Flashcards for The Picture of Dorian Gray

Alan Campbell

Alan Campbell is a minor yet crucial character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

character

Basil Hallward

Basil Hallward is the talented painter whose intense admiration for Dorian Gray triggers the novel's tragedy.

character

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray is the main character of the novel and serves as its moral center.

character

Duchess of Monmouth (Gladys)

The Duchess of Monmouth, Gladys, is a witty, aristocratic young woman who mainly appears in Chapter 17, during the shooting party at Dorian Gray's country estate, Selby Royal.

character

James Vane

James Vane is Sibyl's fiercely protective younger brother, a sailor whose straightforward, working-class demeanor stands in stark contrast to the aristocratic world of the novel.

character

Lady Henry Wotton (Victoria)

Lady Henry Wotton, known as Victoria, is a minor yet thematically significant character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

character

Lady Narborough

Lady Narborough is a minor yet vividly depicted society hostess in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, making her most significant appearance in Chapter 15 during a dinner party at her home.

character

Lord Fermor

Lord Fermor is a minor yet important character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, making a brief appearance in Chapter Three.

character

Lord Henry Wotton

Lord Henry Wotton serves as the novel's main philosopher-provocateur and the key figure behind Dorian Gray's moral downfall.

character

Mrs. Vane

Mrs. Vane is the widowed mother of Sibyl and James Vane, a former actress whose declining theatrical world has negatively influenced her children's lives.

character

Sibyl Vane

Sibyl Vane is a young, extraordinarily talented actress whom Dorian Gray meets while she performs Shakespeare at a rundown East End theatre.

character

Victor (Dorian's Servant)

Victor is Dorian Gray's devoted French manservant in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

character

“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.”

This epigram is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde's clever and morally ambiguous aristocrat, during his first lengthy conversation with the young Dorian Gray in Chapter 2.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 2

“To define is to limit.”

This quote is voiced by Lord Henry Wotton, the most articulate character in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, who embodies aesthetic and philosophical contradictions.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 3

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”

This line is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), during one of his characteristic and witty monologues aimed at the young and impressionable Dorian Gray.

Lord Henry Wotton · 3

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”

This line is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890/1891) during one of his signature monologues where he defends art and literature against conventional moral criticism.

Lord Henry Wotton · 19

“He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time.”

This clever epigram is narrated by Oscar Wilde in Chapter 3 of The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), where he comments on Lord Henry Wotton's tendency to arrive late to his aunt Lady Agatha's luncheon.

Narrator (describing Lord Henry Wotton) · Chapter 3

“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”

This line is spoken by Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) and reflects his increasing acceptance of the aesthetic hedonism philosophy promoted by Lord Henry Wotton.

Dorian Gray

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”

This line is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890/1891), during one of his signature monologues filled with epigrams — likely in Chapter 19, where Dorian and Lord Henry engage in a late-night philosophical discussion about life, art, and morality.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 19

“The only difference between a caprice and a lifelong passion is that the caprice lasts a little longer.”

This epigram is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde's most captivating and dangerous wit, during one of his early drawing-room conversations in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 2

“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

This epigram is delivered by Lord Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde's sharp-tongued and morally ambiguous aristocrat, during one of the novel's drawing-room conversations.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 3

“Each of us has Heaven and Hell in him.”

This line is delivered by Lord Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde's sharp and cutting wit, during one of his typically provocative monologues in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 13

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”

This epigram is spoken by Lord Henry Wotton in Chapter One of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), during his first encounter with the impressionable Dorian Gray at the studio of the painter Basil Hallward.

Lord Henry Wotton · Chapter 1

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”

This line comes from Lord Henry Wotton in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890/1891).

Lord Henry Wotton · 19

The Knife

In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the knife represents the brutal clash between guilt and self-destruction.

The Opium Den

In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the opium den embodies moral decay, escapism, and the destructive price of indulgence.

The Portrait of Dorian Gray

In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portrait serves as the novel's key symbol of the soul, moral consequences, and the Faustian deal between beauty and corruption.

The Yellow Book

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the "yellow book" that Lord Henry gives to Dorian represents the enticing yet corrupting influence of aestheticism and decadent philosophy.

White and Red Roses

In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, the combination of white and red roses highlights the struggle between innocence and passion, as well as purity and corruption.

Allegory

The novel serves as a deep moral allegory, where the portrait reveals the hidden costs of chasing aesthetic pleasure.

Extended Metaphor

Wilde maintains the idea of the portrait as a reflection of the soul throughout all twenty chapters, making it the backbone of the novel rather than just a fleeting comparison.

Epigram

Lord Henry Wotton acts like a machine for crafting epigrams, and Wilde uses him to give the novel its most memorable lines.

Dramatic Monologue

Lord Henry's lengthy speeches — especially his conversation with Dorian in Basil's garden in Chapter II — serve as dramatic monologues that reveal character through dialogue.

Irony

Irony runs deep throughout the novel.

Symbolism

Throughout the novel, objects and settings are rich with symbolism.

Paradox

Paradox is Wilde's preferred way of thinking, and the novel revolves around several of them.

Aporia

The novel consistently presents moments of genuine philosophical uncertainty without offering resolutions.

Allusion

Wilde fills the novel with literary and cultural references that connect Dorian to a tradition of beautiful yet doomed men.

Motif

Several motifs appear repeatedly, each gaining more significance.

Prose Poem

Several passages completely shift away from narrative momentum to embrace a lyrical, cataloging style that resembles embedded prose poetry.

Pathetic Fallacy

Wilde skillfully uses the outside world to reflect characters' inner moral conditions.

sitter

A person who poses for a painter or photographer while a portrait of them is being made.

noun · Chapter 1

punctuality

The habit of arriving or doing things exactly at the agreed or scheduled time, without being early or late.

noun · Chapter 1

yield to

To stop resisting and give in to something, such as a desire or temptation, allowing it to have its way over you.

phrase · Chapter 1

hedonistic

Devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence as the highest goal in life, with little concern for moral consequences.

adjective · Chapter 2

caprice

A sudden, impulsive change of mood or desire that has no deep or lasting basis; a passing whim.

noun · Chapter 8

raiment

An old or poetic word for clothing or garments, especially fine or elaborate ones.

noun · Chapter 10

dumb show

A silent performance or pantomime in which meaning is conveyed through gestures and movement rather than spoken words.

phrase · Chapter 10

Ego

Here used in a philosophical sense: the self or inner identity of a person, thought of as a unified, stable thing that persists through time.

noun · Chapter 10

immoral

Going against accepted standards of right and wrong; considered wicked, indecent, or corrupting by society.

adjective · Chapter 11

leering

Looking with a sly, unpleasant, or malicious expression, suggesting cruelty or knowing wickedness.

verb · Chapter 13

loathed

Felt an intense, deep disgust or hatred toward someone or something.

verb · Chapter 13

straining

Leaning or stretching forward with effort or tension, as if pressing against something.

verb · Chapter 13

make love to

In this Victorian context, to flirt with or court someone romantically, paying them charming and flattering attention — not a physical act.

phrase · Chapter 3

principles

Moral rules or personal codes of conduct that guide how a person behaves; here used ironically to suggest such rules are a burden or pretension.

noun · Chapter 3

intellect

The power of the mind to think, reason, and understand at a high level; mental brilliance beyond ordinary feeling or instinct.

noun · Chapter 6

realised

Brought something imagined or dreamed into actual existence; made real what was previously only an idea or vision.

verb · Chapter 6

substance

Solid, tangible reality or physical form, as opposed to something vague, shadowy, or merely imagined.

noun · Chapter 6

conceived

Formed or created something in the mind; here it means the monstrous idea or plan that Dorian had allowed to take shape within himself.

verb · Chapter 8

unreality

The quality of being false, illusory, or not genuine; the discovery that something one believed in is not actually real.

noun · Chapter 9

dominate

To have full control over something, keeping it in check and preventing it from controlling you instead.

verb · Chapter 9

shallow

Lacking depth of thought or understanding; superficial, not going beneath the surface of a subject.

adjective · Chapter 10

essence

The fundamental, unchanging nature or core of something — what it truly and always is, beneath all outward appearances.

noun · Chapter 10

hideous

Extremely ugly or morally repulsive in a way that causes horror or disgust.

adjective · Chapter 8

wrinkle

A small line or crease in a surface — here, a line on the painted face of the portrait that signals a moral change in Dorian's character.

noun · Chapter 7

intrusive

Forcing itself in where it is not wanted or welcome; unwelcomely penetrating or obtrusive.

adjective · Chapter 5