PENGUIN READERS Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3 Teacher Support Programme
An Ideal Husband
Oscar Wilde in 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 of to writer Jane Francesca Wilde née Elgee and surgeon Commons. Sir William Robert Wills Wilde. Wilde’s mother was Act 2, Scenes 1–3: Sir Robert tells Lord Goring about a prominent poet, journalist and nationalist and his the difficult situation he is in. He explains that he sold father was a successful surgeon and noted philanthropist, the government secret because he was poor and wanted knighted in 1864. Wilde first entered Trinity College to 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 Summary Cheveley to leave her house because she is dishonest, 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 confronts her husband and he admits that it is Chiltern. When Mrs Cheveley arrives on the scene, true. She is bitterly disappointed that her husband is not however, a secret about Sir Robert’s past is revealed and the perfect man she thought he was. important 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 businessman called Baron Arnheim, in which he sells that when a woman arrives, to show her into the sitting him a government secret. Mrs Cheveley wants Chiltern room to wait for him. When Mrs Cheveley arrives, the to get the government to support a plan to build a canal servant thinks that this is the woman Goring was referring
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An Ideal Husband to and takes her to the sitting room. Once there, she sees play’s ironies is that the happy ending depends on this the letter from Lady Chiltern and plans to steal it, but the corruption remaining hidden from the public. However, servant comes in and she can’t. because he successfully hides this past, Sir Robert feels Act 3, Scenes 3–5: Sir Robert goes to Goring’s house to absolved of his crime. Even Lady Chiltern forgives him tell him that his wife knows everything and she no longer for it. The play suggests that corruption often went hand loves him. He discovers Mrs Cheveley in the next room in hand with politics. The morals of many people, and and assumes that her and Goring are plotting against him. some of the play’s major characters, are based more on He leaves and Mrs Cheveley tells Goring that she will give the fear of public disgrace and losing social status than on him Sir Robert’s letter if he promises to marry her. He the values of right and wrong. Wilde criticizes this society refuses. Mrs Cheveley then talks about the brooch she lost throughout the play. and Goring takes it from his desk. He tells Mrs Cheveley Institution of marriage: Wilde treats marriage as a that he knows that the brooch had been stolen from his complicated and imperfect relationship and makes fun of cousin and threatens to call the police. To stop him doing the Chilterns’ attempt to create the perfect marriage. Lady this, Mrs Cheveley gives Goring Sir Robert’s letter and he Chiltern constantly states that her husband is perfect and burns it. Then Mrs Cheveley manages to steal the letter represents the best of respectable English life. Lord Goring Lady Chiltern had sent Goring and seeing that it looks is the play’s champion of love, and his relationship with like a love letter, threatens to send it to Sir Robert. Mabel allows for imperfections rather than focusing on Act 4, Scenes 1–4: Lord Goring and his father are talking ideals. Mrs Cheveley tries to force Lord Goring to marry about marriage again at Sir Robert’s house when Mabel her, but she represents evil and self-interest. Thus, he does Chiltern arrives. Lord Goring asks her to marry him and not even imagine accepting her suggestion, and maintains she accepts. Then Lady Chiltern appears and Goring tells true to himself and his love. her that Sir Robert’s letter has been destroyed but that Mrs Cheveley has stolen her letter. He suggests she tell her Discussion activities husband everything but she refuses. They plan to try to Before reading intercept the letter, but are too late and Sir Robert arrives 1 Discuss: Ask students to talk in small groups about with it in his hand. Fortunately, he thinks his wife wrote whether they prefer plays or films and why. Get feedback from the whole class. Tell them to draw a it to him and he believes she loves him again. He says he Venn diagram to compare plays and films. What is is going to leave the government and live quietly with his similar and what is different? wife. PLAY FILM 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 the job. Goring asks Sir Robert for permission to marry his Introduction sister. Sir Robert says he cannot give it, believing that After reading Goring has some kind of relationship with Mrs Cheveley. 2 Discuss: Put students in small groups to answer the Lady Chiltern then tells her husband everything about the following questions: When and where does the story letter she wrote to Goring and how Goring had thought it happen? What are the men and women in the story like? was her in the other room, not Mrs Cheveley. Sir Robert Do they work? What do they do in their free time? What isn’t angry with his wife and consents to the marriage kind of secrets do people sometimes learn that give them power over other people? between Mabel and Goring. 3 Read carefully: Get students to look at the list of characters on page viii and ask them to write more Background and themes information about them as they read. As students go Political corruption: Sir Robert’s brilliant career is on reading, they decide if they are main or secondary threatened by his corrupt past behaviour. One of the characters.
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An Ideal Husband
Act 1, Scenes 1–3 Student B: You’re Lady Chiltern’s mother. Your After reading daughter 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 While reading (at the end of page 27) lived abroad too long, Mrs Cheveley. (page 6) Put 12 Pair work: Ask the students to talk about whether students in small groups and ask them to talk about they think there is a good age at which to get married. these quotes: Who says these things and what are they Get feedback from the whole class. talking about? What is Wilde trying to say about these After reading people and their 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. to dishonesty in government and the second to the Ask students to discuss their characters. What good idea of a perfect marriage. Ask them to talk about and 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 to After reading be perfect? 16 Write, ask and answer: Write Why was Mabel angry 8 Write: Get students to write the letter Sir Robert send with Lord Goring? on the board and elicit the answer to Mrs Cheveley. (Because he didn’t go riding with her). Now tell students to write similar questions about these scenes. Act 2, Scenes 1–3 Students then mingle with each other, asking and While reading (page 16, after ‘To the poor? Was that 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 Robert way of helping them. was going to send to the Prime Minister explaining why he doesn’t want to accept the important position. After reading 18 Discuss: Put students in small groups to talk about 10 Pair work: Refer students back to page 14. Baron the way men and women are treated in the book. Arnheim said, ‘You need power and money. Those are How are their lives different from the lives of men the most important things in life.’ Ask students to talk and women today? about how true this is and then make a list of other 19 Research: Tell students that Wilde wrote another things that they value highly in their own lives. Get important play called The Importance of Being Earnest feedback from the whole class. and a novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Divide the Act 2, Scenes 4–5 class in two groups and ask them to do some research After reading to find information about one of these works. Then, 11 Role play: Have students act out this conversation in in class, have them share the information and decide pairs. which of the two they would prefer to read. Student A: You’re Lady Chiltern. You’ve just learnt Vocabulary activities your husband’s secret. Phone your mother and tell her For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to about it. www.penguinreaders.com.
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