Moving away from his silent thoughts, he converses with his friend Lord Henry. At this point, we are made known that Basil attended the prestigious university of Oxford, again showing that he is quite intelligent. We can tell that the relationship between Lord Henry and Basil is one that has been maintained for a long time, as Basil predicts the reactions that come from Henry.
Basil explains why he doesn’t want to exhibit this particular work of art; his portrait of Dorian Gray, he says, “there is too much of me in him”. This could give the idea that Basil is quite a closed man, keeping himself to himself and quite contemplative in his thoughts. It also shows the idea that he has devoted all the energy in perfecting this certain portrait. Even though Dorian is described as a thing of beauty, Basil replies that he, “should be sorry to look like him”, a confusing statement. He explains that the ugly have the best part in the world, they live, in Basil’s eyes as everyone should live, “undisturbed, indifferent and without disquiet”. Through this, we can tell that Basic has a simple outlook on life, that even though he has talent, for some reason, he can also, “suffer terribly”.
After revealing the persons name in the portrait, Basil says that he didn’t intend to. That he loves secrecy, when he leaves town, he never tells anyone, because if he did, “I would lose all my pleasure”. A mysterious habit, although described as, “romantic”, it could demonstrate that Basil likes to keeps to himself.
The conversation continues with Dorian remaining the key topic, letting us know that Basil regards him in a very high light, “he is all my art is to me now”. A powerful statement, Basil’s passion in life, seems to be his art, therefore saying that Dorian has consumed his passion. This tells us that Dorian must be an important figure in Basil’s life. Dorian to Basil is, “more than a sitter”, He seems to have changed his life, “Since I met Dorian Gray… I see things differently, I think of them differently”. This suggests that Dorian has great power of Basil’s life, not necessarily in a obvious known way, but a kind of power that Basil only knows he has, and this gentlemen has changed the artists life. This is supported further on as Basil reminisces about a great piece of artwork he had created, when a buyer offered him a great deal of money for it, but still he refused to sell it. He admits that the only reason it was such a great piece of artwork is because, “Dorian Gray sat beside me. Some subtle influence passed from him to me”, this again informs us that Dorian has become some sort of muse to Basil, and regards Dorian as a great person, even showing affection for him.
Through all these overwhelming feelings that Basil has for Dorian, referring to his love for Dorian as, “artistic idolatry”, Dorian knows nothing of this deep emotion. This is because Basil refuses to be vulnerable, “My heart shall never be put under the microscope”. This could also suggest that previously, Basil had suffered some great emotional pain and is determined not to let that happened again.
Connecting to this, Basil states that, “As long as I live; the personality of Dorian Gray will dominate me”. A strong statement, giving the impression again that Dorian has power over Basil. Lastly, Basil tells Lord Henry that he doesn’t want him to meet Dorian. This could be because maybe because he wants to keep this extraordinary person to himself. He warns Lord Henry not to influence him, openly speaking his mind on Henry’s personality, but says he trusts him. Reflecting on his own artwork, Basil again delivers a powerful sentence, “My life as an artist depends on him”, showing that Basil before maybe had some confidence in his own work, now however, this confidence has vanished and without Dorian, his is simply lost.
Moving on from the character of Basil, Lord Henry is also introduced in the opening chapter. A smoking socialite who seems to be a natural charmer and full of confidence. He seems to be a very carefree open character. He is often described as talking, “languidly”, as if he lacks spirit or energy, he doesn’t seem to really care.
Lord Henry can also be described as a man who is very into looks over intellect, “Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men… perfectly hideous”. He prefers beauty to intellect, almost to the point of sounding quite shallow.
Manipulation can be said to be part of Lord Henry. He describes how he classes his friends, “I choose my friends for their good looks”, again showing that he is indeed shallow, “My acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects”. He keeps his, ‘friends close and his enemies closer’, manipulating people, keeping friends, which all can benefit him if he ever needs, “They are all men of some intellectual power… they all appreciate me”, ready whenever he needs a favour.
Lastly, we come across Dorian Gray, who does not actually appear in the first chapter, however through Basil we are able to gain an insight into his character.
The first introduction of Dorian is from his looks on the painting, “A young man of extraordinary personal beauty”. The word, “extraordinary”, provides the notion that Dorian is not just a handsome person, but holds amazing attractiveness. Further visual description of Dorian is given from the opinion of Lord Henry. “This young Adonis, who looks as if he was made out of ivory and rose-leaves…he is a Narcissus”. An Adonis, from Greek mythology, is defined as a man who was loved by women all around, including the Greek idols of Aphrodite and Persephone. Even through just viewing a portrait of Dorian, Henry uses this powerful simile to show how beautiful he believes this man to be. The word, “Narcissus”, provides a insight into the rest of the play, a Narcissus referring to, “a beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection”, which is, what indeed happens to Dorian Gray himself.
In conclusion, through the opening chapter of the novel, we are introduced to three of the main characters, and although not all are introduced directly, we are able to get an impression of the characteristics and qualities that each personality possesses.