Allusions in The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Mariana Malky

What is an allusion?

• An allusion is a direct reference to persons, places, & things from history, myths, & legends

• It helps to reveal more about the characters & the actions that take place in the novel

• Dorian: this term refers to people of ancient Greece, thought to have originated in a region known as Doris, who developed Doric style of architecture

• Grace was his, & the white purity of boyhood, & beauty such as the old Greek marbles kept for us

• Imogen: Protagonist of Shakespeare's Cymbeline. She defies her father, Cymbeline, & marries the man she chooses

• Adonis: An exceptionally handsome young man favored by the goddess of love, Aphrodite

• Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis tells the story

• Dante Aleghieri: Author of the great epic poem The Divine Comedy.

• Acquaintances of Dorian Gray think that he seemed to be of the company of those whom Dante describes as having sought to make themselves perfect by the worship of beauty

• Miranda: Beautiful young daughter of Prospero, the protagonist of Shakespeare's play The Tempest

• Franz Schubert: Austrian composer of symphonic & piano works

• Robert Schumann: German romantic composer of symphonies & piano works

• Narcissus: A young man of extraordinary good looks.

• One day, while gazing into a pool of water, he fell in love with his reflected image. He was so in love with what he saw that he was unable to turn his gaze away. Consequently, he wasted away as he stared at the image

The End