PODG: Sibyl Vane Character Analysis

Sibyl Vane was a lively young girl, who allowed her innocence to overpower her common sense.
After Dorian Gray, who Sibyl called Prince Charming, lured her into his trap, she immediately became madly in love with him: “Prince Charming rules life for us now” (64). Without putting any thought into who this man was, Sibyl allowed the love she had for Dorian to take over her mind. She became so madly in love with him to the point where she began performing poorly on stage. Her reason behind this was that she could not “mimic [a passion] that burn[ed] [her] like fire” (91). Sibyl was an actress, which meant she was a professional at mimicking emotions. Her excuse was not appropriate; it only showed how obsessed she was with Dorian. Sibyl ended up getting criticized for her poor acting by the person she was thinking about during her performance, and who she was eager to see once it was over. After Dorian finished ranting about her, Sibyl was shocked at the love of her life’s feelings. She killed herself because of Dorian’s harsh words. If she used her common sense, then she would have realized Dorian had no appreciation for her and truly did not care about her. Sibyl Vane did not deserve to die. Her death was the result of Dorian Gray’s corruption over her heart.
Sibyl Vane is like a magazine to Dorian. He wanted to buy her so badly and even asked Lord Henry to help him acquire her: “You, who know all the secrets of life, tell me how to charm Sibyl Vane to love me!” (59). Dorian was satisfied once he flipped the last page. However, there was nothing left for Sibyl, but the recycling bin.
Sibyl Vane is like a child, who is easily swayed.