Wilde himself visited America in 1882. It seems that he was not a fan of the country and in this play it seems many of the characters including Lord Illingworth is not a fan of it either. In Act One, Lord Illingworth says that when bad Americans die they go to America. This is something Wilde himself was quoted on saying to an American reporter and seems to sum up Wilde’s view of the country, suggesting that he too does not admire the working class, choosing to admire those who inherited their wealth instead.
Throughout the play and indeed in Act 1, there is a lot of talk about the position of women, as this is one of the themes of the play. Through looking at the views of different characters we can work out or at least have an educated guess at what Wilde’s own view was. There is an interesting quote from Lady Stutfield on this matter, ‘The world was made for men and not for women’. Mrs Allonby seems to disagree with this when she replies, ‘don’t say that…We have a much better time than they have. There are more things forbidden to us than they are forbidden to them.’ This shows the unfairness of the Victorian society, but it also shows how some women in it are agreeable to it and in Mrs Allonby’s case see it as more of a good thing than a bad thing. I think this phrase is almost like a paradox because it is quite contradictory, as surely it is better to have more freedom, but there is some truth in it, as maybe having less freedom means you do less things wrong and therefore are more socially accepted, which was very important in the Victorian age.
It is also interesting to look at the position of women from a man’s point of view. I think from looking at it this way we are more likely to gain an idea of what Wilde’s view was. Mr Kelvil seems to support the position of women in society and seems keen for them to make more of an influence, ‘The growing influence of women is the one reassuring thing in our political life, Lady Caroline. Women are always on the side of morality, public and private.’ This shows Mr Kelvil does seem to be in the favour of women, but we have to remember that he is a politician and politicians have a tendency to say what they think people want to hear, rather than what they actually think themselves. Mr Kelvil also seems to have a rather stereotypical view of women and this shows how women were looked upon and supposed to behave in society; always morally right, whether they are in public or in private.
In this Act, I also thought it was interesting to look at the relationship between Sir John and Lady Caroline as a way at looking at the position of women in late Victorian society. In this relationship it seems that Lady Caroline is the one who is very much in control;
‘LADY CAROLINE
I think you had better come over here, John. It is more sheltered.
SIR JOHN
I am quite comfortable, Caroline.
LADY CAROLINE
I think not, John. You had better sit beside me.
SIR JOHN rises and goes across’
This is an almost role reversal in the late Victorian society, as it was always thought that the man in the relationship was the boss, but in this relationship it seems quite the opposite. We know that Wilde’s own marriage was one where he was in charge as many sources described his wife to be a shy and doll like bride hanging on to each of Wilde’s words. In this situation it seems to be more the case of Sir John hanging on to every word of Lady Caroline’s. We can also see in this act how Lady Caroline does not listen to what Sir John is saying again showing a role reversal.
‘LADY CAROLINE
You a married man, Mr Kettle?
SIR JOHN
Kelvil, dear, Kelvil.’
This shows that not all men-women relationships were as one sided as many may think. Wilde wants the audience to know this. In my opinion Wilde wants to expose the truth of the late Victorian society through his plays.
From the outside the late Victorian society is shown to be quite a perfect one, where everything is done just right, but Wilde is showing us that it is not in fact like this. He is constantly suggesting that there is something more to everything than what there seems. An example of this is the sexual ambiguity Wilde puts on the relationship between Lord Illingworth and Gerald. We know that Wilde himself was a homosexual and he lived a double life, as he also had a wife and children. In this play we see Wilde suggest that there is more to Lord Illingworth’s and Gerald’s relationship than a paternal or perhaps platonic love and respect for each other, as at this act in the play Gerald does not know his father is Lord Illingworth. Wilde suggests this idea to the audience through lines such as, ‘I took a great fancy to young Arbuthnot the moment I met him, and he’ll be of considerable use to me in something I am foolish enough to think of doing.’ This suggests something sexual to me as it suggests an instant sexual attraction between them and having a homosexual relationship would be a foolish thing to do at the time. Wilde himself was imprisoned for having a homosexual relationship.
The first act finishes with the line, ‘A women of no importance’. This finishes the scene, leaving the audience wondering who this woman is. She is obviously not a woman of no importance or Lord Illingworth would not remember her handwriting so specifically. When this line is spoken there is an air of mystery. It as if Wilde is saying that the Victorian society is not what you expect; behind closed doors there is always something the Victorians would not class as morally right going on. This line also has other connotations though, as to me it suggests that maybe Lord Illingworth thinks that women are generally of no importance. There is other evidence in this act to support this, such as when Mr Kelvil says, ‘I am afraid, too, that Lord Illingworth regards woman simply as a toy.’ Despite Lord Illingworth’s supposed behaviour, he is still regarded as a social celebrity, showing the double standards of the late Victorian society.
I feel that in conclusion Wilde’s view of English Country House Weekend Parties is that they are not what they seem to be from the outside. Wilde shows us this through the use of suggestive language and careful phrasing. Wilde shows us through the use of dramatic conventions, the corruption of the middle class and therefore their country house weekend parties.
