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... Discuss with reference to An Ideal Husband.
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde was written in 1895 and is set in London during the London Season, when the upper class and aristocracy would gather and attend fashionable parties and balls. The play revolves around Sir Robert Chiltern, a man who seems to be the moral ideal of society, until his existence is threatened by an act he committed as a young man, which could destroy his reputation and honour. ... An Ideal Husband is set during the London Season, which was usually after Easter break until midwinter. It was a time for the upper classes and aristocracy to be seen by everyone, and for those who were unmarried, to look for a marriage partner. In that time, it was essential for a lady to be married, because her social status was derived from that of her husband. ... Wilde wrote An Ideal Husband as a satirical mirror of the pretentious way of life of the upper society. ... The play opens with a conversation between them, setting the scene for the play as in the upper society and characterizing them as being flippant and shallow. ... She and the rest of London Society believe that Sir Robert Chiltern is the ideal. Lady Chiltern idolizes her husband, and has high expectations of him. ... When Lady Chiltern discovers that her husband is merely human, not as perfect as she wants him to be, she wants nothing more to do with him out of fear that her social status could be affected by his blunder. ... Wilde’s plays often reflected his views on the aristocracy and upper classes of Victorian society in a satirical, witty way. He was never really part of the upper class as he was Irish and born into the middle class, but was accepted as a kind of court jester because of his quick wit. He was able to distance himself from upper society, giving him a vantage point from where he could observe the people and their structures. ... He uses comedy in An Ideal Husband to hide the blatant send-up of the upper society, which is demonstrated especially with the character of Mabel Chiltern. ... Wilde uses her as a tool to satirically reflect the women of the upper society, purposefully ironical, those women who are sitting in the audience.
Approximate Word count = 1826
Approximate Pages = 7.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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