The Picture of Dorian Gray #1

             In the first two chapters of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, Lord Henry, and Dorian Gray are immediately interconnected. It appears that a love triangle, or a triangle of affection has formed between the three characters. Basil Hallward introduces Lord Henry to Dorian Gray, and they are immediately intrigued by each other. Basil Hallward and Lord Henry are now competing for the attention of Dorian Gray. The relationship is illustrated in Hallward’s response when Henry and Gray leave: “As the door closed behind them, the painter flung himself down on a sofa, and a look of pain came into his face” (Wilde 22). Hallward’s reaction illustrates the romantic side of his relationship with Gray, because if they were just friends he would have not been upset about Gray going to the theater with Henry.