History WMG / ThePictureOfDorianGray

** If you read the novel as an adaptation of the Theatre/Faust mythos, Lord Henry takes the role of Mephisto.

** If you read the novel as an adaptation of the Theater/Faust legend, Lord Henry takes the role of Mephisto.

Lord Henry was around when Dorian made his wish, and Dorian's initial behavior can be traced back to him. Lord Henry is the Devil Dorian made a deal with, then went about corrupting him. Perhaps Lord Henry even murdered Sybil and made it look like an accident to further corrupt Dorian, since he was still in the theater with Sybil after Dorian had left. The young man Henry wants to introduce Dorian to at the end sounds like Henry's next victim, having figured out that Dorian's time was almost up.

** The problems here is that Lord Henry has not given himself a portrait (a true Slaaneshi wouldn't deny his own pleasure for another) and bemoans Dorian's youth, wishing he could have it himself.

[[WMG: The paint used for the portrait contained the unknown impurity that made [[Literature/StrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll's potion]] effective]]

* Of course! [[spoiler: That's why Jekyll couldn't get more of the substance that let him change at the end of the novel. Basil had bought it all up and mixed it into his paint.]]

[[WMG: The paint used for the portrait contained the unknown impurity that made [[StrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll's potion]] effective]]

[[WMG: Lord Henry is a Slaaneshi Cultist.]]

* What's this a reference to?
** {{Warhammer40000}}

[[WMG: Dorian Gray is inspired by [[DoctorWho Jack Harkness]].]]

[[WMG: Oscar Wilde was a [[JaneAusten Janeite]].]]

The HoYay-packed ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is basically a {{Gender Flip}}ped version of the LesYay-packed ''{{Emma}}''. Emma even paints Harriet's portrait!

** Of course! [[spoiler: That's why Jekyll couldn't get more of the substance that let him change at the end of the novel. Basil had bought it all up and mixed it into his paint.]]

The potion changed the drinker's appearance (and mind) to reflect the evil part of their soul. The painting changes appearance to reflect the state of the subject's soul (and arguably has an effect on his mind by enabling him to sin and still look respectable). Also, the moment the evil acts show, Dorian begins to "loathe" it without really being able to put a finger on the cause, sort of like Hyde's undefined evil looks.

[[WMG: Dorian is a [[HarryPotter wizard]] and doesn't know it.]]

** Granted, but int the HarryPotter universe, being an asshole isn't enough to get a horcrux. You gotta murder someone.

He got his wish, but never truly despaired until the very end, the painting serving as his Soul Gem.

** Warhammer40000

The HoYay-packed ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is basically a {{Gender Flip}}ped version of the LesYay-packed ''{{Emma}}''. Emma even paints Harriet's portrait!

When Dorian impulsively says that he'd sell his soul for his painted figure to age and for himself to have eternal youth and beauty, it's not like he becomes TheSoulless immediately afterward. For a while afterward, he is going to see the Shakespeare plays that Sybil Vane performs in and falls in love with her to the point where he has promised to marry her and, from what he says of her, she has become his MoralityPet. During her last performance that he sees, though, they have both found true love for each other. So obviously, at that point, he had still not lost his soul. Undoubtedly, since he was falling more deeply in love with Sybil, he was smiling at least almost every time he was around her. He was probably smiling so much that, had he not made his DealWithTheDevil, it would have made at least a slight wrinkle or wrinkles somewhere on Dorian's face that would not be immediately noticeable, but visible to anyone who ''really'' took the trouble to notice. Since he made that DealWithTheDevil, though, he lost his soul at the very point where he would have started wrinkling and changing in appearance from age. In exchange, he didn't start wrinkling, but the portrait did, and the only reason he didn't notice was because he was so callous toward Sybil Vane that his cruelty was reflected in a smirk that was more noticeable than a slight wrinkle.

[[WMG: Lord Henry is a Slaanesh Cultist.]]

* No he loves Yog-Slogth and the outer gods

* No he loves Yog-Slogth and the outer gods

Think about it, he corrupts an open mind to become a hedonistic monstrosity, and there was clearly someone listening when Dorian made his wish that the portrait would age instead of himself. I'm willing to bet there was a Mark of Slaanesh hidden on that portrait somewhere.