Le portrait de Dorian Gray d'Oscar Wilde

The character of a novel is a being of paper, a creation of the author who shares feelings and to which the reader can identify himself. Oscar Wilde is an author of the 19th century. He has written many novels including The Portrait of Dorian Gray which was published in 1890. The passage we have to study is a chapter 13 extract. Dorian and Basil are at Dorian and he is preparing to confess his secret to his friend about the painting. The first confrontation on this subject between the two men took place in chapter 2. In the excerpt that we will see, Dorian reveals his secret to Basil and he is horrified by what he sees. Following this, Dorian is taken of some madness and kills him. How does this passage mark a turning point in the work? We will see first that this passage is a scene of murder before seeing that we are immersed in a mysterious universe. Finally, we will see that Dorian Gray seems to be a possessed character.

Firstly, this passage is a scene of murder.

The suspense is a big part in the novel. Indeed, everything that happens before the murder is extremely slow. We have a lot of description with many details that make the suspense last. You want to know what is happening next. For example the whole description of the furniture in the room: « a faded Flemish tapestry » line 22, « a curtained picture », « an old Italian cassone », « an almost empty bookcase » line 23. Oscar Wilde makes many descriptions. Descriptions that are marked by the be + ing that is used to describe « following », « taking up », « was lighting », « grining », « was leaning », « was smelling », « was standing » etc. We can also note all the verbs of perception who show that the characters have a sense of detail and a critical and observant eye: « looked », « glanced » line 20, « saw » line 37, « recognise » line 49. These verbs reinforce slowness and suspense. To this is connected the lexical field of gaze: « the sodden eyes » line 45. The characters themselves seem to enter into this slowness: « walked softy », « turned slowly » , « moved slowly ». So we have an extremely slow scene that gradually leads to a murder that the reader did not expect.

After this slowness, the reader is surprised by the speed of the murder. « Suddenly » line 136, contrasts with the previous slowness and takes the reader by surprise. The action takes place very quickly since it takes only one paragraph. We have a sequence of actions with extraordinary speed unlike the rest of the excerpt. Indeed the weapon of the crime appears: « something glimmered » line 143, « a knife » line 145, and a few moments later, Dorian executes the assassination: « he seize it, and turned round » line 149, « he rushed at him» line 150. So this is a quick murder that the reader attends.

Finally, this murder is carried out violently and in cold blood. One can find the whole lexical field of hatred and feelings: « uncontrollable feeling of hatred » line 137, « loathed » line 141. The imperative at the beginning of the excerpt shows that Dorian is actually a violent man: « shut the door » line 17, and « draw that curtain back ». He addresses Basil in a cold, cruel tone. The violence is all the more marked by the animalisation of Dorian: « the mad passions of a hunted animal » line 140. One can also note the enumeration of violent gestures on the part of Dorian: « He rushed at him […] stabbing again and again » lines 150 to 152.

Thus this excerpt is a scene of murder set up by a certain suspense that brings us to a fast scene of violence. But Oscar Wilde also plunges us into a universe that comes out of the real world to show us this passage.

In a second time, it is in a mysterious universe that the writer leads us.

In one hand, we can see that the setting is fantastic. The scenery leads us to believe that we are transported to another universe: « night » and « fantastic shadows » line 3. The atmosphere of the room also play is role: « a cold current » line 15, « the light shot up […] murky orage» lines 16-17. The presence of the portrait seems to invade the room because it’s a source of all the problems. This is the most magical element of the room. The painting seems to « speak » to Dorian Gray because he is looking at it and feels the craziest, he madness and hatred : « Dorian Gray glanced at the picture [...] grinning lips » lines 136 to 139. And this element is raised with the comparison element « as though ».

In the other hand it feels like being transported to another era. First the lexical field strengthens

...