The Picture of Dorian Gray

Roles

• Dorian - Teenager (13-19), Young Adult (20-35), Male

About this piece

Dorian Gray expresses his love for an actress

Summary

Dorian Gray is a handsome young man who is the subject of a portrait by painter Basil Hallward. In Basil's garden, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of the painter's, and is impressed by his hedonistic philosophy of life. Under Lord Henry's influence Dorian pursues pleasure and beauty. He sells his soul when he wishes that the portrait Basil is working on would age rather than himself. He plunges into a life of debauchery and every time he commits a sin, his portrait displays a disfigurement. His debauchery eventually leads him to a tragic end when in desperation Dorian stabs his portrait, killing himself. In this monologue Dorian Gray, seeking the pleasure of his senses, discovers a beautiful actress, Sybil, that he sees in a small dingy theatre when he goes to see Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". After mocking the actors in the play, Dorian expresses his love for the actress.

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