An Ideal Husband | Study Guide

Oscar Wilde

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Course Hero, "An Ideal Husband Study Guide," June 23, 2017, accessed September 19, 2018, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/An-Ideal-Husband/.

An Ideal Husband | Infographic

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

an-ideal-husband-oscar-wildeMrs. Cheveley, Act 1Even you are not rich enough, Sir Robert,to buy back your past. No man is.Sources: Biography.com, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Plays of Oscar Wilde by Alan BirdCopyright © 2017 Course Hero, Inc.The PastNo one can escape their past; it always comes back to haunt them.MarriageAsking someone to be an ideal husband is asking the impossible.Honor vs. DishonorA man’s honorable public life clashes with his dishonorable past.ThemesStylish, cynical dandy; helpful, sympathetic friend; the play’s witty heroLord GoringLoving but judgmental wife; holds Sir Robert to excessively high moral standardsLady ChilternSelf-interested blackmailer and thief with a wicked wit and a desire to control menMrs. CheveleyIdeal husband and statesman; hides his criminal past from his morally upstanding wifeSir Robert ChilternMain CharactersWilde wrote short stories and criticism, but his reputation rests most heavily on his plays, which are famous for their wit and wordplay. Wilde wrote An Ideal Husband at the height of his success, and it—along with his other plays—helped establish him as one of the greatest playwrights in the English language.AuthorOSCAR WILDE1854–1900Signifies both the concealment of a crime and the triumph of loveTapestryRepresent dramatic turning points in the lives of the play’s charactersLettersSymbolizes wealth born from crimeSnake BroochSir Robert Chiltern is an ideal husband and statesman, but his life was founded on a secret crime. When Mrs. Cheveley tries to blackmail him with evidence of his wrongdoing—which he has hidden from his wife—Sir Robert scrambles to save his marriage and his career. This IdealHusband Hasa Secret Past!SYMBOLSEnglishOriginal Language1895Year PublishedOscar WildeAuthorAn Ideal HusbandComedyPlay
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