An Ideal Husband

An Ideal Husband is a British comedy from 1894 by Oscar Wilde. The play is about a political intrigue and love in London's high society. There are several pieces films, including a remake of Oliver Parker (see An Ideal Husband ) and a German television production from 1966 by Franz Josef Wild and Austro- German TV adaptation of Hans Jaray of 1984.

Dramatis Personae

• Sir Robert Chiltern
• Lady Chiltern, whose wife
• Lord Caversham, whose father
• Miss Mabel Chiltern, Robert's sister
• Lady Markby
• Vicomte de Nanjac
• Mrs. Cheveley
• Lady Basildon
• Mrs. Marchmont
• Mr. Montford
• Mason, servant
• Phipps, servant
• Harold, servant
• James, servant

Action

The play is set in London at the time of the turn of the century within 24 hours. The plot was divided into four acts:

Act I

A major political party will take place in the Villa of the Chilterns, to which many guests have been invited. Surprisingly brings with Lady Markby, who lives in Vienna Mrs. Chevely who still knows the lady of the house, Lady Chiltern, from school and apparently does not like. Mrs. Cheveley wants at the party Sir Robert Chiltern to know in order to confront him with his dark past. He has gained his fortune through a hoax and she is now in possession of a letter that would tell Robert. Meanwhile dive Lord Goring, a lifelong bachelor and dandy, on at the party. He, too, share a common past with Mrs. Cheveley. Immediately, he flirts with the young Mabel Chiltern, which is obviously in love with the Lord. Mrs. Cheveley beset Sir Robert Chiltern until this agrees to endorse a canal project in Congress, even though this is a stock market swindle, as Mrs. Cheveley has invested a lot of money. As the party draws to a close, provoked Mrs. Cheveley Lady Chiltern, by their reports that her husband now supports the canal project, what Lady Chiltern can not believe at first. Lord Goring and Miss Mabel see which one of the guests lost a valuable diamond brooch, which can make it a bracelet; Lord Goring asks Mabel to keep the Fund initially secret. Later, Lady Chiltern confronted her husband and persuaded him to support the project from channel again, unaware that the man she had given her life for perfectly, started his career with a dirty business. By giving him to understand that his absolute moral integrity is the foundation of their love for him, she brings him to write Mrs. Cheveley and refuse to support the project. His public ruin seems inevitable.

Act II

Lord Goring visits his best friend, Sir Robert Chiltern in his study, where he learns by any means Mrs. Cheveley blackmails the politicians. Robert got much money for important information from the Government, with whom he has bought power that was very important to him. Lord Goring advises the politician and his wife to confess everything and so to prevent the worst. He also promises to help him as best he can. Later, Lady Chiltern comes along and can also be advised by Lord Goring before he goes. He recommended her to change their minds and prepares them unobtrusively on Robert's confession before. But then appear Lady Markby and Mrs. Cheveley, who are in search of the brooch. As the serene Lady Markby leaves the woman round, Mrs. Cheveley Lady Chiltern provoked again and finally tells her the whole thing. Lady Chiltern is her husband to task and has to realize that their worldview breaks down entirely. She takes a distance of Sir Robert, though she knows that she still loves him.

Act III

Lord Goring receives a letter on pink - red paper from Lady Chiltern, in which she asks him to help him. She writes that she trusts him and that they will come. In response, Lord Goring his servant the order to receive a lady and no one else. At this moment emerges Lord Caversham, urging his son to marry at last. Lord Goring tried him rid of, but while he is with his father in the smoking room, Mrs. Cheveley comes in, who mistakenly thought the servant for the lady who is expecting Lord Goring. It is headed to the salon and reads the Lady Chiltern's letter, which she thinks is a love letter and steals. Without knowing that Mrs. Cheveley sits next door, receives Lord Goring for his father now his friend Robert Chiltern. Lord Goring - slightly overwhelmed - thinks sitting in the parlor Lady Chiltern and wants to teach her ​​a lesson through the door. When Sir Robert all his tale of woe told, he noticed that next door one has been listening. As it turns out, that it is his enemy Mrs. Cheveley, he feels betrayed by his friend Goring and disappears zornentbrannt. Mrs. Cheveley will now also Lord Goring blackmail by offering him to give him the letter, if he marries her - they were engaged years ago, and she claims to still love him, though the engagement was dissolved because of their unfaithfulness. Goring accuses her of dishonoring the word "love." The fact that she has tried to destroy the marriage of the Chilterns, is unforgivable for him and outweigh their share dizziness. Finally Goring learns that Mrs. Cheveley is one of the brooch found, and unmasks them as a thief, because he had the brooch once presented to his cousin. So he has a pressure medium and successfully calls the letter a, which he immediately destroyed. But Mrs. Cheveley are not defeated, and now threatens the letter from Lady Chiltern their marriage ruining finally, by sending him to Robert Chiltern.

Act IV

In the house of the Chilterns Lord Goring leads a brief conversation with his father, in which it is clear that Robert Chiltern has rejected the fraudulent canal project in a celebrated speech and thus not Mrs. Cheveley's blackmail is received. Miss Mabel Chiltern comes in, and Lord Goring makes her a marriage proposal. The two are very happy, but actually was Lord Goring came here because Lady Chiltern. He wants to warn before the misunderstanding because of the letter. Lady Chiltern is willing to forgive her husband, but it leans on to tell him of her request for help to Lord Goring, as it deems immoral. But Robert has already received the letter and thinks that it is addressed to him; he keeps him for the proof of the forgiveness of his wife. This seems close to the happy ending. But then denied his friend Sir Robert 's marriage with his sister Mabel, because he suspected an affair between Mrs. Cheveley and Lord Goring. Now his wife is forced to tell him the truth about the letter, and that Lord Goring the night before they actually expected and not Mrs. Cheveley. After Lady Chiltern now realizes that them as a wife has the duty, all are happy and love has won - both in the case of Lady Chiltern and Sir Robert, who is even promoted - as well as Lord Goring and Mabel Chiltern.

Quotes

"I love talking about nothing. That's the only thing I know anything. "- Lord Goring

" One should never give a woman something that you can not wear in the evening " - Mrs. Cheveley

The Picture of Dorian Gray ( The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890)

• Lord Arthur Saviles Crime and Other Stories (1887 )

• The Happy Prince and Other Fairy Tales ( The Happy Prince and Other Tales, 1888)

• A pomegranate House ( A House of Pomegranates, 1891)

The portrait of Mr. WH ( The Portrait of Mr. WH, 1889) |

Ravenna (1878 ) | Poems (1881 ) | The Sphinx (1894 ) | Poems in Prose (1894 ) | The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898 )

Vera, or the Nihilists (Vera, or the Nihilists, 1880) | Lady Windermere's Fan (Lady Windermere 's Fan, 1892) | The Duchess of Padua ( The Duchess of Padua, 1893) | A Woman of No Importance ( A Woman of No Importance, 1893 ) | is its Bunbury or the importance of his / Ernst Earnest ( the Importance of Being Earnest, about 1895) | | An Ideal Husband ( An Ideal Husband, 1894 ) | Salomé (1891 ) the pious courtesan (La Sainte courtesan, fragment ) | A Florentine Tragedy (A Florentine tragedy, fragment)

The beginnings of historical criticism ( The Rise of Historical Criticism, 1878 /79) | The Truth of Masks ( The Truth of Masks, 1885) | The Decay of Lying (The Decay of Lying, 1889) | Pen, brush and poison (Pen, Pencil and Poison, 1889) | the Critic as artist ( the Critic as artist, 1890) | socialism and the soul of man ( the Soul of man under socialism, 1891 ) | De Profundis (1897 )

• Literary work
• Comedy
• Literature ( English )
• Literature (19th century)
• Work of Oscar Wilde