An Ideal Husband

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An Ideal Husband

Oscar Wilde Argentina, which will make her rich. If he doesn’t do this, she threatens to tell the newspapers about the letter. Chiltern at first resists, but eventually agrees to do as she wishes. Act 1, Scenes 4–6: Mrs Cheveley tells Lady Chiltern that she has persuaded Sir Robert to change his mind about the canal project. Lady Chiltern is shocked and finds it hard to believe that an honest man like her husband would do such a thing. After Mrs Cheveley leaves, Mabel, Sir Robert’s sister, finds a brooch on the sofa. Another guest, Lord Goring, takes the brooch and asks Mabel not to tell anybody that he has it. He says he had given it to somebody many years earlier. Lady Chiltern confronts About the author her husband and asks him not to do what Mrs Cheveley Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in 1854 wants. Sir Robert gives in to his wife and writes a letter to in Dublin, Ireland, the second of three children born Mrs Cheveley refusing to support the plan in the House to writer Jane Francesca Wilde née Elgee and surgeon of Commons. Sir William Robert Wills Wilde. Wilde’s mother was a Act 2, Scenes 1–3: Sir Robert tells Lord Goring about prominent poet, journalist and nationalist and his father the difficult situation he is in. He explains that he sold the was a successful surgeon and noted philanthropist, government secret because he was poor and wanted to knighted in 1864. Wilde first entered Trinity College be rich and successful. Lord Goring advises Sir Robert in Dublin and then continued his studies at Oxford to tell his wife everything, but he refuses saying that she University in England. He excelled in his studies, winning wouldn’t love him anymore. Sir Robert decides to write many prizes and awards and helped found the Aesthetic to Vienna, where Mrs Cheveley normally lives, to see if Movement, ‘art for art’s sake’ at Oxford. Known for he can find out any secrets about her. Lord Goring then his biting wit, he became one of the most successful speaks to Lady Chiltern and he tells her that a man can do playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the anything to become successful, but she does not believe greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue her husband could do anything dishonest. to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Act 2, Scenes 4–5: Mrs Cheveley visits Lady Chiltern and Earnest. An Ideal Husband (1895) was first performed at mentions a brooch she thinks she lost at the Chilterns’, the famous Haymarket Theatre in London. but no servant has found it. Lady Chiltern asks Mrs Cheveley to leave her house because she is dishonest, Summary but Mrs Cheveley argues back and tells Lady Chiltern that An Ideal Husband is about a group of rich people in her husband is a dishonest man who made his money by London during the 1890s. Sir Robert Chiltern is the selling a government secret. She insists that Sir Robert ‘ideal husband’, who works in the government’s foreign must help her by supporting the canal project. Lady office and is happily married to the beautiful Lady Chiltern. Chiltern confronts her husband and he admits that it is When Mrs Cheveley arrives on the scene, however, a true. She is bitterly disappointed that her husband is not secret about Sir Robert’s past is revealed and important the perfect man she thought he was. life-changing decisions must be made. Act 3, Scenes 1–2: Lord Goring receives a letter from Act 1, Scenes 1–3: A woman called Mrs Cheveley arrives Lady Chiltern. She says she trusts and wants him and at a party at the Chilterns’ house. She has been out of that she is going to visit him that evening. Then Lord England for a long time. Her arrival brings trouble for Goring’s father arrives, wishing to speak to him about the Sir Robert. She has a secret letter written by him to a importance of marrying soon. Goring tells his servant that businessman called Baron Arnheim, in which he sells him when a woman arrives, to show her into the sitting room a government secret. Mrs Cheveley wants Chiltern to to wait for him. When Mrs Cheveley arrives, the servant get the government to support a plan to build a canal in thinks that this is the woman Goring was referring to and

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An Ideal Husband

takes her to the sitting room. Once there, she sees the corruption remaining hidden from the public. However, letter from Lady Chiltern and plans to steal it, but the because he successfully hides this past, Sir Robert feels servant comes in and she can’t. absolved of his crime. Even Lady Chiltern forgives him Act 3, Scenes 3–5: Sir Robert goes to Goring’s house to for it. The play suggests that corruption often went hand tell him that his wife knows everything and she no longer in hand with politics. The morals of many people, and loves him. He discovers Mrs Cheveley in the next room some of the play’s major characters, are based more on and assumes that her and Goring are plotting against him. the fear of public disgrace and losing social status than on He leaves and Mrs Cheveley tells Goring that she will the values of right and wrong. Wilde criticizes this society give him Sir Robert’s letter if he promises to marry her. throughout the play. He refuses. Mrs Cheveley then talks about the brooch Institution of marriage: Wilde treats marriage as a she lost and Goring takes it from his desk. He tells Mrs complicated and imperfect relationship and makes fun Cheveley that he knows that the brooch had been stolen of the Chilterns’ attempt to create the perfect marriage. from his cousin and threatens to call the police. To stop Lady Chiltern constantly states that her husband is perfect him doing this, Mrs Cheveley gives Goring Sir Robert’s and represents the best of respectable English life. Lord letter and he burns it. Then Mrs Cheveley manages to steal Goring is the play’s champion of love, and his relationship the letter Lady Chiltern had sent Goring and seeing that it with Mabel allows for imperfections rather than focusing looks like a love letter, threatens to send it to Sir Robert. on ideals. Mrs Cheveley tries to force Lord Goring to Act 4, Scenes 1–4: Lord Goring and his father are talking marry her, but she represents evil and self-interest. Thus, about marriage again at Sir Robert’s house when Mabel he does not even imagine accepting her suggestion, and Chiltern arrives. Lord Goring asks her to marry him and maintains true to himself and his love. she accepts. Then Lady Chiltern appears and Goring tells her that Sir Robert’s letter has been destroyed but that Discussion activities Mrs Cheveley has stolen her letter. He suggests she tell Before reading her husband everything but she refuses. They plan to try 1 Discuss: Ask students to talk in small groups about to intercept the letter, but are too late and Sir Robert whether they prefer plays or films and why. Get feedback from the whole class. Tell them to draw a arrives with it in his hand. Fortunately, he thinks his wife Venn diagram to compare plays and films. What is wrote it to him and he believes she loves him again. He similar and what is different? says he is going to leave the government and live quietly PLAY FILM with his wife. Act 4, Scenes 5–8: Lord Caversham returns and tells Sir Robert that the Prime Minister has offered him a very important government job. At first, he refuses it but then Goring convinces Lady Chiltern that he is wrong to do this and she in turn persuades her husband to accept Introduction the job. Goring asks Sir Robert for permission to marry After reading his sister. Sir Robert says he cannot give it, believing that 2 Discuss: Put students in small groups to answer the Goring has some kind of relationship with Mrs Cheveley. following questions: When and where does the story Lady Chiltern then tells her husband everything about the happen? What are the men and women in the story like? letter she wrote to Goring and how Goring had thought it Do they work? What do they do in their free time? What was her in the other room, not Mrs Cheveley. Sir Robert kind of secrets do people sometimes learn that give them power over other people? isn’t angry with his wife and consents to the marriage 3 Read carefully: Get students to look at the list of between Mabel and Goring. characters on page viii and ask them to write more information about them as they read. As students go Background and themes on reading, they decide if they are main or secondary Political corruption: Sir Robert’s brilliant career is characters. threatened by his corrupt past behaviour. One of the play’s ironies is that the happy ending depends on this

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An Ideal Husband

Act 1, Scenes 1–3 Student B: You’re Lady Chiltern’s mother. Your daughter After reading phones you and tells you her problem. 4 Discuss: Write the following quotes on the board: Help her. I hate learning. (page 1) Because he’s so lazy. How can Act 3, Scenes 1–2 you say that? (page 1) Marriage is very popular now, isn’t it? (page 2) I am very selfish. (page 4) You have lived While reading (at the end of page 27) abroad too long, Mrs Cheveley. (page 6) Put students in 12 Pair work: Ask the students to talk about whether small groups and ask them to talk about these quotes: they think there is a good age at which to get Who says these things and what are they talking about? married. Get feedback from the whole class. What is Wilde trying to say about these people and their After reading lives and opinions? Do you think 13 Discuss: Mrs Cheveley says, ‘Unmarried men never you would like these people? Do you agree with their have nice sitting rooms.’ Ask students to talk about the opinions? difference between men and women’s idea of a nice 5 Role play: Mrs Cheveley talks to a friend after the house. Encourage them to talk about both decoration party. The friend asks her about the party and Mrs and attitude to housework. Cheveley answers her questions. Brainstorm some possible questions before starting. Act 3, Scenes 3–5 After reading Act 1, Scenes 4–6 14 Read carefully and discuss: Get students to make a While reading (at the end of Scene 4) list of lies in this section. Then get them to talk about 6 Guess: Ask the students to discuss: Why does Lord on what occasions they lie. Goring want to keep the brooch? Who did he give it to? Act 4, Scenes 1–4 After reading Before reading 7 Discuss: Tell students that two very important 15 Discuss: Write the following names on the board: themes arise in this part of the act. The first is related Sir Robert, Lady Chiltern, Mrs Cheveley, Lord Goring. Ask to dishonesty in government and the second to the students to discuss their characters. What good and idea of a perfect marriage. Ask them to talk about bad things are there about each of these people? the following questions: Are politicians often dishonest? Who do they think should have a new, happy life? In what ways? How can we stop this? What things make a marriage successful? Does your husband or wife have After reading to be perfect? 16 Write, ask and answer: Write Why was Mabel angry 8 Write: Get students to write the letter Sir Robert with Lord Goring? on the board and elicit the answer send to Mrs Cheveley. (Because he didn’t go riding with her). Now tell Act 2, Scenes 1–3 students to write similar questions about these scenes. Students then mingle with each other, asking While reading (page 16, after ‘To the poor? Was that and answering each other’s questions. really a good idea?’) 9 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the point that Wilde Act 4, Scenes 5–8 is trying to make here. Then have them discuss After reading whether giving money to the poor is always the best 17 Write: Ask students to write the letter that Sir way of helping them. Robert was going to send to the Prime Minister After reading explaining why he doesn’t want to accept the important position. 10 Pair work: Refer students back to page 14. Baron 18 Discuss: Put students in small groups to talk about Arnheim said, ‘You need power and money. Those are the the way men and women are treated in the book. most important things in life.’ Ask students to talk about How are their lives different from the lives of men how true this is and then make a list of other things and women today? that they value highly in their own lives. Get feedback 19 Research: Tell students that Wilde wrote another from the whole class. important play called The Importance of Being Earnest Act 2, Scenes 4–5 and a novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Divide the class After reading in two groups and ask them to do some research to 11 Role play: Have students act out this conversation in find information about one of these works. Then, in pairs. class, have them share the information and decide Student A: You’re Lady Chiltern. You’ve just learnt your which of the two they would prefer to read. husband’s secret. Phone your mother and tell her about it.