How is the role of love dealt with in "An Ideal Husband"?
What is the role of love in ‘An Ideal Husband’ by Oscar Wilde? An Ideal Husband revolves around many themes, none more important than love. The whole play is the result of the diversity of love and its different viewpoints. Wilde deals with many of these viewpoints through his characters. Sir Robert’s selfless, unconditional love; Lady Chiltern’s love of an ideal, perfect, morally upright husband; Lord Goring’s love of life, his complete love for Mabel Chiltern and his past love for Mrs. Cheveley; and Mrs. Cheveley’s love for money and political and social standing. Each love differs from the other, though each creates an impact in the lives of the character and the course of the play. Sir Robert’s love is one which is strong and can bear the test of time, selfless and unconditional. His love is predicated on the idea of human imperfection and he accepts Lady Chiltern for her faults. According to him, love is a healing force, one that can heal any wound, pardon any sins, except any against itself, and make life infinitely better, as he states in his melodramatic speech at the end of the second act. However, his definition of love is a bit gender-biased. When he claims man’s love to be more human and accepting than a woman’s, he sets up a ground with which most wouldn’t agree. Though the rest of his speech deals with love as a highly exaggerated
Discuss how Wilde presents the relationship between Dorian and Basil Hallward here and at one other point in the novel
Discuss how Wilde presents the relationship between Dorian and Basil Hallward here and at one other point in the novel The twelfth chapter, although seemingly unimportant- yet a necessary reintroduction of Basil Hallward- in fact reveals a great deal about the way in which he sees Dorian. ‘Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man’s face. It cannot be concealed’ is a clear example of traditional Victorian values of aestheticism and a perfect representation of Basil’s views concerning Art and morality. It is at this moment Basil reveals how strongly he believes that ethical goodness has a relationship to aesthetic goodness, especially when it comes to Dorian. As we have seen earlier in chapter one, Lord Henry Wotton describes Dorian as ‘some brainless, beautiful creature’, a statement which Basil seems to pass over as if it were true but his intelligence is unimportant in comparison to his beauty as Basil states that ‘his beauty is such that Art cannot express’. Basil reveals to us in the twelfth chapter that he has always seen Dorian as nothing more than a beautiful piece of Art and with that comes moral purity as within the realms of aestheticism how is it possible for there to be anything more than the beauty of the piece itself? It is this which Basil and Dorian’s relationship has always been based upon. Basil describes Dorian in chapter twelve as
What are Wilde(TM)s dramatic purposes in his presentation of Mrs Allonby?
What are Wilde's dramatic purposes in his presentation of Mrs Allonby? Throughout the play Wilde uses many different techniques and themes in order to present the dramatic purpose of Mrs Allonby. The first way he does this is to emphasis her chosen role in the play as that of the female dandy, a role that is mirrored in a male sense by Lord Illingworth. The first example of this attitude comes near the beginning of the play when Lady Hunstanton comments on the beautiful state of the countryside however Mrs Allonby shows her admiration for the scenery but not the lifestyle that comes with it 'I feel sure that if I lived in the country for six months I should become so unsophisticated that no one would take the slightest notice of me' This comment is a typical example of the dramatic purpose of Mrs Allonby as it shows her classic arrogance and feeling of superiority as she is suggesting that living in the country is below her and is a demeaning suggestion. The connection between the two dandy's Mrs Allonby and Lord Illingworth is evident towards the end of the scene when they are left alone on stage and undertake a flirtatious contest of intelligence initiated by Mrs Allonby which signifies to a large extent the way she behaves throughout the whole play and why her purpose is a dramatic one. The flirtatious banter adds a different dimension to the play and represents the
Remind yourself of the conversation between Gerald and Mrs Arbuthnot between lines 104 and 265 of act IV What is the importance of this section in the context of the whole play?
Remind yourself of the conversation between Gerald and Mrs Arbuthnot between lines 104 and 265 of act IV What is the importance of this section in the context of the whole play? The conversation between Gerald and Mrs Arbuthnot during the extract is one of the most important and dramatic events throughout the entire play. The audience finds out Gerald's desire for Lord Illingworth and Mrs Arbuthnot to marry so that his parents can be reunited once again in what he believes would be an ideal situation. Extra importance and drama surrounds this scene as Wilde considered it necessary to remove it in order to gain a license to perform the play. The way Wilde presents the characters of Gerald and Mrs Arbuthnot throughout the play is extremely important and this conversation typifies the way that he achieves this not only in the extract but throughout the entire play. From the beginning of the extract it is clear that the actions of Mrs Arbuthnot dictate the way that Gerald lives his life. This is all the more important and dramatic because in 19th century Victorian society once a boy comes of age then he would be the dominant figure over the mother however the audience witnesses on a number of occasions the way that Gerald is still entirely dependant on his mother and no more than in this extract, making it one of the most dramatic and important in the context of the play as a
The Picture of Dorian Gray. Considering Lord Henrys views, what have we learnt about the theme of youth and beauty?
Considering Lord Henry's views, what have we learnt about the theme of youth and beauty? The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilder, it is a dramatic story of a beautiful young man, Dorian Gray, who keeps his good looks while his portrait reflect its subjects vice and degradation. The extract under consideration begins in Basil's studio, where the artist finishes the portrait of Dorian Gray. When Dorian looks at the painting he is quite impressed as if he sees himself for the first time. He first recognizes the extraordinary beauty and youth in the portrait and then is pained by the thought of losing it. Dorian envies the figure in the painting saying that "he would give his soul to be young forever" as the painting will be. Influenced by Lord Henry's words on youth and beauty, he is terrified of aging. He fears that he will lose everything when he loses his good looks. Impulsively vowing that he will kill himself when he grows old, he repeats his wish that the portrait might age while he remains young. Basil accuses Lord Henry of causing all this, but Lord Henry says that he has merely brought forth the true Dorian. Basil Decides to destroy the portrait rather than have it upset their lives, but Dorian stops him. "It would be murder," Dorian says. Lord Henry forgives someone for acting badly because they are beautiful this is when Lord Henry
How do the country characters cast light on the pretentions of society as exposed in The Importance of Being Ernest?
How do the 'country characters' cast light on the pretentions of society as exposed in 'the importance of being Ernest'? The country characters are contrasted against the characters from the town. The individuals who lived in the country were portrayed as being simple, righteous and unintelligent by people living in towns in Victorian England. However in this essay I will discuss how Wilde depicts both groups in 'The Importance of Being Ernest'. The first time the setting changes to the countryside, the scene begins with Cicely and Miss Prism (her governess) starting a German lesson. This gives the impression that the majority of Cecily's time is occupied with learning. Which contradicts the impression we may have about people from the country being uneducated. Gwendolyn also adds to this by saying 'Mamma whose views on education are remarkably strict' however there is a paradox to our expectations when her mother states that she does not agree with 'anything that tampers with natural ignorance' and that 'education produces no effect'. When Gwendolyn meets Cicely they both end up thinking that they are engaged to Earnest Worthing, when they discuss this they treat marriage as an extremely trivial matter by saying 'Their must be some slight error,' and 'some misconception'. Earlier on Gwendolyn also states that 'men propose for practice' again trivialising the matter.
How does Oscar Wilde exploit Victorian ideas of good manners to comic effect in the opening of "The Importance of Being Earnest"?
The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde - How does Oscar Wilde exploit Victorian ideas of good manners to comic effect in the opening of the play? The opening scene of The Importance of Being Earnest establishes a, unrealistic world in which no one talks the way ordinary people talk and very little seems to matter to anyone. Algernon and Lane, as well as most other characters in the play, are both literary constructs. They have almost no life or significance apart from the way they talk. Their language is sharp, brittle, and full of elegant witticisms and ironic pronouncements. This shows an emphasis on how much it matters on what you say, not who you are, which was uncommon in Victorian times as stature was an important part in having your voice heard. This adds to the establishment of an unrealistic world in a more explicit way, since it directly contrasts Victorian life. Lane’s first line, for example, regarding Algernon’s piano playing, is an insult coated in polite, elegant language. We can see the play’s lack of realism in the way Algernon and Lane behave over Lane’s inaccurate entry in the household books. Lane has entered considerably more wine than was actually drunk to cover the fact that he himself has been drinking huge amounts of expensive champagne on the sly. Algernon shows no more concern over the stealing than Lane does over its having been