De Profundis

Wilde opens the letter by reminding Bosie, the presumed reader, that this testimony is as much for Bosie’s sake as it is for Wilde’s own. Wilde goes as far as to urge Bosie not to dedicate his poems to him, as they “should not be burdened by the weight of a terrible, a revolting tragedy, a terrible, a revolting scandal” (25). Wilde’s kind and good-natured temperament is evident here, as despite his own ruin, he still wishes for Bosie to learn from his actions. Wilde ends the letter by writing, “You came to me to learn the Pleasure of Life and the Pleasure of Art. Perhaps I am chosen to teach you something much more wonderful, the meaning of Sorrow, and its beauty” (52). Despite Bosie’s apparent inability to comprehend such mature and dense topics, Wilde nonetheless has faith in him. It is important to note that Wilde’s intent in writing this letter directly contradicts Bosie’s intent writing both to Wilde and to his own father. Filled with rage and jealousy, Bosie frequently sought to anger or embitter others, whereas Wilde in “De Profundis” attempts to correct the vicious cycle such toxic purpose brings.

Forgiveness also played a large role in their relationship prior to Wilde’s imprisonment. Wilde recounts that the two parted ways only to reunite once every three months. In each case, it was Wilde who forgave Bosie, yet this forgiveness did not free either of them from any burden but rather kept them trapped. Therefore, Wilde’s viewpoint on what it means to truly forgive someone has evolved during his time in prison. Forgiveness does not entail overlooking wrongdoing; rather, it solidifies responsibility. Wilde writes, “Whatever you did to me in the old days I always readily forgave. It did you no good then” (28). Wilde previously did not forgive Bosie because he saw him in his ideal relations, as one should do to achieve true forgiveness. Instead, Wilde’s forgiveness signified his willful forgetting and inability to assert himself. In an attempt to finally transcend the toxicity of their relationship, Wilde chooses to forgive Bosie by memorializing their relationship in writing.

Ultimately, however, forgiveness has more to do with the one who forgives than the one who is forgiven. Early in the letter, Wilde writes, “I don’t write this letter to put bitterness into your heart, but to pluck it out of mine. For my own sake I must forgive you” (5). Wilde understands that he must forgive Bosie to relieve Bosie of guilt and to move past their relationship. He circles back to this idea during his later discussion of Christ, who he argues urges forgiveness because to hold onto bitterness hampers the self’s development. This echoes Wilde’s account of the relationship between love and individualism; if the purest individualist is someone who sees all of humanity in the individual, whoever clings to their hatred of someone—that is, who sees that person as undeserving, unintelligent, cruel, etc.—ultimately adheres to a reductive view of the self.