Oscar Wilde’s infamous tale, The Portrait of Dorian Gray boasts reoccurring themes inimitable to European culture, most notoriously expounded in Faust (Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky"). The Faust legend was well known to Wilde through popular culture, it raises the question of eternal damnation due to the unpardonable sin of despondency. According to Faustian legend, the devil persuades a German necromancer and astrologer to sell his soul in exchange for all he desires, more specifically knowledge and power. Although it is unquestionably a sin for the Faustian character to craft an agreement with a demonic figure, he can escape at any moment by repenting and humbly asking for God’s forgiveness. However, the character usually believes his actions are beyond God’s forgiveness- an insult to God according to Christianity. The moral of this disastrous story is that a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible. Oscar Wilde’s, The Portrait of Dorian Gray is comparable to the Faustian legend in many aspects.
Dorian Gray parallels a Faustian character in his quest to eternally maintain his youth and beauty. Gray is distressed that he will age while the portrait maintains its youth. “If only the reverse were true”, he says, “if only I would remain young while the portrait grows old. I would give my soul for that!” Gray’s admitted desire to escape the horrid signs of age introduces the Faust theme, which Wilde develops throughout the book. Dorian enters into a Faustian agreement as he pleads for perpetual youth while the progression of aging is restricted to the portrait.
The portrait represents Gray’s soul or personal morality. Dorian believes the portrait will relieve him from the consequences of his own immorality. Thus, unlike Faust, Gray fails to redeem himself. According to the Faust legend, Faust sold his soul for 24 years of pleasure. Faust then repents, and redeems himself through good works. Although Dorian Gray makes a desultory attempt to reform, he ultimately fails to redeem himself, and consequently destroys himself.
In The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is a manipulative figure. In the context of the Faust legend, if Lord Henry is not literally the devil, he undoubtedly plays the devil’s advocate by manipulating Dorian’s inexperience and leading him into a demonic contract. Lord Henry continuously coaxes Dorian to indulge in a depraved and decadent lifestyle. As Dorian’s most intimate confidant, Lord Henry’s influence decidedly impacts Dorian’s lifestyle and actions. Unfortunately, Lord Henry persuades Dorian to espouse an ideology toward life that will cost him dearly.
Although Lord Henry may not necessarily be aware of his responsibility in Dorian’s downfall, he admitingly participates in the art of manipulation and enjoys controlling people. Lord Henry maintains the role of tempter at various predicaments in Dorian's life. For example, Henry encourages Dorian to view Sibyl Vane’s death from a detached point of view, like an episode in a play. Wilde purposefully wrote Lord Henry’s character in conjunction with the Faustian Devil.
The legend of the man who sold his soul to the Devil is one of the most resilient myths in western folklore. "Faust" (and the adjective "Faustian") has taken on a subtext unlike its original, and is often used currently to depict an individual whose willful desire for self-fulfillment leads him or her in a diabolical direction. Althouh Wilde dressed up the characters in The Portrait of Dorian Gray, the Faustian context was not lost in translation. His message and moral was still unequivocally clear: a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible.
The portrait represents Gray’s soul or personal morality. Dorian believes the portrait will relieve him from the consequences of his own immorality. Thus, unlike Faust, Gray fails to redeem himself. According to the Faust legend, Faust sold his soul for 24 years of pleasure. Faust then repents, and redeems himself through good works. Although Dorian Gray makes a desultory attempt to reform, he ultimately fails to redeem himself, and consequently destroys himself.
In The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is a manipulative figure. In the context of the Faust legend, if Lord Henry is not literally the devil, he undoubtedly plays the devil’s advocate by manipulating Dorian’s inexperience and leading him into a demonic contract. Lord Henry continuously coaxes Dorian to indulge in a depraved and decadent lifestyle. As Dorian’s most intimate confidant, Lord Henry’s influence decidedly impacts Dorian’s lifestyle and actions. Unfortunately, Lord Henry persuades Dorian to espouse an ideology toward life that will cost him dearly.
Although Lord Henry may not necessarily be aware of his responsibility in Dorian’s downfall, he admitingly participates in the art of manipulation and enjoys controlling people. Lord Henry maintains the role of tempter at various predicaments in Dorian's life. For example, Henry encourages Dorian to view Sibyl Vane’s death from a detached point of view, like an episode in a play. Wilde purposefully wrote Lord Henry’s character in conjunction with the Faustian Devil.
The legend of the man who sold his soul to the Devil is one of the most resilient myths in western folklore. "Faust" (and the adjective "Faustian") has taken on a subtext unlike its original, and is often used currently to depict an individual whose willful desire for self-fulfillment leads him or her in a diabolical direction. Althouh Wilde dressed up the characters in The Portrait of Dorian Gray, the Faustian context was not lost in translation. His message and moral was still unequivocally clear: a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible.
Thank you for explaining the Faust legend. I had not heard it before. Like Faust, I see that Dorian too feels that his actions are beyond god's forgiveness. He gives up trying to right his actions and instead embraces his sins, therefore increasing them two-fold. I wonder how many other legends, cautionary tales, or proverbs can be related to The Picture of Dorian Gray? Bringing legends into literature analysis is a refreshing perspective.
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DeleteYes, Dorian feels as though his actions are beyond God's forgivness- this is the biggest sin imaginalbe to Christian philosophy, even bigger than anything else Dorian had ever done. He did not believe in God's power of forgivness, He did not believe that God was all-powerful. This was his biggest mistake, according to christian tradition.
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