- An ideal husband - Analysis of the play.

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24/11/03 - Claudia King - Year 11

-An ideal husband

CHALLENGE= In this play, there are several moments when new and surprising information which changes everything is dramatically revealed. Explore one such moment bringing out how the character’s words and actions make the moment so dramatic.

   I think that the moment that is the most dramatic would be when it is revealed that the diamond broach which Mrs. Cheveley wears had in fact been stolen from a relative of Lord Goring, who catches Mrs. Cheveley admitting to have been a thief, as Lord Goring remembers having given this broach to his cousin at her wedding.

   The story so far showed us that this woman is so high in authority and always gets her own way. Therefore, when Lord Goring “holds up the broach” so that Mrs. Cheveley becomes anxious to get the broach back, this results in dramatic tension when he “clasps it on her arm”. At this point, she is so vein and obsessed with her appearance “it looks very well on me as a bracelet”, that she doesn’t realise that he knows that she stole it. She becomes over confident because she thinks that she is going to get away with it so easily thanks to her charm, but the audience knows otherwise. This is dramatic irony as well as when Lord Goring “clasps” the broach on her arm. He also suddenly becomes more confident because he has the upper hand upon the matter of things.

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   At this point in the play, the audience becomes exited at her fear when he says “I have found the thief now”, as she begins “tossing her head” in innocence and denying it “It is not true”.  To this, Lord Goring says “thief is written across your face”, and at this moment, Mrs. Cheveley confesses this, “I will deny the whole affair”. It is a pretty big shock for the audience to have her denying it one second, and the next admitting because she has no other choice as the bracelet is proof.

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