Wilde’s Wild Rejection of Aristocratic Ideals
Although there have been a countless number of people in history that defied the expectations society thrust upon them, only a small portion of them were viewed as celebrities. In Victorian London, playwright Oscar Wilde was a prominent social figure, and he was recognized as one of the most unorthodox people of his time. During this period, the upper class established a very rigid code of conduct concerning appearance and behavior to promote the idea that social status was the only matter of true significance. Deriving from the code or being true to oneself was considered blasphemous. Despite this fact, but mostly because of it, Wilde continued to express individuality and eccentricity in both …show more content…
She is the character who most epitomizes higher class Victorian ideals, and Wilde depicts her as cold and pretentious. This portrayal is demonstrated through a myriad of her actions and words. To start, in her very first line of the play, she states, “Good Afternoon, dear Algernon, I hope you are behaving very well” (Wilde 29). This quote conveys indifference and a lack of compassion. Being family, most aunts would greet their nephews with warmer and more caring phrases such as, “How are you?” or “I missed you”, but the audience can assume that Wilde wanted to immediately ensure that that is not the type of person Lady Bracknell is. The phrase, “I hope you are behaving very well” reveals that Lady Bracknell believes that keeping up one’s appearance in the public eye is of far greater significance than a person’s welfare. This aspect of Lady Bracknell’s character parallels society’s preference of style and appearance over substance.
Lady Bracknell: “A country house! … You have a townhouse, I hope? A girl with a simple, unspoiled nature, like Gwendolen, could hardly be expected to reside in the countryside” (Wilde
Although there have been a countless number of people in history that defied the expectations society thrust upon them, only a small portion of them were viewed as celebrities. In Victorian London, playwright Oscar Wilde was a prominent social figure, and he was recognized as one of the most unorthodox people of his time. During this period, the upper class established a very rigid code of conduct concerning appearance and behavior to promote the idea that social status was the only matter of true significance. Deriving from the code or being true to oneself was considered blasphemous. Despite this fact, but mostly because of it, Wilde continued to express individuality and eccentricity in both …show more content…
She is the character who most epitomizes higher class Victorian ideals, and Wilde depicts her as cold and pretentious. This portrayal is demonstrated through a myriad of her actions and words. To start, in her very first line of the play, she states, “Good Afternoon, dear Algernon, I hope you are behaving very well” (Wilde 29). This quote conveys indifference and a lack of compassion. Being family, most aunts would greet their nephews with warmer and more caring phrases such as, “How are you?” or “I missed you”, but the audience can assume that Wilde wanted to immediately ensure that that is not the type of person Lady Bracknell is. The phrase, “I hope you are behaving very well” reveals that Lady Bracknell believes that keeping up one’s appearance in the public eye is of far greater significance than a person’s welfare. This aspect of Lady Bracknell’s character parallels society’s preference of style and appearance over substance.
Lady Bracknell: “A country house! … You have a townhouse, I hope? A girl with a simple, unspoiled nature, like Gwendolen, could hardly be expected to reside in the countryside” (Wilde