A critical comparative analysis regarding Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Omar Khayyam's quatrains

Abstract

This paper provides a critical comparative analysis of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Omar Khayyam's Rubáiyát, exploring the thematic intersection of individualism, morality, mortality, and metaphysical self-awareness. By examining Wilde’s portrayal of the soul as a locus of ethical consequence within the context of Victorian gothic literature, the analysis demonstrates how Wilde critiques conventional moral frameworks, proposing a radical internalization of moral judgment and spiritual retribution. In parallel, the paper analyzes Khayyam’s quatrains—rendered through Edward FitzGerald’s influential translations—which similarly redefine traditional metaphysical concepts by placing notions of heaven, hell, reward, and punishment within the individual's existential domain. While highlighting ideological contrasts such as Wilde's depiction of immortality as a destructive pursuit versus Khayyam's celebration of life's transient pleasures, the study underscores fundamental philosophical parallels. Both authors, though culturally and temporally distinct, propose that spiritual consequence and metaphysical truths reside within the self, independent of external religious paradigms. This investigation ultimately positions Wilde and Khayyam as significant contributors to the modern, secular reconceptualization of ethics and metaphysics, asserting their roles as iconoclasts who challenge and redefine the boundaries between aesthetic experience and ethical self-realization.