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An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedy by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honor. The action is set in London, in "the present", and takes place within a single day. "Sooner or later," Wilde notes, "we shall all have to pay for what we do." But he adds that, "No one should be entirely judged by their past."
Dramatis Personae
- The Earl of Caversham, K.G.
- Lord Goring, his son. Goring is Wilde's doppleganger, who spouts such witticisms as "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." His father is the Earl of Caversham and Goring, after an insistence on bachelorhood, by the end of the play is engaged to marry Mabel Chiltern, the sister of his best friend, Sir Robert Chiltern. His Christian name is Arthur.
- Sir Robert Chiltern, Bart., Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs
- Vicomte De Nanjac, Attache at the French Embassy In London
- Mr. Montford
- Mason, butler to Sir Robert Chiltern
- Phipps, Lord Goring's servant
- James, a footman
- Harold, a footman
- Lady Chiltern
- Lady Markby
- The Countess of Basildon
- Mrs. Marchmont
- Miss Mabel Chiltern, Sir Robert Chiltern's sister
- Mrs. Cheveley
Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Sir Robert Chiltern, a Government minister, who built his fortune on a single dishonest act, is blackmailed by Mrs Cheveley, who wants his assistance in another dishonest scheme. Chiltern asks Lord Goring, the ne'er-do-well son of the Earl of Caversham, for advice, and Lord Goring, familiar (in several ways) with Mrs Cheveley, ultimately saves Chiltern's marriage and social position. By doing so, he ironically ends up married.
Quotes
- One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged
- Women have a wonderful instinct about things. They can discover everything except the obvious.
- One should never give a woman anything that she can't wear in the evening
- Lord Goring: You see, Phipps, Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear.
- Phipps: Yes, my lord.
- Lord Goring: Just as vulgarity is simply the conduct of other people.
- Phipps: Yes, my lord.
- Lord Goring: Other people are quite dreadful. The only possible society is oneself.
- Phipps: Yes, my lord.
- Lord Goring: To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance, Phipps.
- Phipps: Yes, my lord.
Film versions
1947 film
A lavish adaptation was produced by London Films, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and shot in three-strip Technicolor. It was directed by Alexander Korda. Cecil Beaton was costume designer. The score was composed by Arthur Benjamin.
- Paulette Goddard - Mrs. Cheveley
- Michael Wilding - Lord Goring
- Diana Wynyard - Lady Chiltern
- Hugh Williams - Sir Robert Chiltern
- C. Aubrey Smith - Earl of Caversham
- Glynis Johns - Mabel Chiltern
- Constance Collier - Lady Markby
1999 film
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Main article: An Ideal Husband (film)
An Ideal Husband was adapted once more for the screen in 1999. It starred Rupert Everett and Minnie Driver.
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