Classic Stories: The Picture of Dorian Gray
05:49 Share

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. I'm Nicola Coughlan. This is history's youngest heroes. Rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. She thought, right, I'll just do it. She thought about others rather than herself. 12 stories of extraordinary young people from across history. There's a real sense of urgency in them, that resistance has to be mounted, it has to be mounted now.

Listen on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, my name's Tim. Have you ever heard about someone making a deal with the devil? These kinds of stories don't have happy endings and this is no exception. It's about a handsome young man who swaps his soul for everlasting youth and eventually pays the price. Picture this.

In a large Victorian house, a painter, Basil Hallward, entertains his aristocratic patron, Lord Henry Wharton. Lord Henry is notorious throughout London for his immoral lifestyle, his love of youth and beauty, and his selfish pursuit of pleasure. Henry notices Basil's painting of an extremely beautiful young man, as pretty as a picture, named Dorian Gray...

He demands to meet this charming youth, but Basil refuses, worried that the aristocrat's wickedness will corrupt Dorian's innocence. Suddenly, a visitor arrives unexpectedly. It's none other than Dorian Gray, and Lord Henry is enthralled by his charm and good looks. Basil reveals the finished painting of Dorian looking the very picture of youth, and Lord Henry remarks...

How sad that such beauty must one day grow old. At this, Dorian becomes horrified by the idea that he will never again be so young and handsome, and curses the painting, declaring, I would give my soul to stay young while this picture grows old in my place. Big mistake. Time passes and Dorian falls further under Lord Henry's influence.

Leading an extravagant lifestyle, he grows distant from his former friends. With Basil out of the picture, Dorian falls in love with a low-class actress named Sybil who performs in plays at the local drinking tavern, a rowdy place of drunkenness and fighting. You get the picture. Dorian proposes to Sybil, who happily accepts, but her brother James is suspicious of Dorian's reputation.

Henry and Basil go to watch Sybil's play, but the performance is terrible. Sybil explains that after meeting Dorian, her life is so happy she can no longer act. Picture yourself in Dorian's place. Wouldn't you love Sybil even more? Not Dorian Gray. He reacts cruelly and brutally breaks off their engagement.

Returning home, Dorian is surprised to find that Basil's painting of him is now lined, showing a touch of cruelty in the mouth. He hides the painting away in the attic. That same night, the distraught Sybil kills herself. The next day, Lord Henry puts Dorian in the picture, telling him to hide from the police after Sybil's death. But when Basil visits, he is shocked to see how unconcerned Dorian appears about Sybil's suicide.

his old friend has totally changed. Eighteen years pass. By now, Dorian's infamy has scandalised London society, and newspaper reports paint a shocking picture of his wicked exploits. One day, after many years, Dorian chances to meet his old friend Basil, and invites him home to view the painting. When he sees it, Basil's face is a picture.

He's horrified. The portrait is unrecognisable. The painted face and body grown old and disgusting. In a rage, Dorian kills Basil with a knife and gets his friend Campbell to dispose of the body. Later, the hands in the painting turn red with blood. As for Campbell, soon after he too kills himself and Sybil's brother James also dies mysteriously.

Dorian, meanwhile, looks as young and beautiful as ever. But looking back over his life, he reflects on all the people who died because of him. Sybil, Basil, Campbell, James. Filled with remorse, he vows to change and hopes his newfound goodness is reflected in the painting. But the portrait appears more grotesque than ever. Haunted, Dorian takes a knife and stabs the painting.

He falls to the floor dead, the knife piercing his own heart, his face and body now grown old and ugly. The painting, however, shows the picture of a handsome man, young and beautiful once again. I hope you enjoyed this story, despite the unhappy ending, and you'll join me again for another story very soon. ♪

I'm Nicola Coughlan. This is History's Youngest Heroes. Rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth. She thought, right, I'll just do it. She thought about others rather than herself. Twelve stories of extraordinary young people from across history. There's a real sense of urgency in them, that resistance has to be mounted, it has to be mounted now. Listen on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.