Essay
How and it what ways does Wilde make the extract dramatic and revealing? Comment on the stylistic and thematic features in the extract
An essay on style and thematic features that make the extract dramatic and revealing.
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C/W 27th November 2017How and it what ways does Wilde make the extract dramatic and revealing? Comment on the
stylistic and thematic features in the extract
In ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ Wilde’s use of drama and revelation is consistent throughout the novel,
and keeps the audience in suspense and possibly also fearful of the supernatural, such as the portrait
slowly changing and Dorian’s sinful actions that are apparent in the extract of chapter thirteen. The
element of the supernatural is subtle in the chapter, and yet it plays a big role in the death of Basil, and
ultimately Dorian’s last chance at redemption; a less subtle theme is the violent vernacular that details
the murder of Basil, which brings not only drama but also horror and terror to the reader, both to a
contemporary audience and a modern audience.
The element of the supernatural, whilst isn’t as prominent as the violence that Dorian shows
throughout the extract, is suggested to be the catalyst for this brutal act towards his only true friend; as
Dorian ‘glanced at the picture’ he felt ‘an uncontrollable feeling of hatred’ towards Basil. The verb
‘glanced’ implies that Dorian barely looked at the portrait, and yet an ‘uncontrollable’ feeling came over
him – this suggests that the portrait did indeed manipulate Dorian into getting rid of the only threat to
his hedonistic lifestyle and his possible pact with the devil, as if he was unable to control this feeling
then perhaps it was something else pulling at the strings instead, emphasising that his deal with the
devil did take his soul away and handed it over to ‘Old Harry.’ As a portrait and painting cannot control a
person due to a lack of consciousness, this further implies that Dorian did make a deal with the devil and
his soul and consciousness in living within the painting as an evil being, which reveals to the audience
that dark forces are at work within the portrait, and therefore Dorian as well. ‘It had been suggested to
him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear’ gives an indication into how the painting
controlled Dorian, submitting him to murdering his friend – the ‘whisper’ could have been from the devil
on his shoulder that is consistently inferred throughout the novel, in such situations as his confrontation
with Sibyl and the relationship between himself, Lord Henry and Basil.
The noun ‘image’ is defined as a representation of an external thing or person; however the possibly
supernatural portrait has persuaded the protagonist of the novel to kill, suggesting that the portrait is
more than an image, but a metaphysical being that has power over the person it represents, which is
implied by how ‘it watched [Dorian]’ at the end of chapter seven, after finding the first change on it.
Wilde uses this to add to the scene in a dramatic way to continue the suspense of how Dorian maintains
his secret, and at this point in the novel how Dorian will react to someone finally seeing and knowing his
darkest secret; it is revealed that at first he is saddened and perhaps ashamed, but upon looking at the
portrait, he is manipulated into feeling hatred. This also confirms to the reader that the portrait is
indeed a changing entity, as opposed to Dorian creating this situation in his head due to insanity from
the very start – which can be inferred from how ‘the expression [on the portrait] looked different’ in the
darkness of the room after the event of breaking off the engagement with Sibyl. This supernatural
element is also suggested to bring out an animalistic side of Dorian, with how ‘mad passions of a hunted
animal stirred within him’ which suggests that this possible Faustian deal with the devil intertwines with
Freud’s theory of the Id, and how he has gone back to his primal instincts. This brings drama as it gives a
sense of mystery as to how Dorian will react, and it reveals further how the portrait has affected him.
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