The Freudian Triangle During the late nineteenth century, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, developed the concept that the basis of the human psyche is three functional parts- the id, ego, and superego. Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray molds the main characters Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil to fit this notion. Lord Henry and Basil are a “delightful contrast” in their relationship and each influence Dorian in a Freudian manner (page 17). The …showed first 75 words of 578 total…

…showed last 75 words of 578 total…of guilt, he murders Basil and symbolically destroys his own conscience. Without a conscience, The Freudian relationship cannot exist. Dorian’s only influence is the selfish ego. He allows this corruption to live his life because he is the id of the Freudian triangle who seek only pleasure and hedonistic values. This hedonism ultimately is the cause of his own ruin. 580 words Works Cited Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974.