The Picture of Dorian Gray

Set in late Victorian London, The Picture of Dorian Gray begins in artist Basil Hallward’s studio, where he unveils a portrait of Dorian Gray, an extraordinarily handsome young man. Lord Henry Wotton—a witty, irreverent aristocrat—introduces the dangerous idea that beauty and youth are life’s greatest pursuits. Terrified of losing his looks, Dorian secretly wishes his painted likeness would age instead of him.

Soon after, he falls passionately for Sibyl Vane, a talented young actress, but cruelly rejects her when her love detracts from her art. Horrified to see his portrait contort with cruelty, he hides it away. Sibyl tragically commits suicide, and Dorian, influenced by Lord Henry’s hedonism, descends into a life of excess and moral corruption while the portrait grotesquely bears every sign of his sins.

Over the next eighteen years, Dorian maintains his youthful exterior even as society whispers of scandal. Confronted by Basil and shown the hideous painting, Dorian murders his old friend in a panic. Later, he disposes of the body and attempts a moral reset, but the portrait only deepens in depravity. Consumed by guilt, Dorian fatally stabs the painting—only to collapse moments later, his own body transformed into the aged, hideous figure he once feared. The novel ends with poetic justice: the portrait restored, while Dorian lies dead, the tragic price of his Faustian bargain.

Wilde’s only novel is a compelling meditation on vanity, influence, and the perils of aesthetic extremism—a richly layered classic that continues to haunt and provoke.