Do Now: Free write the Prediction: How will Dorian’s engagement to Sibyl change his relationship with Lord Henry?

Lord Henry is quite interested in Dorian; he would like to spend as much time with Dorian in order to study his complex personality. However, now that Dorian is engaged with Sibyl, he will be spending a lot more timer with her instead of Lord Henry. Now Lord Henry will not only be unable to spend more time to study Dorian, but Lord Henry will no longer be able to inject his views and ideas into Dorian. This might possibly change Dorian for the better, as Lord Henry can be an extremely negative influence.

Who is Victoria?

Victoria is Lord Henry’s wife. Lord Henry states: "Women are just a decorative sex that you wear on your arm."

How would you characterize Sibyl Vane?

Sibyl Vane is extremely naive and pure, with no concept as to what an evil could be.

How/Where did she meet Dorian

Sibyl was an actress at a small theater. Dorian had stumbled upon the theater and decided to enter. It was here that Dorian first saw her. At first the gentleman who owned the theater offered Dorian a way backstage to meet her, but he denied. He decided to go every night after the first night as he could not go without seeing Sibyl. It was after the third or fourth visit that he decided to accept the gentleman’s offer to meet Sibyl.

What does she call Dorian?

He is “Prince Charming” to her. Sadly enough, Sibyl does not know Dorian's real name.

How long do they know each other in the story so far?

They only know one another for three weeks.

Critical Thinking
Examine the relationship between Lord Henry and his wife Victoria and compare the relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian. How does Lord Henry feel about the relationship between Dorian and Sibyl? Analyze Lord Henry’s view of women, men and fidelity. Analyze the change in the relationship between Dorian and Basil.

The relationship between Lord Henry and his wife is terrible. They basically lead separate, independent lives. Although we do not know Victoria's view at this point, Lord Henry sees woman as a "decorative sex." "My dear boy [Dorian], no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals."
So although he does not care much for his wife, Lord Henry is quite intrigued by Dorian. There is just something about him that Lord Henry wishes to study, and therefore wishes to spend as much time with him as humanly possible.
When Dorian starts to speak of his new found love, Lord Henry starts to become worried. Although he is worried because Dorian will no longer be spending as much time with him, he tells Dorian " the people who love only once in their lives are really the shallow people. What they call their loyalty, and their fidelity, I call either the lethargy of custom or their lack of imagination. Faithfulness is to the emotional life what consistency is to the life of the intellect--simply a confession of failure."
From all of these statements, we can tell that Lord Henry has set views about women, men and fidelity. As for women, their main responsibility is to look pretty. When you marry a woman, their responsibility is to be a trophy wife that you can be proud of. It doesn't matter whether you love them or spend time with them. So long as their beautiful. A man is supposed to be the intelligent one. He is the one who challenges all morals. As for fidelity, Lord Henry thinks of it as a complete joke. He feels as though there is no possible way that you can keep loving one person. As the popular internet meme goes, Lord Henry sees fidelity as an epic fail.

After Dorian started to hang around Lord Henry, he hardly talked to Basil at all. It is as though Dorian completely forgot about the gentleman who painstakingly painted a photo of him. It is because of his change in personality that Dorian no longer wishes to see Basil alone. "He says things that annoy me. He gives me good advice." It now appears as though the relationship between Basil and Dorian has deteriorated for the worse.

Cooperative Learning
You need the digital image of yourself for this mini class project today! Using our laptops-Create a Powerpoint on Self Love