Essay On Wilde

Paola J. Reyes
English 3222
Prof. Madeleine Vala
L-W 2:30
May-7-2012


The theme of marriage in An Ideal Husband
Oscar Wilde's novel “An Ideal Husband” is one of his social comedies. The play presents the institution of marriage as a complicated and imperfect one in an ambience of witty bantering. This is clearly represented inthe form of two different couples throughout the play. Both couples have different ideas of what a marriage should be and they act according to their beliefs. For instance while one aspires for perfection the other accepts their imperfections instead of focusing on ideals.
First there is Lady Chiltern and Sir Robert, the devoted happy couple. Sir Robert is an accomplished government official,considered by all as a model and ideal husband. Lady Chiltern is a perfectly virtuous and dignified wife. They have no faults or so they think. According to Lady Chiltern her husband is the picture of every good quality a husband should have, therefore, she has him in very elevated pedestal. This is not one sided however since Sir Robert does the very same thing. Theirs is a marriage based on socialstatus and worship. This is a very unrealistic vision of love and marriage.
Lady Chiltern says to her husband at one point " I will love you always, because you will always be worthy of love ". That is not a statement of unconditional of love, it’s more like a threat, like a condition. If he were not to live up to her expectations she wouldn't love him. This is exactly what happens. This causesgreat distress in Sir Robert which is reflected when he says "Arthur, I couldn't tell my wife... She would have turned from me in horror... in horror and in contemp." That phrase leads the reader to see how conflicted the character is at this point. He is scared of losing his wife and wants to keep her love but at the same time is being dishonest which drives him further away from the ideal of anideal husband. Furthermore this shows that their love, their marriage is based on impossible expectations if she cannot forgive him a mistake he made in his youth.
As the play progresses it becomes obvious that Lady Chiltern's love is unreasonable once her husband's mistake is revealed. In that moment she realizes that he isn't the paragon of integrity she made of him and is deeply ashamed ofthat and disappointed. She expected nothing short of perfection and Sir Robert committed a horrible sin that in her mind was unforgivable. Her rigid morals make it impossible for her to forgive the one she loves.
On the other hand there is Mabel Chiltern and Lord Goring. They are young and constantly are having a battle of wits throughout the play. Lord Goring goes against the norm in thepatriarchal society he's living since he is not married and has no desire to be. That is one of the reasons as to why his father is constantly scolding him. He neither works nor, like his friend Sir Robert, is engaged in any political activity, and would rather spend more time partying than worrying about those things. He is playful with life.
Mabel is young and although she is part of the Victoriansociety there is also a gap that separates her from other women. She like Goring is witty and independent. In Oliver Parker’s movie rendition, she favors red in her clothing therefore making her stand out. The relationship between Goring and her is lighthearted and playful. Their idea of marriage is less restrictive and serious, and more modern than Lady Chiltern and Sir Robert's. Theirs is also amore accepting relationship. One of the times this difference is seen is when Mabel says “Gertrude, please don't say such a dreadful thing to Lord Goring. Seriousness would be very unbecoming to him. Good morning, Lord Goring. Pray be as trivial as you can." She knows how he is and does not try to change him. She loves him, not in spite of how he is but because of that.
Lord Goring becomes a...