Unlike these men, with mainly political issues in their minds, Lord Goring takes no part in it, and is called by his father to lead ‘an idle life’. Due to this fact, the audience immediately likes him and knows that he will be the comical person in the play. Oscar Wilde manages to make Lord Goring well liked by the audience through comedy, the way in which he responds to other guests and by allowing him to say some words, and then pretend that he doesn’t know what they mean. For example: ‘I am not a pessimist. Indeed, I am not quite sure that I quite know what Pessimism means.’ Responses are also never what the audience expects them to be. For example in Act 1, page 21, when Lord Goring is speaking to Mabel: Have you missed me? Then I am sorry I didn’t stay away longer. I liked being missed.’
When some tension is in the play, at the end of Act 1 when Robert realizes he is being blackmailed, Lord Goring relieves the tension with his immediate presence at the beginning of Act 2, signaling some hope for Robert Chiltern.
Later, on in the play, when Lord Goring is informed by Robert Chiltern of Robert’s dark past, (he sold a cabinet several years ago and is now blackmailed by Mrs. Chevelry) his personality changes into becoming serious. By doing this, Oscar Wilde influences the audience to like Lord Goring because although he a comical laid back person, when his friend is in trouble, he will change his character to become what his friend needs, some one serious who understands.
However, the main reason why Lord Goring is still liked although he has turned serious is because this fact is greatly overshadowed by the fact that the change in personality is due to him being a loyal friend and attempting to help solve Robert Chiltern’s problem. Even, when Lord Goring makes the problem worse and Robert Chiltern thinks of him as a traitor, the audience already knows his innocence and pities him, while laughing at the situation that has occurred. (Lord Goring thinks that it is Mrs. Chiltern who has come to see him, but actually it is Mrs. Chevelry, in the next room who has been listening in on Robert Chiltern and Lord Goring’s conversation. Robert finds Mrs. Chevelry and is extremely angry, then leaves, while Lord Goring, still not realizing the person is actually Mrs. Chevelry, defends her.’)
However the ending becomes a happy one as Lord Goring is the hero and is going to marry Mabel which is always a positive influence.
Lady Chiltern
Background Info: Lady Chiltern is an idealistic 27 year old, who has made an ideal of her husband. Although she isn’t a negative character in the play, the audience dislikes her more than the evil person, Mrs. Chevelry because she is so self righteous. Mrs. Chiltern and Mrs. Chevelry are opposites. Mrs. Chevelry, is more realistic about life, and the audience can’t help but be amazed at her cunningness, ambition and boldness to try and get what she wants, plowing over any obstacles that get in her way, and prevent her from getting what she wants. Mrs. Chiltern, however, has been living in her own fantasy world, having the perfect life by marrying the perfect person. Due to this, her husband hides the truth about his past from her and was willing to speak to the House of Commons and approve of the Argentine Canal immediately at the beginning of the play, until Lady Chiltern finds out and interferes.
After realizing the situation, Oscar Wilde manages to make Mrs. Chiltern disliked even more by the fact that most of her conversations with other ladies, are about how perfect her husband is.
Most of the time, it is common knowledge that when a husband and wife have a very difficult decision to make, the other person should be there to comfort and help them make the decision no matter what the consequences are. However, because of Mrs. Chiltern’s ideal of her husband, he cannot possible go to her for comfort and in this case, she is the last person he would want to tell his secret to, asking advice from Lord Goring instead. In Act I page 48, when Robert Chiltern realizes the position he is in, he asks his wife to love him always. Her response was that she would love him only because he was worthy of love.
Due to this, even after Lady Chiltern is given the biggest shock of her life, her ideal dreams suddenly shattering, and then immediately scolded and critized by her husband Robert Chiltern with his brilliant truthful speech on how women always make ideals of men, the audience can no longer feel no remorse for her as Lady Chiltern sways side to side. Pity is felt for Robert Chiltern, living with a wife believing that her husband was the most perfect person in the world and only loving him because of this.
Although the end is a happy one, at the end, when she agrees with Robert that he should resign from the offer of having a cabinet seat, even Lord Goring proves to know more about life and her husband than she does, telling her that rather than lose her love, Robert Chiltern would agree to anything. And so again, she is portrayed negatively.
