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The Picture of Dorian Gray

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The Picture of Dorian Gray
University of Languages and International Studies, VNU, Hanoi
English Literature
Home Assignment

The NATURE of LOVE between
DORIAN GRAY and SYBIL VANE

Nguyen Thu Trang trangthu.nguyen92@gmail.com This essay argues that Oscar Wilde’s novel. The picture of Dorian Gray is a charming novel which has many conflicts. There is an external conflict between Dorian Gray and Sybil Vane. He falls in love with Sybil, an actress performing Shakespeare in the theatre as his speech “Why should I not love her? Harry, I do love her. She is everything to me in life. Night after night I go to see her play” (Wilde 45). Gray intends to marry her until watching her terrible acting, he says to Sybil frigidly that “You have killed my love (…) I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realize the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art (Wilde 75). This shows that what Gray’s real love is the artfully of her acting. Sybil’s Prince Charming is willing to spurn her because of his passion in art. As a result, she commits suicide. Gray’s conflict is resolved when he accepts the tragedy of her death as a beautiful work of art in life and therefore finding self-gratifying pleasure in her suicide “What is done is done. What is past is past (…) What has the actual lapse of time got to do with it? It is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I do not want to be at the mercy of my emotions” (Wilde 93). It can be seen that Gray is influenced too much by Harry. For this reason, he becomes irresponsible in Sybil’s death. This resolution may turn him into the murderer in his life. In brief, the conflict between Dorian Gray and Sybil Vane indicates not only the great passion of him in art but also the irresponsible person in

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