How does Wilde present the character of Sybil Vane in Chapters 5, 6 & 7 of The Picture of
Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde published his novel, the Picture of Dorian Gray, in 1891, detailing the story of a young,
wealthy, handsome man living in late 19 th century London as he spirals into a life of sin and misery in
his pursuit of beauty and pleasure. Compared to the other characters seen in the novel, Sibyl Vane is
a relatively minor character- she is Dorian Gray’s first love, a working-class actress he insists on
marrying after watching a few of her plays. Wilde presents her as a foil to Dorian Gray’s character
and, in doing so, is able to display the extent of the influence Lord Henry has had on Dorian Gray and
a critical commentary on the role of women in 19 th century England.
Wilde presents Sibyl Vane as a foil to Dorian’s Gray character in order to exemplify Dorian’s
deviation from what he used to be. Her attributes contrast with Dorian’s present characteristics, but
her naiveté also reflects who Dorian was before the influence of Lord Henry. For example, in chapter
6, there is a semantic field of youthful imagery used to describe Sybil, seen in metaphors like, ‘a rose
shook in her blood,’ and ‘the petals of her lips,’ that ‘trembled.’ Her trembling lips are reminiscent of
a child’s behaviour, emphasising Sibyl’s youthful imagery, which is heightened by the contrast of her
‘petal’ like lips against her mother’s ‘thin-lipped wisdom.’ Additionally, as well as youthful, Wilde
presents Sibyl as naïve. She asks her mother, ‘why does he love me so much (…) but what does he
see in me? I am not worthy of him.’ The repetition of self-deprecating language in this passage
represents Sibyl’s guileless nature as she is unaware that her purity and goodness is prominent in
why she is so alluring. The naivety she embodies is similar to how Dorian appeared in the beginning
of the novel, unaware of the power of his beauty. Their similarities are seen in how Henry described
Dorian as having ‘youth’s passionate purity,’ in chapter 2 and the ‘southern wind of passion’ that
‘swept’ over Sibyl in chapter 5. Wilde uses similarly sounding features in these phrases, utilising an
alliteration for Dorian and sibilance for Sibyl to give pair a lyrical, musical and emotive atmosphere,
emphasising their youth. Sibyl's beauty is also evident in how her looks are modelled from Wilde’s
wife, Constance Lloyd, whom Wilde described as a ‘slight, violet-eyed little Artemis, (…) flower-like
head droop like a blossom,’ which is near identical to when Dorian described Sibyl. Again, Wilde
equates youth and naivety with beauty, making Sibyl’s character akin to Dorian’s in the beginning of
the novel. Through this, Wilde was able to create a motif of youthful innocence; he has already
presented readers with an eponymous character, who is oblivious to his own exploitation by Henry
and sets Sibyl up to become the next character that is exploited, by Dorian Gray, therefore
presenting Sibyl as a reflection of who Dorian was in the beginning of the novel.
Secondly, Wilde presents Sibyl as an opportunity for Dorian to change, one that Dorian fails to take
as seen through the cruel way he treated her, allowing Wilde to emphasise the extent of Lord
Henry’s influence on Dorian. In response to Henry’s questioning Dorian’s marriage to Sibyl, he says,
'her trust makes me faithful, her belief makes me good. When I am with her, I regret all you have
taught me.’ The implications here are that, until Dorian met Henry, he led an innocent life of any
wrongdoing and Henry has been acting as an evil influence in Dorian’s life. His meeting with Sibyl
enabled him to question all the evil he learnt from Henry, providing a chance for Dorian to change
and lead a moral life. However, Dorian also says, ‘the mere touch of Sibyl Vane’s hand makes me
forget you and all of your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories.’ Whilst this also
supports how Sibyl could have changed Dorian, the juxtaposition of the adjectives, ‘fascinating’ and
‘delightful,’ against, ‘wrong,’ and ‘poisonous,’ are reflective of Lord Henry’s contradictory epigrams,
showing that Lord Henry had already deeply influenced and perhaps foreshadows that Dorian’s
treatment of Sibyl was inevitable. Sibyl’s presentation as an opportunity for Dorian to change and
undo the effects of Henry is also seen in how Sibyl and Henry have different values. In chapter 7,
Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde published his novel, the Picture of Dorian Gray, in 1891, detailing the story of a young,
wealthy, handsome man living in late 19 th century London as he spirals into a life of sin and misery in
his pursuit of beauty and pleasure. Compared to the other characters seen in the novel, Sibyl Vane is
a relatively minor character- she is Dorian Gray’s first love, a working-class actress he insists on
marrying after watching a few of her plays. Wilde presents her as a foil to Dorian Gray’s character
and, in doing so, is able to display the extent of the influence Lord Henry has had on Dorian Gray and
a critical commentary on the role of women in 19 th century England.
Wilde presents Sibyl Vane as a foil to Dorian’s Gray character in order to exemplify Dorian’s
deviation from what he used to be. Her attributes contrast with Dorian’s present characteristics, but
her naiveté also reflects who Dorian was before the influence of Lord Henry. For example, in chapter
6, there is a semantic field of youthful imagery used to describe Sybil, seen in metaphors like, ‘a rose
shook in her blood,’ and ‘the petals of her lips,’ that ‘trembled.’ Her trembling lips are reminiscent of
a child’s behaviour, emphasising Sibyl’s youthful imagery, which is heightened by the contrast of her
‘petal’ like lips against her mother’s ‘thin-lipped wisdom.’ Additionally, as well as youthful, Wilde
presents Sibyl as naïve. She asks her mother, ‘why does he love me so much (…) but what does he
see in me? I am not worthy of him.’ The repetition of self-deprecating language in this passage
represents Sibyl’s guileless nature as she is unaware that her purity and goodness is prominent in
why she is so alluring. The naivety she embodies is similar to how Dorian appeared in the beginning
of the novel, unaware of the power of his beauty. Their similarities are seen in how Henry described
Dorian as having ‘youth’s passionate purity,’ in chapter 2 and the ‘southern wind of passion’ that
‘swept’ over Sibyl in chapter 5. Wilde uses similarly sounding features in these phrases, utilising an
alliteration for Dorian and sibilance for Sibyl to give pair a lyrical, musical and emotive atmosphere,
emphasising their youth. Sibyl's beauty is also evident in how her looks are modelled from Wilde’s
wife, Constance Lloyd, whom Wilde described as a ‘slight, violet-eyed little Artemis, (…) flower-like
head droop like a blossom,’ which is near identical to when Dorian described Sibyl. Again, Wilde
equates youth and naivety with beauty, making Sibyl’s character akin to Dorian’s in the beginning of
the novel. Through this, Wilde was able to create a motif of youthful innocence; he has already
presented readers with an eponymous character, who is oblivious to his own exploitation by Henry
and sets Sibyl up to become the next character that is exploited, by Dorian Gray, therefore
presenting Sibyl as a reflection of who Dorian was in the beginning of the novel.
Secondly, Wilde presents Sibyl as an opportunity for Dorian to change, one that Dorian fails to take
as seen through the cruel way he treated her, allowing Wilde to emphasise the extent of Lord
Henry’s influence on Dorian. In response to Henry’s questioning Dorian’s marriage to Sibyl, he says,
'her trust makes me faithful, her belief makes me good. When I am with her, I regret all you have
taught me.’ The implications here are that, until Dorian met Henry, he led an innocent life of any
wrongdoing and Henry has been acting as an evil influence in Dorian’s life. His meeting with Sibyl
enabled him to question all the evil he learnt from Henry, providing a chance for Dorian to change
and lead a moral life. However, Dorian also says, ‘the mere touch of Sibyl Vane’s hand makes me
forget you and all of your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories.’ Whilst this also
supports how Sibyl could have changed Dorian, the juxtaposition of the adjectives, ‘fascinating’ and
‘delightful,’ against, ‘wrong,’ and ‘poisonous,’ are reflective of Lord Henry’s contradictory epigrams,
showing that Lord Henry had already deeply influenced and perhaps foreshadows that Dorian’s
treatment of Sibyl was inevitable. Sibyl’s presentation as an opportunity for Dorian to change and
undo the effects of Henry is also seen in how Sibyl and Henry have different values. In chapter 7,
