In “The Picture of Dorian Grey,” Oscar Wilde explores Victorian fears surrounding hedonism and fin-de-siècle decadence (Buzwell, 2024; Wilde, 2003; Ferguson, 2002). With the turn of the 18th century, a conflict between secular ideals grounded in science, and religious values arose (Bowler, 1992). Wilde disregards conventional notions of religion, and thus the diegesis confronts man’s downfall. He achieves this through the construct of Dorian Grey, a character who falls prey to the influence of patriarchal figures due to a fragmented upbringing (Wilde, 2003; Davis, 2013). In Marlowe’s tragic play “Doctor Faustus,” 16th century Renaissance humanism is explored and Faustus’ hamartia is directly attributed to his love of power (Marlowe, 2005; Hattaway, 1970). Yet in both literary works, traces of conscience bleed through: for Dorian in his guilt and for Faustus in his regret. This conflict is demonstrative of the conceptual battles of the eras in each story; and is made significant through the death of seemingly able and powerful protagonists.
In Dorian Grey, social anxieties are explored through the portrait, which serves as the physical symbol for Dorian’s Faustian bargain. As Wilde confesses, the idea of a young man selling his soul in exchange for eternal youth is ‘old in the history of literature’ (Wilde, 1969). The idea may distress a Victorian reader who would see the deterioration of the soul in an external form. The painting shows every act of Dorian’s corruption (Wilde, 2003; Davis, 2013). In fact, Basil serves as the voice of the Christian reader when he says, “Christ! What a thing I must have worshiped, it has eyes like the devil,” when he looks at his portrait (Wilde, 2003, p. 150). The demonic imagery is resemblant of a Faustian exchange, Dorian unknowingly sold his soul for eternal youth. This would remind the audience of the ugliness of sin, the portrait being symbolic of God’s record of each person’s actions. Furthermore, the portrait externalises Dorian’s conscience (Davis, 2013). As he commits more sin, the portrait becomes a source of paranoia, as he fears someone may see the “state of his soul” (Wilde, 2003, p. 103). The sibilant phrase highlights his dread that his social image will be tainted, reflecting the norms of Victorian society. Typically, the ‘Victorian Gentleman’ would try at all costs to maintain his public image (Buzwell, 2024; Bowler, 1992). Wilde plays on Victorian ideals by toying with the pseudo-science of physiognomy, where physical traits were used to denote moral qualities (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026; Rives, 2015). Lord Henry mentions that academics are ‘perfectly hideous’ because the mental effort they exert results in them becoming unsightly (Wilde, 2003, p. 7). Wilde subverts common physiognomic tenets at the time: for instance ‘broad foreheads’ were often seen as a symbol of greater cerebral faculty, determining life in the form of intellect, by subverting these tropes and incorporating the supernatural (in the form of Basil’s portrait) Dorian is able to maintain his image because of the Faustian bargain. He appears youthful whilst committing heinous crimes. In Dorian’s case, it is not deep thought but rather sin that causes ‘hideous[ness].’ It is this false doctrine of physiognomy that allows Basil and many others to be duped despite hearing rumours of Dorian’s vices. By highlighting the faults of physiognomy, Wilde would raise fears in a Victorian audience who believed so heavily in it (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026; Rives, 2015). Wilde capitalises on this fear by suggesting that rather than reading into people based on appearance, we should read into the art they associate with. Looking at Dorian, a Victorian audience would associate him with perfection, however looking at his portrait, the same audience would associate him with sin. Perhaps Wilde is suggesting art is what truly reflects a person’s nature, which explains why Basil doesn’t display his portrait to the world because he fears it would ‘reveal the secret to his own soul’ (Wilde, 2003, p. 9). Similarly, Dorian shapes his own meanings of art, when he encounters the ‘curious yellow book,’ he sees in it a ‘prefiguring [of] himself,’ echoing Wilde’s preface, ‘it is the spectator, and not life that art really mirrors’ (Wilde, 2003, pp. 108, 123, xxviii). Wilde’s deconstruction and disregard of nature would raise concerns in a Victorian audience, who would associate the natural world with God’s bounty and perfection (Bowler, 1992; Ferguson, 2002).
In contrast, Christopher Marlowe explores social anxieties through the pursuit of knowledge and power. The eponymous hero ‘summons’ Mephistopheles, and while the image of possession in ‘summons’ suggests he is in power, we come to learn this is not true, rather it was his renouncing of scriptures that attracted the devil (Marlowe, 2005; Hattaway, 1970). The quote ‘Say, he surrender up to him his soul,’ is demonstrative of this (Marlowe, 2005, p. 11). The verb “surrender” presents the undying loyalty and humility reserved for God and hands it to the devil. The mention of the devil would raise anxiety in an Elizabethan audience; we see how like Lord Henry, Mephistopheles has the power in the Faustian exchange. This is further demonstrated through the devil’s fulfilment of Dr. Faustus’ empty wishes, such as pranking the pope by conjuring ‘Alexander the Great and Helen of Troy’ (Marlowe, 2005, pp. 46, 56). The motif of power shows how Dr Faustus is being manipulated, his own prank mocks him, a reminder to the audience that it is Mephistopheles who is in control. Marlowe interrogates fears of Renaissance Humanism by associating lust for power with the devil, which would have raised concern in a Protestant audience (Marlowe, 2005; Hattaway, 1970). Faustus claims that ‘a sound magician is a mighty God’ (Marlowe, 2005, p. 6). The adjective ‘mighty’ is blasphemous, it denotes extreme power meant for God, showing that Faustus now worships his lust for power rather than God, despite being a theologian. The contrast seen within being a learned scholar and renouncing God would exacerbate social anxiety, Marlowe is demonstrating that no one is truly safe from the devil, no matter how knowledgeable.
We could argue that Dorian’s destructive nature is a result of his parental history. In Chapter Seven following the poor performance of Sibyl Vane, she lays by Dorian’s feet like a “trampled flower” (Wilde, 2003, p. 74). The noun “flower” is suggestive of youth, Sibyl appears as pure, and Dorian is seen as evil for destroying her. The verb ‘trampled’ creates contrast, trampling linguistically means to tread and crush. Because of this, Sibyl appears as a victim, totally innocent yet is destroyed by Dorian. The noun “flower” echoes Lord Henry’s “crushing of the Laburnum” in Chapter One. We could argue that the Laburnum is symbolic of Dorian Grey, who possesses a feminine beauty, having “finely curved scarlet lips…crisp gold hair” (Wilde, 2003, pp. 10, 19). Yet Laburnums are poisonous, and we can track Dorian’s moral poisoning through the deterioration of the portrait’s condition as an audience. Wilde is revealing how his philosophy, “Art for art’s sake,” does not care for consequences (Wilde, 2003; Ferguson, 2002). This would raise concern in a Christian audience which believed in judgment, the actions done in this life would determine whether someone would go to Heaven or Hell. We could argue that this destructive nature is a result of the harsh parental history Dorian has. After both his parents are killed off in his infant years, he is raised by his grandfather Lord Kelso, who was rumoured to have staged the killing of Dorian’s father. The lack of loving parental figures stagnates his development, and hence explains his child-like innocence in the beginning of the novel (Wilde, 2003). From a Freudian perspective, this neglectful upbringing results in Dorian having a fragile ego, in that he is unable to balance his impulses and morality. This is because of his underdeveloped superego, or moral conscience, which we could argue never developed because of his history with neglectful parental figures. (Freud, 1923).
This fractured development is also made apparent through a parallelism, Sibyl, whose father is similar to Dorian’s, impregnates her mother and leaves the relationship. We could perhaps attribute Dorian’s nature with the gothic notion of the ‘sins of the father visited on their children.’ Dorian’s criminal tendencies derive from his grandfather, coming from a lineage of debauchees. Lord Henry can be seen as the catalyst, guiding Dorian to a ‘new hedonism,’ however it was always within him (Wilde, 2003, p. 25). His intention of marrying a lower class woman suggests he is reverting to his maternal type, his mother married a lower class man. We can interpret this as Dorian attempting to rewrite his history, instead of succumbing to his paternal side, he seeks to be better through emulating his mother. We could argue that, despite his attempts, the Faustian bargain has already been put in place, and so he can not fully escape it. We learn that as the narrative progresses, the portrait resembles the Grandfather more and more, ‘there would be the twisted body that he remembered of his grandfather’ (Wilde, 2003, p. 118). The adjective ‘twisted’ is a reference to his worsening morality. This would raise concern in a modern audience, who may know that roughly 41% of the variance of antisocial behaviour is attributed to genetic factors, showing us how Dorian’s decline was destined to happen (Tuvblad and Beaver, 2013). Perhaps the Faustian bargain was not accidental, Dorian shares with the readers a moment of reflection, while in the country house, he contemplates on the pictures of his ancestors, saying “was it some strange poisonous germ [that] crept from body to body till it had reached his own?” (Wilde, 2003, p. 122). Dorian’s ancestors appear as the Mephistopheles in this Faustian exchange, angering a sophisticated audience, Dorian who starts off completely innocent declines because of his ancestry and Lord Henry.
Faustus also shares a moment of concern with Dorian. Before signing the bargain with the devil, Faustus is gripped by inner conflict. Sitting in his study he considers returning to God in order to save himself from damnation. “O, something soundeth in mine ears,/ Abjure this magic, turn to God Again!” (Marlowe, 2005, p. 22). The exclamatory interjection “O” commands urgency, yet Faustus ignores this, fulfilling his tragic action. Dr. Faustus serves as a cautionary tale and takes from the morality play. In the morality play, there is a vice often othered, and in this case it is Mephistopheles. Being a devil creates an immediate distance between him and audience members, and therefore Faustus’ association with supernatural powers would have been seen as disdainful to an Elizabethan audience. Faustus, the mankind figure, is tempted by the vice of power, Mephistopheles. We can see how Faustus’ hamartia is his lust for power. Already being an accomplished academic, he seeks to take over the world via necromancy. His desire to take over the world is symbolic of his internal conflict; he is unable to feel at peace with himself and so lusts for more. His good and evil angels appear as a personified version of his inner conflict “If thou repent, devils will tear thee in pieces” (Marlowe, 2005, p. 29). A Renaissance audience would acknowledge the good and evil angels as genuine figures. Following his tragic action, his hubris is his arrogance; he believes he’s mastered all disciplines and deserves to be more than a “man.” During Faustus’ final hour, he says “O Soul! Be changed!” (Marlowe, 2005, p. 65). The use of caesura could symbolise Faustus’ fracture of mind, showing us how the consequences of his actions are finally haunting him. The quote also serves as an anagnorisis, he realises the consequences of his actions finally. This reinforces God’s presence in literary works in an age that explored increasingly more secular ideas (Hattaway, 1970).
Dorian Grey is a figure who although extremely powerful, still falls into a state of moral decay. The name “Dorian” is an allusion to Doris, a Greek God whose name means bounty. We know that Dorian is a character who is both wealthy and handsome. But the latter, “Grey,” could symbolise the moral grey area that Wilde attempts to explore with this novel, he is trying to illustrate that people’s own sin is what causes them to call the book as inherently bad. Wilde explores social anxieties through a moral lens, questioning the dichotomy of image and reality. Both Basil and Lord Henry take over the mantle of Dorian’s parents, the latter manipulating Dorian, “he would seek to dominate him-he had already, indeed, half done so” (Wilde, 2003, p. 38). The clause moves from intention, in “would seek” to completion “had already,” collapsing time, symbolising that despite Dorian’s bounty, he is being manipulated much like Dr. Faustus. Furthermore, the third person objective narrative framing reinforces Lord Henry’s sense of omnipotency, showing how Dorian is completely vulnerable, further depicting him as a child. Perhaps this would have triggered social anxieties at the time as the book came not long after Darwin’s theory of evolution; which suggested that God wasn’t the divine all powerful being as presented in Christian theology (Bowler, 1992).
The painting’s reversion to its original state is resemblant of Eyries’ tale, “Family Portraits,” where the portrait of an evil man is imbued with moral significance and, after his death, reverts to its initial appearance (Robinson, 2021). Meanwhile, Faustus experiences regret through his repressed guilt. “Whither should I fly? If unto God, he’ll throw me down to hell”- The use of juxtaposition is significant, the word “fly” is symbolic of Faustus’ will to excel and to rule the world, and “hell” of the foreboding cost he must pay (Marlowe, 2005, p. 25). He dismisses any thought of punishment demonstrating how he has fallen prey to his desires. Being a theologian, he would have been aware of the consequences of his actions, and all of their implications, yet his lust for power causes him to ignore his conscience. He conceals his guilt by deciding that he cannot turn to God because he is already damned, and so there is no hope for him. To a Christian audience this would be considered a trap of the flesh, the internal conflict each Christian must succeed in. So Faustus’ inner conflict is a religious one, hence the appearance of the “good” and “evil” angels. It is believed that this inner conflict is harder to overcome than the devil’s whisperings, made evident in that Mephistopheles only provides Faustus with a means to fulfil his desires, and does not actually plant the seed as Lord Henry does with Dorian. However, Mephistopheles still ensnares Faustus in luxury to distract him, which is seen when Mephistopheles brings devils who dance and present crowns and rich apparel, illustrating to a Renaissance audience how the devil utilises entertainment to keep man docile (Marlowe, 2005, p. 27; Hattaway, 1970).
In conclusion, both The Picture of Dorian Gray and Doctor Faustus explore social anxieties by placing powerful men at the centre of a moral crisis. For the audience of the Victorian era, Wilde interrogates fin-de-siècle decadence; in Dorian Grey through the amoral lens with no regard to Christianity, and in Dr. Faustus, via the pursuit of secular knowledge and power (Buzwell, 2024; Marlowe, 2005; Ferguson, 2002; Hattaway, 1970). Dorian and Faustus initially appear as agents of choice, yet each is inevitably exposed as vulnerable: Dorian through his fragmented upbringing and susceptibility to Lord Henry’s seductive rhetoric, and Faustus through his hubristic misreading of humanist aspiration as godlike authority.
I hope you found that formative. If at any point have any questions, feel free to ping me a question at hajin065@icloud.com!
Bibliography
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