The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary

Plot overview

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is a story about beauty, corruption, and the price of staying young forever. Dorian Gray, a young man of extraordinary good looks, sits for a portrait by the artist Basil Hallward, and when it is finished he makes a reckless wish: that the painting would age in his place.

The wish comes true. As the years pass Dorian stays young and beautiful while the portrait, locked away in an upstairs room, turns grotesque and records every sin and cruelty of his life. Egged on by the cynical Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian chases pleasure without consequence and ruins one life after another.

Wilde's only novel, published in 1890, caused a scandal on release and was later used against him at his trial. It is now read as one of the great works of Gothic fiction and one of the wittiest novels in English, as well as a serious argument about art and morality.

Chapter summaries

1. The Preface: Art and CriticismWilde defends the autonomy of art, argues critics misread beauty, and declares that art is "useless" and beyond moral judgment.
2. Chapter 1: The Studio and the PortraitBasil shows Lord Henry his captivating portrait of Dorian Gray and tells how meeting Dorian profoundly affected him.
3. Chapter 2: The Portrait and Lord HenryDorian sits for his portrait as Lord Henry speaks intoxicating ideas about youth and sensation, making Dorian see his beauty as fleeting.
4. Chapter 3: Lunch, Gossip and InfluenceLord Henry visits his uncle, learns about Dorian's family, and then charms a luncheon party while Dorian sits enthralled.
5. Chapter 4: Dorian Meets SibylDorian tells Lord Henry of his passionate infatuation with the actress Sibyl Vane and persuades him and Basil to see her perform.
6. Chapter 5: Sibyl's Joy and FarewellSibyl exults in love while her brother James prepares to leave for Australia and swears to protect her from any harm.
7. Chapter 6: Engagement and TheoriesDorian announces his secret engagement to Sibyl Vane and he, Lord Henry, and Basil argue about love, marriage, and pleasure before going to the theatre.
8. Chapter 7: Sibyl's Performance and AftermathSibyl Vane's Juliet fails onstage, Dorian cruelly rejects her, and he returns home to find his portrait altered, prompting vows of reform.
9. Chapter 8: Confronting the PortraitDorian wakes, discovers the portrait has changed, resolves to atone, then learns from Lord Henry that Sibyl Vane has died, and accepts the portrait's burden.
10. Chapter 9: Confrontation and ConfessionBasil confronts Dorian about Sibyl Vane’s death; Dorian deflects, prevents Basil seeing the portrait, and extracts Basil’s confession of worship.
11. Chapter 10: Hiding the PictureDorian conceals the portrait in his old schoolroom, reads a corrupting book, and meets Lord Henry at the club.
12. Chapter 11: The Influence of the BookDorian immerses himself in sensual pursuits, collecting art, music, jewels and vestments while the portrait bears the signs of his moral decay.
13. Chapter 12: Confrontation and ConfessionBasil unexpectedly confronts Dorian about rumors of corruption; Dorian provokes him to see proof upstairs.
14. Chapter 13: The Portrait RevealedDorian leads Basil to the locked room, reveals the grotesquely changed portrait, and then murders Basil in a panic before framing a plan to hide the crime.
15. Chapter 14: Dorian and Campbell's PactDorian forces his former friend Alan Campbell to destroy Basil Hallward's corpse to conceal Dorian's crime.
16. Chapter 15: Midnight CompulsionDorian hides his agitation at a shallow dinner, then returns home to burn incriminating items and slips out at midnight to an unknown address.
17. Chapter 16: Flight to the DensDorian seeks oblivion in opium dens, meets ruined Adrian Singleton, and is threatened by James Vane who mistakes him for Sibyl's destroyer.
18. Chapter 17: Tea, Talk, and a FaintingAt Selby Royal Dorian flirts with the Duchess amid Lord Henry's aphorisms, then suddenly faints after seeing James Vane's face at the conservatory window.
19. Chapter 18: Terror, Shooting, DiscoveryDorian, haunted by guilt and fears, experiences a traumatic shooting at a hunt and rushes to identify the dead man as James Vane.
20. Chapter 19: Conversation and ResolveDorian tells Lord Henry he intends to be good, they discuss Basil's disappearance and youth, and Dorian resists Henry's corrosive counsel.
21. Chapter 20: Dorian's ReckoningDorian resolves to reform, inspects the portrait, then stabs it—and is found dead, while the portrait shows his youthful beauty.

Characters

• Dorian GrayProtagonist
• Lord Henry WottonMajor character
• Basil HallwardMajor character
• Sibyl VaneMajor character
• James VaneMinor character
• Alan CampbellMinor character
• Adrian SingletonMinor character
• FFrancisMinor character
• Duchess of MonmouthMinor character
• Mr. IsaacsMinor character
• Mrs. VaneMinor character

All 11 characters ›