The Conscience and the Portrait

The portrait serves as Dorian's conscience, a visible reminder of his sins that he tries to ignore but cannot escape.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Portrait as Conscience

The Portrait as Conscience The Visible Emblem Dorian initially sees the portrait as a 'visible emblem of conscience.' He resolves to resist temptation and marry Sibyl. But the portrait's change frightens him into hiding it. The Early Remorse For a brief moment, Dorian feels guilt and wants to reform. The portrait has the power to guide him, but he rejects it. He chooses to hide the evidence rather than change his ways.

The Suppressed Conscience

The Suppressed Conscience The Locked Room Dorian locks the portrait away and avoids it for weeks at a time. He tries to live as if it does not exist. But periodically, he must return to check it, like a guilty man returning to his crime scene. The Inescapable Guilt No matter how much he tries to forget, the portrait calls him back. It represents the part of himself he cannot escape. His conscience is not dead, only buried.

The Portrait's Hold

The Portrait's Hold The Bloodstain as Evidence After the murder, the portrait gains a bloodstain on the hand. Dorian now has a physical record of his crime. The portrait becomes a threat that could expose him. The Terrified Keeper Dorian's fear of discovery grows. He cannot bear to be away from the portrait. He is its prisoner as much as its master. The conscience has become a tyrant.

The Portrait Unchanged by Good Deed

The Portrait Unchanged by Good Deed The Hypocrite's Face When Dorian hopes to see improvement, the portrait instead shows a 'curved wrinkle of the hypocrite.' His good deed was not pure. The conscience sees through his self-deception. The Final Blow This realization crushes Dorian's hope. The portrait tells him he is beyond redemption. The conscience, once a guide, is now a judge pronouncing sentence.

The Destruction of Conscience

The Destruction of Conscience The Attempt to Kill the Mirror Dorian stabs the portrait to destroy the evidence of his guilt. But in doing so, he kills himself. The conscience cannot be destroyed without destroying the self. The Moral Lesson The novel implies that conscience is an integral part of the soul. To deny it or try to destroy it leads to spiritual death. Dorian's fate is a tragic illustration of this truth.

After the first change, Chapter V

Years of ignoring the portrait

After Basil's murder, Chapter XII

After sparing Hetty, Chapter XIII

Dorian's final act, Chapter XIII