Another distinctive example of the dramatic female dandy character of Mrs Allonby is later on during the conversation between the women
‘The one advantage of playing with fire, Lady Caroline, is that one never gets singed. It is the people who don’t know how to play with it who get burned up’ this symbolises Mrs Allonby’s dramatic attitude towards men. Mrs Allonby just like Lord Illingworth has a distinct approach towards the opposite sex, she is not afraid to come forward and approach any man she chooses or desires and this one of the major things that makes her presence dramatic. Mrs Allonby's dramatic purpose as a female dandy is shown once again later on in the play when in conversation she refers to a previous conversation with her counterpart Lord Illingworth about the conservatory
‘Lord Illingworth told me this morning that there was an orchid there as beautiful as the seven deadly sins’
This is a classic example of the clash of different personalities between Mrs Allonby and the other ladies as she sees this orchid as something appealing and is a symbol that typifies her personality in a dramatic way where as on the other hand Lady Hunstanton sees it as an imperfection and orders it to be removed which signifies her typical upper class personality as one who strives for perfection.
Another of Mrs Allonby’s dramatic purposes created by Wilde is to create conflict among the women at their social gathering which he creates to superb effect. Wilde gives subtle hints of the feeling of the other women throughout the book without allowing it to break out into full frontal confrontations
‘Remarkable type Mrs Allonby
She lets her clever tongue run away with her sometimes’
These sniping comments are said behind the back of Mrs Allonby and although they do not create direct conflict among the women it does initiate an under current that creates a sub plot running through the play. Frequent instances of conflict come up in scenes that Mrs Allonby and Hester Worsley the American puritan
‘I can’t stand that young American Lady’
Mrs Allonby's role as the female dandy creates conflict more than usual with Hester as she and Lord Illingworth have a particular dislike for puritans as they epitomise what the dandy’s strive not to become. The conflict this creates is blatant and is shown on a regular basis by Wilde in an effort to establish a mindset among the audience in which they can tell the different upper class personalities apart from each other.
Throughout the play Lady Allonby voices an attitude towards marriage that is unusual and diverse and one that is shared to a certain extent by Lord Illingworth. She sees marriage as a weakness and prefers to see life as it comes and has a power over men that she exploits frequently throughout the play. When discussing with Lord Illingworth the possible consequences of him kissing Hester on the cheek Lady Allonby mentions marriage as if it is a punishment in the same breath as being slapped round the face
‘Either marry you or strike you across the face with her glove’
This view would not be as surprising as first thought to the audience if Mrs Allonby herself was not married to Ernest. Unsurprisingly Mrs Allonby’s female dandy personality is reflected in this marriage as it is not one that she is committed whole heartedly to and to the outside eye it may even appear that she is not married at all.
Overall Wilde uses all of these themes and techniques to create Mrs Allonby as a dramatic purpose throughout the play and he does this to great effect with the audience following her role in the play with great interest. Mrs Allonby’s female dandy personality and attitude towards men and marriage are the main reasons for her dramatic role in the play.