The Picture of Dorian Gray

Basil Hallward is an artist who is greatly impressed by the aesthetic beauty of a young man named Dorian Gray and begins to be infatuated with him, believing that this beauty is responsible for the new form of his art. Basil paints a portrait of the young man. Chatting in Basil's garden, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and begins to be captivated by Lord Henry's worldview. Exposing a new kind of hedonism, Lord Henry indicates that "the only thing that is worth in life is beauty, and the satisfaction of the senses." Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian wishes he would always be the age of when Basil painted him. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, while he maintains forever the same appearance of the painting, the portrayed figure ages for him. His pursuit of pleasure leads him to a series of acts of debauchery and perversion; but the portrait serves as a reminder of the effects of each of the acts committed on his soul, with each sin the figure is disfiguring and aging.