An Ideal Husband (Dover Thrift Editions) (original 1895; udgave 2001)

I wasn't nearly as impressed with this play as I was with the previous two. The drama was still entertaining, but the plot was more about political morality and unrealistic expectations, plus the characters all wound up far too happily ever after for my liking. If we're going to talk about dirty politicians they need to have their comeuppance - even though I fully admit that it's more realistic if they get away with all their scheming... Yuck! ( )

H1.31.4

Really enjoyed this one. ( )

A youthful mistake
(one that paid off very well)
comes back to bite him. ( )

This play, while hilarious both in razor-sharp wit, social satire, and flawlessly woven dramatic irony, also has a poignant and (to me) relatable central theme. Perfect! Even if old plays arent your thing, at least watch the movie. You won't regret it.

That's the short version. The long version:

I saw this play almost by accident at the Stratford (Ontario) Theatre Festival last year and it has made me fall in love with Oscar Wilde. Previously, my only exposure had been Dorian Gray when I was much too young, but since seeing (and subsequently reading) An Ideal Husband I have discovered that pleasure in Wilde's works and read many more of his plays.

During the play, listening to Lord Goring's ubiquitous witty lines, I thought, the thing is that no one's really that funny in real life. Wilde probably thought of one of those lines per month, wrote them in a notebook, and then was able to write them in to the Goring's lines as though Goring could just come up with them on the spot. During intermission, though, I read the programme and discovered that, in fact, Wilde himself was that funny in real life. He is considered by some the first modern celebrity; before he published a word, he was a career party guest - people would invite him to their evens to stand around and be funny. So believe me when I tell you that An Ideal Husband is worth it just for the humour value.

But the more serious themes of the play also resonated deeply with me. As a stereotypical angsty/idealistic teenager, I found Gertrude's tension between her ideal truth and the reality very familiar. As well, the play asks important questions like What is the true nature of love? How can one continue to love someone who is not what one thought? as well as questions about sin/crime, repentance and forgiveness (on an ethical, not religious, level). The play also includes themes of honour and political corruption.

Fun fact: This play is about a man's fear of what will happen when his beloved wife finds out that he is not the man she thinks he is. This was written during a period of Wilde's life when he was becoming more and more active in the underground (and illegal - he would eventually be imprisoned) London homosexual scene - unbeknownst to his wife and the mother of his children, whom, it seems he did truly love.

All in all, this play is a perfect balance between lightness and humour and real, serious questions. It is a masterpiece.

However, in the interests of integrity, here are some imperfections:
- sexism.
- some weird (as far as I can figure out) conceptions of relationships: - Not sure why Lord Goring marries Mabel in the end. Still trying to work that out. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Disclaimer: I haven't looked at this play in a while and may have misremembered things or left important points out. If so, I apologize and I will update if I think of anything else.

Now, go read it! ( )