De Profundis Summary

Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, published in its entirety in 1962, is a deeply personal letter written during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol. Addressed to his former friend and lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, the work reflects on the events that led to his trial and conviction, analyzing the troubled relationship that contributed to his downfall. Blending autobiography and memoir, Wilde engages in profound self-examination and meditation on suffering, while reaffirming his belief in the transformative power of art. Though brief, censored excerpts were released in 1905, the full text remained unpublished until decades later due to its sensitive content. Written in the first-person voice, with direct second-person addresses to Douglas, De Profundis stands as a powerful defense of Wilde’s life and artistic philosophy. The title, meaning "from the depths," is derived from Psalm 130 in the Bible and was added posthumously.

Wilde begins "De Profundis" by writing to his former lover, Lord Alfred Douglas (1870–1945), whom he calls "Bosie." He uses this nickname throughout the letter. Wilde has spent two years in prison at Reading Gaol, which has been very hard on him. The purpose of the letter is to tell Bosie about his complaints, the events that led to their public scandal, and how Wilde ended up on trial and convicted for his romantic relationship with Bosie.

Wilde remembers their time together but also criticizes Bosie for being selfish and reckless. Bosie convinced Wilde to spend a lot of money on things Wilde describes as unnecessary, such as expensive meals, fancy hotels, traveling, and gambling. Wilde compares this with how happy he used to feel when eating simple meals with his good friend Robbie Ross. Wilde also calls Bosie lazy and lacking ambition. He believes that Bosie’s bad habits distracted him from his work and damaged his success as a writer.

Even though Wilde sees many faults in Bosie, he admits that he himself is to blame for allowing their relationship to ruin his life. Bosie’s mother, Sibyl Montgomery (1845–1930), warned Wilde in October 1892 that her son was vain and careless with money. Many of Wilde’s friends advised him to leave Bosie and move abroad. Wilde agreed at first but changed his mind when Bosie sent a telegram to Wilde’s wife, Constance Lloyd (1859–98), asking her to persuade Wilde to contact him. Bosie later traveled to Egypt, and when he returned, Wilde refused to see him. However, Bosie threatened to kill himself, so Wilde gave in. Just two days later, Bosie’s father saw them dining together and sent Bosie a letter in which he insulted Wilde.

Wilde also describes taking care of Bosie when he was sick with the flu, giving him "affection, tenderness, and love." But when Wilde later became sick with the flu, Bosie ignored him completely and even made fun of him for being ill.

As Wilde and Bosie became closer, Bosie’s family became more worried about their relationship. Wilde describes how Bosie’s father once lost his temper, "waving his small hands in the air in epileptic fury ... shouting every foul word his foul mind could think of." Despite this, Wilde still went to comfort Bosie’s mother when one of her other sons died by suicide.

Wilde then explains how the scandal and trial began. He originally sued Bosie’s father for libel because of the insults he had written about Wilde. Bosie encouraged Wilde to go ahead with the lawsuit and assured him they would win. However, Bosie’s father launched a separate investigation into Wilde, and in the end, Wilde was convicted of breaking British laws against gross indecency. The court case left Wilde bankrupt and ruined, both financially and personally. The trial became a public scandal, and Wilde mentions that it was widely reported in newspapers.

Wilde admits that he loved Bosie but criticizes him for enjoying drama and scandal. He writes, "In you, hate was always stronger than love." In "De Profundis," Wilde says that at first, Bosie visited him in prison and sent him letters but then stopped communicating. Bosie later wrote an article defending Wilde in a French magazine, but Wilde found it weak and disappointing because it did not reflect how close they had been. Wilde was also upset that Bosie included quotes from their personal letters without asking for permission.

The second half of "De Profundis" reflects on suffering. Wilde is determined not to let prison destroy his spirit. He asks himself, "If I go into prison without love, what will become of my soul?" He misses his wife and children and finds prison life extremely difficult. His mother died three months after he was transferred to Reading Gaol. He appreciates that his wife traveled all the way from Genoa to tell him the sad news in person, but he feels hurt that Bosie never reached out to him. Wilde is also deeply grateful to his friend Robbie Ross, who acknowledged him in public while Wilde was being led through crowds that mocked him on the way to his bankruptcy trial.

Wilde reflects that prisoners understand suffering and do not reject people in difficult times the way Bosie has abandoned him. Wilde decides to embrace his suffering as something that can change him for the better. He writes, "Where there is sorrow, there is holy ground." He looks to Jesus Christ as an example of someone who suffered but found meaning in it. Wilde compares Christ to a poet because he suffered purely and sought "self-perfection." Wilde sees his own suffering as similar and believes that it will help him grow as a person and an artist.

"De Profundis" returns to Wilde’s thoughts about Bosie. Wilde writes that he is sincere in this letter. At the end, he summarizes his complaints against Bosie but also expresses his hope that they can see each other again. Wilde dreams of going to a quiet seaside town after he is released from prison because, as he says, "The sea ... washes away the stains and wounds of the world." He hopes that Bosie will meet him there so they can heal from their experiences and become better people. The letter ends with Wilde asking Bosie to write back to him.