In An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, the theme of self discovery is presented through the character Sir Robert Chiltern. As the play progresses Sir Robert begins to walk the road of regret, change, and hope as he begins to think about the life he could have lived or could live in the future and how it has been affected by the choices he has made. Not only does Sir Robert Chiltern go on a journey of discovery but while Robert struggled to come to terms with his past, Oscar Wilde was also struggling to come to terms with his past.
Oscar Wilde was not your average poet, for in 1895 he was put on trail. Accused by Lord Queensbury for ‘posing’ as a sodomite, a man who engages in sexual acts with another man, Oscar was sentenced to two years in prison with labor.(The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Regina (Wilde) v. Queensberry, 19) This series of events in his life, even before the trials, caused him to reflect his own personality and …show more content…
For example in the play, Robert Chiltern is a good man. He is kind to all who are around him, a loving husband to Lady Chiltern, and charitable. However, as the play progresses we see that as a young man he made the choice to illegally turn over secret documents in exchange for a price. He made a mistake that ultimately put him in a place of power with an ability to do …show more content…
He has come to the realization that he can not be perfect. The image that he was expected to be was impossible to amount to. He knows this does not excuse what he did but he realized that he should be loved for who he is and accepted for who he was. He wants more in life then to just be ‘Sir Robert Chiltern, the perfect, wealthy, politician’ he want to accept what he has done and make the best of it. This act provides a much needed step on the journey of self discovery, acceptance of your past and the fact that you can not change what you have
Oscar Wilde was not your average poet, for in 1895 he was put on trail. Accused by Lord Queensbury for ‘posing’ as a sodomite, a man who engages in sexual acts with another man, Oscar was sentenced to two years in prison with labor.(The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Regina (Wilde) v. Queensberry, 19) This series of events in his life, even before the trials, caused him to reflect his own personality and …show more content…
For example in the play, Robert Chiltern is a good man. He is kind to all who are around him, a loving husband to Lady Chiltern, and charitable. However, as the play progresses we see that as a young man he made the choice to illegally turn over secret documents in exchange for a price. He made a mistake that ultimately put him in a place of power with an ability to do …show more content…
He has come to the realization that he can not be perfect. The image that he was expected to be was impossible to amount to. He knows this does not excuse what he did but he realized that he should be loved for who he is and accepted for who he was. He wants more in life then to just be ‘Sir Robert Chiltern, the perfect, wealthy, politician’ he want to accept what he has done and make the best of it. This act provides a much needed step on the journey of self discovery, acceptance of your past and the fact that you can not change what you have