Chapter 1 opens with a description of Basil Hallward, a respected but reclusive

painter, who is entertaining his friend, Lord Henry Wotton. It is a beautiful spring
day. Lord Henry admires Basil's latest work-in-progress, a full-length portrait of a
beautiful young man, and urges him to show it at a gallery. Basil says that he never
will because he has "put too much of myself into it." Lord Henry laughs at him,
mistaking his meaning, and says that the painter is nothing like the boy in the
picture. In the following discussion, it becomes clear that Lord Henry often speaks
in elaborate, cynical, even paradoxical aphorisms, while Basil is a simpler man with
more purely romantic values. Basil clarifies his earlier statement by saying that
"every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."
The discussion turns towards the sitter, whom Basil describes as a delightfully pure
and naive young man named Dorian Gray. Lord Henry insists on meeting the man,
but Basil refuses. He wants to protect the boy's innocent purity from Lord Henry's
cynical, sensualist influence. It becomes clear that Basil has very strong feelings for
Dorian, bordering on adulation. To Basil's chagrin, the butler announces Dorian's
unexpected arrival, and the artist implores of Lord Henry: "He has a simple and a
beautiful nature...Don't spoil him...Don't take away from me the one person who
gives my art whatever charm it posseses."Lord Henry and Dorian are introduced,
and begin talking as Basil prepares his paints and brushes. Henry is immediately
taken by the boy's charm and good looks, and Dorian is quickly impressed with
Henry's conversational acumen and firmly unorthodox views of morality. Controlling
his jealousy, Basil asks Henry to leave so that Dorian can pose for the picture in
peace. Dorian insists that Henry stay, Basil relents, and Henry continues to dazzle
the model with an impromtu lecture on how people ought to be less inhibited so that
one might "realise one's nature perfectly." As he paints, Basil notes that "a look had
come into the lad's face that he had never seen before." It is this look of revelation
that the artist captures in his painting. Lord Henry's lecture makes Dorian feel that
"entirly fresh influences were at work within him," and he marvels that "mere words"
could have this effect. Lord Henry sees clearly the effect that he has on Dorian, and
is proud of it. Dorian and his new friend adjourn to the garden as Basil puts the
finishing touches on his work. In the garden, Henry tells the boy that "Nothing can
cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul," and
that he has "the most marvellous youth, and youth is the one thing worth having."
The conversation then turns towards beauty, and Henry asserts that it has "the
divine right of soverignity," that beauty gives power to those who have it, and that
nothing in the world is greater. He warns Dorian that his beauty will someday fade,
a prospect that horrifies the impressionable young man.Basil then informs the pair
that the painting is complete. Upon seeing the painting, Dorian is overwhelmed with
joy and wonder at its beauty. It is his first unabashed immersion into vanity. As
soon as he thinks of how precious his beauty is, however, he remembers Lord
Henry's statement about the fleetingness of youth and flies into a fit, becoming
enraged at the portrait because it will always retain its beauty, while he is destined
to grow old. In a fit of passion, he thinks, "If only it were the other way! If only it
were I who was to be always young, and the picture was to grow old! For that...I
would give my soul for that!" Seeing Dorian's distress, Basil grabs a knife and
moves to destroy the painting. Dorian stops him, saying that it would be murder,
and that he is in love with the work. Basil promises to give the picture to Dorian as a
gift, and tells him that it will be delivered to him as soon as it is dried and lacquered.
Lord Henry is fascinated by Dorian's behavior, and the two make plans to go to the
theater together that night. Basil objects, and asks Dorian to dine with him instead.
Dorian declines and leaves with Lord Henry, saying that he will call on Basil
tomorrow. The next day, at "half-past twelve", Lord Henry visits his uncle, the
grumpy Lord George Fermor, to learn what he can about Dorian Gray's past. Lord
Fermor is old and idle, having spent most of his life moving apathetically through
London's aristocratic social circles, devoting himself "to the serious study of the
great aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing." He is therefore an ideal resource
for information concerning people's private lives. All Lord Henry has to do is
mention that Dorian "is the last Lord Kelso's grandson."Lord Fermor informs his
nephew that Dorian's mother was Margaret Devereux, the beautiful daughter of
Lord Kelso, who upset her father and caused a scandal by eloping with a poor man
of a lower class. Lord Kelso, a bitter man, sought his revenge by paying a young
Belgian to insult his unwanted son-in-law. Dorian's father was apparently killed in
the resulting fight, and his mother died only several months later. The specific
conditions of the deaths are never disclosed. Custody of Dorian fell to Lord Kelso,
who was socially ostracized for causing the whole ordeal. Kelso was notoriously
mean-spirited and quarrelsome, always making scenes by viciously haggling with
cabmen and the like. Henry leaves Lord Fermor's home to attend a luncheon at the
house of his aunt, Lady Agatha. On the way, he reflects on how fascinating he finds
the story of Dorian's origin, thinking that it makes his life "a strange, almost modern,
romance." Henry is excited by the prospect of shaping the young man's personality
by opening his eyes to the world of sensuality that Henry is so devoted to. He thinks
that the boy "could be fashioned into a marvelous type," and that "He would
dominate him...He would make that wonderful spirit his own." At this point, we learn
just how manipulative Henry truly is.Henry arrives at the lunch gathering rather late,
as is his custom. Once at the table, he soon dominates the conversation,
impressing the guests with the cleverness of his speech and playfully offending
them with the beliefs that "To get back one's youth, one has merely to repeat one's
follies," and that people "discover when it is too late that the only things one never
regrets are one's mistakes." The man's charming tirade is described in terms of
juggling and acrobatics. Dorian is among the guests, and Henry is performing
primarily for his sake.His efforts are not in vain: once the lunch is finished, Dorian
approaches him with words of admiration, saying that "No one talks so wonderfully
as you do." He accompanies Lord Henry to the park instead of calling on Basil as
he had promised. A month later, Dorian pays a visit to Henry, finding his wife at
home. She is pleased to meet the man with whom her husband has become so
preoccupied. After Dorian's comment that one is obligated to engage in
conversation when bad music is being performed, she remarks that "that is one of
Harry's views...I always hear Harry's views from his friends, that is the only way I
get to know them." Henry (or "Harry") arrives, and his wife exits. Henry tells Dorian
never to marry a woman as sentimental as his wife, a trait which he blames on the
fairness of her hair.Dorian delivers the news that he has come to share: he is in
love with a girl named Sibyl Vane. She is an actress who plays all of the young
leading female roles at a theater devoted solely to Shakespeare's works. The
theater and the rest of the cast are of very poor quality, but Sibyl is apparently a
brilliant actress and stunningly beautiful. Dorian went backstage to meet her after
the third performance he had attended, and found her to be completely unaware of
her own skill, seemingly unable to separate real life from that of the stage. He tells
Henry that she prefers to call him "Prince Charming," because, as Dorian says,
"She regarded me merely as a person in a play. She knows nothing of life." This
purity and naivete is indescribably charming to Dorian: he has fallen madly in love,
and tells Henry that he worships Sibyl and that she is the only thing that matters to
him. Dorian convinces Henry to come with him to see her play Juliet in the next
day's production. Henry says that he will invite Basil. At the mention of the painter's
name, Dorian remarks that he feels guilty for having ignored the painter for several
weeks, since he appreciates the masterful portrait despite being "a little jealous of
the picture for being a whole month younger than I am."The conversation turns
towards the character of artists, and Henry insists that the better the artist, the
duller his personality, and that only truly terrible artists are worth spending time
with. Dorian eventually takes his leave. Later that night, Henry returns home to find
a telegram from Dorian informing him that he and Sibyl are engaged to be
married.Sibyl Vane tells her mother all about her love for Dorian, but only refers to
him as "Prince Charming," since she has promised not to disclose his true name to
anyone. Mrs Vane is greatly distressed over her daughter's well-being and the
family's financial status. She reminds Sibyl that they owe money to Mr Isaacs, the
theater owner, but Sibyl doesn't care about anything but her Prince Charming. Mrs
Vane is full of affectations, always seeming to behave as if she is on stage.Sibyl's
younger brother James enters, wanting to walk with his sister and bid farewell to his
mother, as he is leaving for Australia to become a sailor. James is not an actor, and
hates the city and the stage. He is a very serious, stocky young man. It is his hope
that he will never have to return to London, and will make enough money to keep
his mother and sister from having to act. When Sibyl leaves to prepare for their
walk, James urges his mother to protect her. He is very jealous, protective of his
sister, and suspicious of the situation, since Sibyl doesn't even seem to know her
suitor's name. Mrs Vane reminds her son that Prince Charming is a gentleman, and
that it could be a very profitable marriage for the family. Sibyl returns, and the
siblings leave. On their walk, other people stare at them because Sibyl's beauty
contrasts with James's stocky, disheveled appearance. Sibyl romanticizes her
brother's life as a sailor: she is sure that he will find gold in a distant land, fight off
robbers, and rescue a beautiful heiress. James is distressed about his sister's
affair, and tells her that he doesn't trust her suitor.Sibyl defends Dorian, always
referring to him as "Prince Charming", and tells James that he will only understand
her feelings once he falls in love himself. Sibyl spots Dorian riding by and James
runs to see what he looks like, but the carriage drives off. James states, "I wish I
had [seen him], for as sure as there is a God in heaven, if he ever does you any
wrong, I shall kill him." Sibyl scolds her brother for being bad-tempered, and doesn't
take his threat seriously.

After returning home for dinner, James tells his mother that "if this man ever wrongs
my sister, I will find out who he is, track him down, and kill him like a dog." The
melodrama of the statement and the theatrical manner of its delivery make Mrs
Vane admire her son, because she is only truly comfortable when life mimics the
theater. James's departure, however, disappoints her, because the potentially
heart-jerking farewell "was lost in vulgar details" of haggling with a cab driver. Lord
Henry and Basil Hallward discuss Dorian's engagement at the painter's house.
They are planning to dine with Dorian before going to see Sibyl's performance that
night. Basil can't believe that Dorian is really engaged, saying that Dorian "is far too
sensible" to make such a rash decision. To this, Henry replies that "Dorian is far too
wise not to do foolish things now and then." Basil is taken aback by Henry's
detached, artistic fascination with Dorian's life. The artist disapproves of Dorian's
actions, and is worried about the boy's emotional health; Henry, however, is
delighted, knowing that whatever the outcome is, it will be greatly
entertaining.Dorian arrives, insisting that he be congratulated. Basil says that was
hurt to hear about the engagement from Henry, and not from Dorian himself. Henry
quickly changes the subject. Dorian wants Basil to approve of his actions, saying "I
have been right, Basil, haven't I, to take my love out of poetry, and to find my wife in
Shakespeare's plays?" Basil reluctantly agrees with Dorian. When Henry cynically
remarks about the business-like nature of marriage, Basil objects, saying that
Dorian "is not like other men. He would never bring misery upon anyone. His nature
is too fine for that." Henry continues to philosophize about the nature of women and
how they act when in love. To him, "Women treat us just as humanity treats its
gods. They worship us and are always bothering us to do something for them."
Dorian is sure that Sibyl's acting will put an end to Henry's cynicism and reconcile
all disagreements between the three men. When they see her perform, they will be
too overwhelmed by her beauty to consider anything else. The three men leave to
see the play, Romeo and Juliet. The theater is surprisingly crowded that night.
Once seated in their box, Lord Henry observes the obnoxious, unrefined behavior
of the lower-class theatergoers. Basil comforts Dorian against Henry's cynicism.
The play begins, and they all note that the orchestra is terrible. Finally, Sibyl
appears on stage. She looks beautiful, but acts terribly. Her voice is exquisite, but
"from the point of view of tone" is "absolutely false." Dorian is horrified and
confused. The other two men are disappointed, but are too polite to make any
remarks. Her performance, usually the one saving grace in the theater's otherwise
dreadful productions, only gets worse as the play progresses. After the second act,
the audience hisses, and Dorian's guests stand to leave. Basil tries to comfort the
boy, saying that Sibyl must be ill, and that he shouldn't be upset, since "Love is a
more wonderful thing than art" anyway, to which Henry replies that "They are both
simply forms of imitation". Dorian is inconsolable. Henry tells him to cheer up, since
"the secret of remaining young is never to have an emotion that is
unbecoming."The two men leave, and Dorian forces himself to suffer through the
rest of the performance. Afterwards, he rushes backstage to confront Sibyl. She is
delighted to see him and surprised at his anger, since she had assumed that he
would know the reason for her terrible performance. When he demands to be told
why she performed badly, she tells him that having met him, she can no longer
believe in the theater. Before Dorian, she says, "acting was the one reality of my
life," and now he has "freed my soul from prison" and "taught me what reality really
is." Having experienced true love, she says, "it would be profanation for me to play
at being in love." Dorian is horrified, disgusted, and completely unable to love her
anymore. She can't believe it, and when he pulls away from her touch, she falls to
the floor, groveling at his feet. Dorian feels repulsion rather than empathy, and
leaves her sobbing on the floor.Strangely numb and unable to come to terms with
Sibyl's lost talent or his unexpected callousness towards her, Dorian aimlessly
wanders the city until dawn. He returns home, where he happens to glance at
Basil's portrait, and is puzzled to find that the facial expression is slightly different:
there seems to be "a touch of cruelty in the mouth." He rubs his eyes and changes
the lighting, but is certain that the picture has changed. The cruelty in the
expression reminds him of his cruelty to Sibyl, but he feels wronged for the misery
that she has caused him with her bad acting, and consoles himself by thinking that
"women were better suited to bear sorrow than men...When they took lovers, it was
merely to have someone with whom they could have scenes. Lord Henry told him
that, and Lord Henry knew what women were." Unable to make any sense of the
picture's transformation, he realizes, after much pondering, that "It held the secret
of his life, and told his story...changed or unchanged, [it] would be to him the visible
emblem of conscience." Exhausted, he covers the portrait with a screen, and goes
to sleep. Dorian is awoken by Victor, his servant, after having slept until 1:15 in the
afternoon. He sees that he has received a letter from Lord Henry, but leaves it
unopened. He feels refreshed and eats breakfast happily, the previous night feeling
like nothing more than a dream. His pleasant afternoon is interrupted, however,
when he sees the screen that he has thrown over the portrait. He thinks himself
foolish for imagining that the painting might have changed, but decides to check it
again just to make sure. Nervous that he might be acting strangely, he throws
Victor out of the room, locks all of the doors, and draws the curtains. Sure enough,
"It was perfectly true. The painting had altered." He wonders how this could
possible, whether there is a scientific explanation, or a darker, metaphysical cause
for the change. The cruel expression on the face in the portrait reminds him of his
poor treatment of Sibyl. Stricken with guilt, Dorian writes her a passionate love
letter, filling "page after page with wild words of sorrow and wilder words of
pain."Writing the letter is deeply cathartic. As soon as he finishes, Lord Henry
arrives. Dorian tells him that although he saw Sibyl and was brutal towards her, he
doesn't regret any of it, since "It has taught me how to know myself better." Henry is
delighted to find Dorian in good spirits, but when the young man tells him that he
plans to cleanse his soul by marrying the poor actress, it is clear that there has
been a misunderstanding. Sibyl Vane, as Henry had written to Dorian in the
unopened letter, has killed herself with poison. Henry says that there will be an
inquest, but that Dorian has nothing to worry about since nobody saw him go
backstage or leave the theater, and since Sibyl never even told anyone her
fiancé's real name. Henry urges Dorian not to get involved with the situation, as
such a scandal would destroy his reputation. He asks Dorian to come see the opera
with him that night. After his initial shock passes, Dorian responds to the news of
Sibyl's death with a strange detachment. "So I have murdered Sibyl Vane," he
thinks, "as surely as if I had cut her little throat with a knife. Yet the roses are not
less lovely for all that."Under Henry's direction, Dorian comes to appreciate Sibyl's
death as "a wonderful ending to a wonderful play." Dorian is briefly disturbed by his
emotional detachment, but Henry soon assuages his guilt, saying that life's
tragedies often "hurt us by...their entire lack of style." Since Sibyl died so
dramatically, and for such a pure purpose as love, the situation is actually one,
Henry believes, that Dorian should take satisfaction and pleasure in. Henry goes so
far as to state that since the girl was only ever alive on stage, and since Dorian's
love for her was rooted in his admiration for the various heroines she portrayed,
that "The girl never really lived, and so she has never really died...don't waste your
tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real than [Shakespeare's characters] are."
Dorian thanks Henry for being such a good and true friend.Henry leaves, and
Dorian again looks at the picture. The mean sneer has not shifted, making Dorian
think that it had "received the news of Sibyl Vane's death before he had known of it
himself." After further contemplation, Dorian consoles himself by thinking that since
the picture displays his true character, it must "bear the burden of his shame," thus
leaving him to enjoy a guilt-free life. He sees no reason to consider why the picture
changes, and decides to allow himself to simply be entertained by its progress. The
chapter ends with Dorian leaving to meet Lord Henry at the opera.