Ensayo El Retrato De Dorian Gray (Lord Henry Wotton)

Views and Philosophies of Lord Henry Wotton

Lord Henry Wotton is heard numerous times stating his opinion on various subjects in the form of philosophies. His philosophies always had a greateffect on the people who heard them, mostly because Lord Henry always seemed to clash with the ideals and beliefs of society.
When we first meet Lord Henry, he is described by Basil as somewhat of anenigma, since he always seemed to advocate for evil or improper behavior, but never really did anything bad himself.
In my opinion, Lord Henry’s views were more than just lies he told to impressaristocracy, but rather an intriguing and amusing way to enable him to do as he pleased within high society regardless of the rules of etiquette of the time. One of my favorite quotes by Lord Henry is hisideal that punctuality is the thief of time, his view on punctuality is a good example of his unorthodox behavior.
Even though Lord Henry seemed to believe in his ideals, he did not comprehend thetrue implications of carrying out his views completely. Before he corrupted Dorian Gray, his theories were only upheld within the confines of aristocracy, were no actual risk could be taken, thus makingthem completely harmless. When adopted by Mr. Gray, these philosophies were employed in a different scenario, as Lord Henry would’ve never left the comfort of high-society, whereas Dorian did notfear to plunge into the depths of lower society. It was there where his ideals were taken to their maximum extension, ultimately being responsible for Dorian’s demise. By analyzing this we can see howLord Henry was not aware of the implications of truly living by his philosophy.
In the end, Lord Henry’s views weren’t his rules as to how to live, but rather a façade created to mesmerize and amusethe people he socialized with, thus forcing them to have a somewhat more open attitude or tolerance for Lord Henry’s less than tipical behavior. His opinions, if viewed as only that, would be...