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Love, Law and Oscar Wilde by Jerry James

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Love, Law and Oscar Wilde by Jerry James Love, Law and Oscar Wilde by Jerry James At thy martyrdom the greedy and cruel Crowd to which thou speakest will assemble; All will come to see thee on thy cross, And not one will take pity on thee. — James Rennell Rodd, Inscription to Oscar Wilde in Songs in the South, 1880 Oscar Wilde When The Importance of Being Ernest There is no indication Wilde did not opened on Valentine’s Day, 1895, Oscar deeply care for Constance Lloyd when they Wilde was at the pinnacle of his success. He were wed on May 29, 1884. Indeed, had his had two plays running in London, and aptly intentions been mercenary, he would have for the day, he was in love. Inconveniently, married a much wealthier woman. But to the beloved was not his wife of ten years, what would be their ultimate regret, Wilde but Lord Alfred Douglas. That love would did not yet know himself. Before he did, be the reason why, a little over three months they would have two sons. later, Wilde would find himself bankrupt In 1886, Wilde, 32, began an affair with and imprisoned. Robbie Ross, 17. There has been much He had been a celebrity for fifteen years, speculation about Wilde’s claim that this “…the natural pet of the aristocracy whose was his first same-sex experience. (He selfish prejudices he defended and whose didn’t call it homosexual, because the term leisure he amused,“ as his friend Frank wasn’t coined until 1892.) But all agree it Harris put it. To these, leading a double life changed his life. was merely something that gentlemen, being Intriguing fact: Until Oscar Wilde men, at times found necessary. But there discovered his true sexual nature, he wrote were rules about this, rules that late nothing of value. In the next five years came Victorian hypocrisy had raised to an art. a flood of short stories, (including the three Wilde, however, was not an aristocrat. in the Rogue’s adaptation); The Picture of And he would find the penalty for breaking Dorian Gray; and his first successful play, the first of those rules—thou shalt not get Lady Windermere’s Fan. Unfortunately, caught—far harsher than would Lord Alfred Wilde had discovered who he was just as it Douglas. became illegal. 1 In 1861, the death penalty for sodomy being suspected of an affair with the PM. was replaced by a ten-year prison term. But Queensbury now saw his youngest son on no statute forbade any other acts between the same path, seduced by Oscar Wilde. He consenting male adults until the Criminal didn’t know it was the other way around. Law Amendment Act of 1885, whose main After months of abuse and threats, purpose was to raise the age of consent from Queensbury hit upon a subtler plan. On thirteen to sixteen. February 18, Queensbury left his card at At the last moment, an amendment was Wilde’s club. The words scrawled upon it added providing for two years at hard labor were to be deciphered as, “For Oscar Wilde, for any male committing acts of “gross posing as a somdomite [sic].” The word indecency” with any other male. But what “posing” artfully suggested that while there constituted “gross indecency?” Presumably, was no evidence Wilde had committed Crown prosecutors would know it when they sodomy, such a poser might well be guilty saw it. of gross indecency. “Wilde wanted a consuming passion; he Wilde retrieved the card ten days later. got it and was consumed by it,” wrote Perhaps if he had waited a few days, talked Richard Ellmann. In June 1891, the with friends, he might have laughed, torn up beautiful, blonde Lord Alfred Douglas, the card and thrown it away. But he did not. nicknamed Bosie, was introduced to Wilde Instead, urged on by Bosie, he swore out a as a great admirer of Dorian Gray, which warrant for the arrest of the Marquess of had created a sensation. Wilde was 37; Queensbury on a charge of libel the very Bosie, 21. next day. Douglas, the youngest son of the Even with two plays running, Wilde was Marquess of Queensbury, was an broke. No matter, said Bosie. His mother unmanageable handful, given to reckless fits and brother would cover all court costs. of entitled rage. But to Wilde, Bosie was Because he loved him, Wilde believed him, Hyacinth to his Apollo. He was warned and so put his head on the block. Bosie was a spendthrift. But so was Wilde. Wilde’s friends, male and female, gay He had adopted “…the aristocratic feeling; and straight, urged him not to trust in one must have money, but must not bother English justice. But his solicitor was certain about it.” And to Bosie, living on as grand a he would win, Wilde assured them, because scale as possible was a necessity. he and Bosie had told him there was no truth Wilde moved more or less permanently in the allegation. out of his home, choosing to live in a series That this was a lie seems to have of hotels with his lover, who later said, “It escaped Wilde’s notice, as did the fact that if was a sweet humiliation to me to let Oscar he lost the libel case, the libel would become Wilde pay for everything and to ask him for truth—and Wilde, a criminal. money.” It took Frank Harris (in the company of In 1893, Wilde was earning £100 a week Bernard Shaw) to sum it up to Wilde’s face: and delighted in Bosie’s caprices. These No jury would render a verdict against a caprices included patronizing the male father fighting to protect his son, even brothels of the day, staffed by young, though the two despised each other. Wilde working-class rent boys. was going to lose. Even though he had reformed the rules He would have to leave England— of boxing, Queensbury was a brute. Still, he now—taking Constance with him as a shield had his reasons for persecuting Wilde. His against slander. Urged by Shaw, Wilde eldest son had been private secretary to Lord seemed inclined to agree with Harris’ Rosebery, the prime minister. This son argument. Enter Bosie, who took in the committed suicide in October 1894, after situation, denounced Harris and Shaw as “no 2 friends of Oscar’s,” and exited. Oscar bond. But Wilde would not, even though he followed, “weakly,” echoing Bosie. surely knew his fate. The trial of Wilde v. Queensberry began During the final trial, Harris noted, “The on April 3. Wilde was surprised to find foreman of the jury wanted to know, in view several rent boys prepared to testify. These of the intimate relations between Lord had been rounded up by an actor whom Alfred Douglas and the defendant, whether a Wilde had once slighted. warrant against Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde was the only witness for the ever issued.” The judge replied, “I should prosecution. Douglas was not called, say not.” although he attended the trial every day. On Harris saw it clearly. “[The English] the first day, Wilde gave witty testimony. love to abide by rules and pay no heed to On the second, under cross-examination, he exceptions, unless indeed the exceptions are was asked about the rent boys and utterly men of title or great wealth.” He would later destroyed. On the third, Wilde was absent get up a petition for Wilde’s early release from court, as his barrister negotiated a from prison. Not one British author would directed verdict for Queensberry. sign it. The Crown could have chosen not to On May 23, the jury deliberated for three prosecute. It did not. Instead, Wilde would hours and found Oscar Wilde guilty of gross be arrested as soon as the warrant was indecency. Sentenced to two years at hard sworn. He had gotten caught, and the labor, he must have thought Valentine’s Day aristocracy would now make him pay. very far away. In the few hours between the end of the Shaw put it bluntly. “Douglas was in the trial and his arrest, Wilde’s friends once wretched position of having ruined Wilde again begged him to flee to France. But they merely to annoy his father, and of having did not know what his mother had said. “If attempted it so idiotically that he had you stay, even if you go to prison, you will actually prepared a triumph for him.” always be my son, it will make no difference The British penal system’s unofficial to my affection, but if you go, I will never motto was “hard labor, hard fare and a hard speak to you again.” bed.” Barbara Belford described the Oscar Wilde was arrested in the early regimen: evening of April 5. His plays were closed. Put on the treadmill to grind flour six Deprived of his income and incarcerated, he hours a day (twenty minutes on and had no means of defense when Queensberry five minutes’ rest), [Wilde] stood in a demanded his libel judgment. Bosie termed cubicle holding on to iron circular his promise to pay those costs “a debt of handles; his left foot was placed on the honor,” and no gentlemen ever paid a debt higher step, the right foot on the lower, of honor. and in that position he paddled and The loyal Robbie Ross managed to moved the treadmill, making an ascent scoop up papers and manuscripts before of 6,000 feet. Wilde’s house and everything in it was sold Wilde lasted three days on the treadmill.
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