This document provides a summary, key quotes and language analysis, and relevant context for chapters 14-16 of The Picture of Dorian Gray. These notes are of an A* standard, and are fully indepth.
A servant wakes Dorian, who has had a peaceful, untroubled sleep despite killing Basil the
previous night. However, as he remembers what happened, his hatred for Basil returns, but
he chooses not to dwell on this as he believes it would make him sick or insane. Dorian takes
even longer than usual over his appearance and breakfast. Then, he writes a letter
summoning Alan Campbell, an estranged friend and scientist, and sends his servant to
deliver it. Whilst waiting, he sketches but grows uneasy due to the drawings’ resemblance
to Basil, so he reads a collection of poetry, which seems to transport him to the canals of
Venice. However, once again, he’s reminded of Basil and struggles to keep distracting
himself. He then ponders his and Campbell’s once intimate friendship as he becomes
increasingly anxious waiting.
Eventually, a hostile Campbell arrives, claiming he only came because the letter mentioned
it was a matter of life and death. Dorian confesses that a dead man is hidden upstairs but
tells him who he is and how and why he died should not be questioned. Dorian then asks
him to dispose of the body using his chemistry expertise. Campbell refuses to help, and
Dorian tries to claim that the man committed suicide but then admits to killing him. He tries
to convince him to help by reminding him of their former friendship, but when that doesn’t
work, he resorts to blackmail. Left with no choice, Campbell is forced to get rid of the
corpse, so he sends his assistant home to bring back the necessary supplies. Dorian ensures
his servant is out of the house on a needless errand. Then they go up to the attic together,
where Dorian is horrified to discover that one of the hands on the painting seems to be
gleaming red with blood and quickly hides the portrait so that Campbell won’t see it.
Campbell works alone and then leaves, telling Dorian he never wishes to see him again.
When Dorian goes to check the attic, the body is gone.
Key quotes
‘Suddenly he remarked that every face that he drew seemed to have a fantastic likeness to
Basil Hallward.’ – p156
This quote indicates Dorian’s humanity as he has a (slight) sense of morality. Although he
refuses to acknowledge his depravity, his subconscious is aware that the murder is
criminally amoral. Dorian’s inability to distract himself suggests that his repressed feelings
are starting to break through and alludes to his psychological deterioration.
There’s a note on page 248 with a contextual comparison to Wilde’s biographical essay ‘Pen,
Pencil and Poison’ about Thomas Wainewright.
‘As he turned over the pages his eye fell on the poem about the hand of Lacenaire, the cold
yellow hand ‘du supplice encore mal lavée’, with its downy red hairs and its ‘doigts de
faune’. He glanced at his own white taper fingers, shuddering slightly in spite of himself,’ –
p156-157
These quotes come from Gautier’s Étude de mains (study of hands). This is a poem about
Pierre Lacenaire (1800-1836): a French poet and murderer whose hand was preserved after
, his execution. The quotes are in French, but ‘du supplice encore mal lavée’ means ‘still
unwashed from torment’ and ‘doigts de faune’ means ‘faun’s fingers’. Dorian was drawn to
this poem; this may foreshadow how, later in the chapter, his hands in the portrait are
depicted as dripping with blood. Here, Dorian recognises his similarity to Lacenaire and feels
unnerved by this.
‘In fact, it was music that had first brought him and Dorian Gray together – music and that
indefinable attraction that Dorian seemed to be able to exercise whenever he wished, and
indeed exercised often without being conscious of it’ – p158-159
In the nineteenth century, musical and artistic characteristics were often attributed to men
to imply that they were homosexual. Although Wilde doesn’t explicitly say that they were in
a relationship, he heavily implies that Alan and Dorian were in a homosexual relationship;
the reference to their shared interest in music codes their relationship as such. Wilde
emphasises this idea by directly juxtaposing their attraction and music.
‘Suddenly, Time stopped for him. Yes: that blind, slow-breathing thing crawled no more, and
horrible thoughts, Time being dead, raced nimbly on in front, and dragged a hideous future
from its grave, and showed it to him. He stared at it. Its very horror made him stone.’ – p159
The personification of time reflects Greek art and literature, which would often divinely
personify abstract concepts through ‘Daemons’, further homoerotically coding Dorian.
Wilde uses the semantic field of death to reinforce the idea of Dorian’s destructive nature to
both him and those around him. Some may also interpret the distortion of time as him being
under the influence of his opium addiction, particularly as slower, shallower breathing was
often a side effect of the drug.
“Yes: it is a matter of life and death, Alan, and to more than one person.” – Dorian, p160
The phrase 'a matter of life and death' can be interpreted in numerous ways. On the one
hand, it is literally a matter of life and death because it concerns a dead body; however, on
the other hand, it’s a matter of life and death to the living. If someone discovered Basil's
body, Dorian Gray would likely be suspected; even if he weren't to be convicted, the
investigation into his life would have revealed his debauchery, effectively destroying his
societal status. Additionally, if he were caught and convicted, he would likely be sentenced
to death. Finally, this could be interpreted as a threat to Campbell if he doesn’t help Dorian
with this.
“Alan, it was murder. I killed him. You don’t know what he had made me suffer. Whatever
my life is, he had more to do with the making or the marring of it than poor Harry has had.
He may not have intended it, the result was the same.” – Dorian, p161
Wilde contrasts the truth with the dishonest explanation through the difference in sentence
length. Dorian presents the facts in short declarative statements but then explains his
murderous actions away by embellishing Basil’s influence as corrupt. Although Basil did help
form Dorian’s life, it is Lord Henry who Wilde presents as the debased influence. Dorian may
be trying to convince and justify the necessity of the actions to himself as much as to Alan.
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