who is Basil's ultimate muse. While posing for the painting, Dorian listens to Lord Henry espousing his

hedonistic Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...

worldview and begins to think that pursuits of pleasure are the only things in life worth pursuing. This prompts Dorian to wish that his painted image would age instead of himself. Under the hedonistic influence of Lord Henry, Dorian fully explores his sensuality. He discovers the actress Sibyl Vane, who performs Shakespeare in a dingy working-class theatre. Dorian approaches and courts her and soon proposes marriage. The enamored Sibyl calls him "Prince Charming" and swoons with elation at the prospect of true love. However, her protective brother James warns that if "Prince Charming" harms her, he will murder him. Dorian invites Basil and Lord Henry to see Sibyl perform, but she is too enamored with Dorian to act and performs poorly. This causes both Basil and Lord Henry to think that Dorian has fallen in love with Sibyl because of her beauty instead of her acting talent. Embarrassed, Dorian rejects Sibyl, telling her that acting was her beauty and without that, she no longer interests him. On returning home, Dorian notices that the portrait has changed; his wish has come true, and the man in the portrait bears a subtle sneer of cruelty. Conscience-stricken and lonely, Dorian resolves to reconcile with Sibyl, but he is too late as Lord Henry informs him that Sibyl has committed suicide by swallowing

prussic acid Hydrogen cyanide, sometimes called prussic acid, is a chemical compound with the formula HCN and structure . It is a colorless, extremely poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is produced on an in ...

. Dorian then understands that, where his life is headed, lust and good looks will serve him well. He locks the portrait up, and over the following eighteen years, he experiments with every vice possible, influenced by a morally poisonous French novel that Lord Henry Wotton gave him. The narrative does not reveal the title of the French novel, but, at trial, Wilde said that the novel referred to in ''Dorian Gray'' was ''

À rebours ''À rebours'' (; translated ''Against Nature'' or ''Against the Grain'') is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive, ailing aesthete. The l ...

'' (''Against Nature'', 1884) by

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel ''À rebou ...

, but then denied that the book is the one to which he referred. One night, before leaving for Paris, Basil visits Dorian's house to ask him about various rumors regarding his vulgar self-indulgence. Dorian does not deny his debauchery and takes Basil to see the portrait. The portrait has become so hideous that Basil is only able to identify it as his work by the signature that he affixes to all his portraits. Basil is horrified and beseeches Dorian to pray for salvation. In anger, Dorian blames his fate on Basil and stabs him to death. Dorian then calmly blackmails an old friend, the scientist Alan Campbell, into using his knowledge of chemistry to destroy the body. Alan later takes his own life as a result of the shameful collaboration. To escape the guilt of his crime, Dorian goes to an opium den, where James Vane is unknowingly present. James had been seeking vengeance upon Dorian ever since Sibyl killed herself, but he had no leads to pursue; the only thing he knew about Dorian was the name Sibyl called him, "Prince Charming". In the opium den, however, he hears someone refer to Dorian as "Prince Charming", and he accosts Dorian. Dorian deceives James into believing he is too young to have known Sibyl, who killed herself eighteen years earlier, as his face is still that of a young man. James relents and releases Dorian, but is then approached by a woman from the opium den who reproaches James for not killing him. She confirms the man was Dorian Gray and explains that he has not aged in eighteen years. James runs after Dorian, but he has left. James then begins to stalk Dorian, causing him to fear for his life. However, during a shooting party, one of its members accidentally kills James Vane, who was lurking in a thicket. On returning to London, Dorian tells Lord Henry that he will live righteously from then on. His new probity begins with a resolution not to break the heart of the naïve Hetty Merton, his current romantic interest. Dorian wonders if his new-found goodness has reverted the corruption in the picture, but when he looks, he sees only an even uglier image of himself. From that, Dorian understands that his true motives for moral reformation were, in fact, immoral, due to their being merely a means to a selfish end. Deciding that only full confession will absolve him of his wrongdoing, Dorian decides to destroy the only piece of evidence remaining of his crimes – the picture. In a rage, he takes the knife with which he murdered Basil and stabs the picture. The servants of the house awaken on hearing a cry from the locked room; on the street, a passerby who also heard the cry calls the police. On entering the locked room, the servants find an unknown old man, stabbed in the heart, his face and figure withered and decrepit. The servants identify the disfigured corpse as Dorian by the rings on its fingers; beside him is the picture of Dorian Gray, restored to its original beauty.

Depictions on screen

* '' Dorian Grays Portræt'' (1910) *: Directed by Axel Strøm *: Starring

Valdemar Psilander Valdemar Einar Psilander (9 May 1884 – 6 March 1917) was a Danish silent film actor, who was the highest-paid performer of his period and received critical acclaim as the greatest male lead during the golden era of Danish cinema. Biography Ear ...

as Dorian Gray * ''

'' (1913) *: Directed by

Phillips Smalley Wendell Phillips Smalley (August 7, 1865 – May 2, 1939) was an American silent film director and actor. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was the grandson of Wendell Phillips; he was the son of George Washburn Smalley, a war correspon ...

*: Starring

Wallace Reid William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver. Early life Reid was born in St. Louis, M ...

as Dorian Gray * ''

'' (1915) *: Directed by Eugene Moore * ''The Picture of Dorian Grey'' (1916) *: Directed by

Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...

and Mikhail Doronin * ''

'' (1916) *: Directed by Fred W Durrant;

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by Rowland Talbot *: Starring Henry Victor as Dorian Gray * Das Bildnis des Dorian Gray (1917)

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'' (1917) *: Directed by

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; screenplay by Richard Oswald *: Starring Bernd Aldor as Dorian Gray * ''

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'' (1918) *: Directed by Alfréd Deésy; screenplay by József Pakots *: Starring Norbert Dán as Dorian Gray * Hurd Hatfield in The Picture of Dorian Gray trailer

Hurd Hatfield in The Picture of Dorian Gray trailer

'' (1945) *: Directed by

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; screenplay by Albert Lewin *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''

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: The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (1961) (

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) *: Directed by

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*: Starring

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...

as Dorian Gray * ''Golden Showcase: The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (1961) (

) *: Directed by

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; screenplay by Jacqueline Babbin and Audrey Maas *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * '' El Retrato de Dorian Gray'' (1969): A

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produced by

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*: Directed and produced by

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*: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''

Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

'', also known as ''The Evils of Dorian Gray'' or ''The Secret of Dorian Gray''(1970) *: Directed by Massimo Dallamano; screenplay by Marcello Coscia; Massimo Dallamano and Günter Ebert *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (1973) (

) *: Directed by Glenn Jordan; screenplay by John Tomerlin *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''

'' (1976) (made-for-television) *: Directed by John Gorrie; screenplay by

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*: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''Le Portrait de Dorian Gray'' (1977) *: Directed by

Pierre Boutron Pierre Boutron (born 11 November 1947 in Portugal) is a French actor and director. He is married to actress Magali Renoir. Biography Pierre Boutron is a well-known TV director. His ''Des enfants dans les arbres'' or ''Les Faux-fuyants'' was a g ...

; screenplay by Pierre Boutron *: Starring Patrice Alexsandre as Dorian Gray * ''The Sins of Dorian Gray'' (1983) (made-for-television) *: Directed by

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; screenplay by Ken August and Peter Lawrence *: Starring Belinda Bauer as a female Dorian Gray *:: This version sees Dorian Gray as an actress and photographic model who becomes immortal, while an audition tape she made ages for her. * ''

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'' (2003) *: Directed by

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, produced by (and starring)

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*: Starring

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as Dorian Gray (in this movie, well above 20, considered "immortal", impervious to weapons, and killed by seeing his own portrait) * ''

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'', also known as ''Dorian'' (2004) *: Directed by Allan A. Goldstein; screenplay by Peter Jobin and Ron Raley *: Starring

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as Louis/Dorian * ''Dorian'' (2004) *: Written and Directed by Brendan Dougherty Russo *: Starring Andrew Vanette as Dorian Gray * ''

'' (2004) *: Directed by David Rosenbaum; screenplay by David Rosenbaum *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (2006) *: Directed by Duncan Roy; screenplay by Duncan Roy *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (2007) *: Directed by Jon Cunningham; screenplay by Jon Cunningham and Deborah Warner * ''The Picture (of Dorian Gray)'' (2009) *: Directed by Jonathan Courtemanche; script by Neal Utterback *: Starring Hanna Dillon, Lawrence Evans, and Miles Heymann * ''

'' (2009) *: Directed by

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; screenplay by Toby Finlay *: Starring Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray * ''

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'' (2014–2016) *: Created by John Logan *: Starring

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as Dorian Gray * ''

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'' (2018–2019) *: Created by

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*: Starring Jedidiah Goodacre as Dorian Gray

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Dorian Literary characters introduced in 1890 Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils Fictional lords and ladies Fictional characters with immortality Fictional characters with slowed ageing Fictional suicides Male characters in literature