Scandal, Hypocrisy, and the Ideal
Warning Sir Robert that she is serious about her threat to destroy his career, Mrs. Cheveley states:
Remember where your Puritan values have led you in England. In the past, no one pretended to be any better than their peers. Today, with our obsession with morality, everyone must appear as a model of purity, incorruptibility, and all the other so-called virtues—and what happens? You all fall like dominoes—one after the other. Not a year goes by in England without someone disappearing. Scandals used to add allure, or at least interest, to a person—now they crush them. And yours is a particularly unpleasant scandal. You wouldn’t survive it.
This statement encapsulates the core theme of Wilde’s play: the stricter a society’s moral standards, the more likely its prominent figures will collapse under accusations of misconduct. Wilde is not suggesting that immoral or illegal behavior is acceptable. Instead, he argues that an excessive focus on moral purity results in societal problems rather than benefits. This might seem paradoxical; shouldn’t a respect for moral purity lead to more genuinely virtuous people? For Wilde, it only results in more individuals viewing themselves and being viewed by others as failures because it is unrealistic to expect anyone to be flawless throughout their life. This mindset encourages people to hide even their minor faults and loudly denounce any weakness, turning them into hypocrites and setting them up for greater disgrace if their true nature is ever exposed. As Mrs. Cheveley’s speech illustrates, in the Victorian era's intolerant atmosphere, politicians and other public figures felt pressured to present themselves as paragons of virtue when they were not. As a result, when their significant or minor transgressions were revealed, their careers and reputations were damaged or destroyed.
Mrs. Cheveley’s speech was intended not only for Wilde’s British audience but also for his enthusiastic American audience. This is not solely because of the cultural similarities between America and England but also due to relevant American history and its lasting impact on American life. Many of the first European settlers in the United States were members of Puritan sects, remembered chiefly for their period of hysteria and cruelty. In their quest for moral purity, they perceived evil everywhere, declared numerous individuals as witches, and executed them (the “witch trials”). Extremism, even when it is in the name of good, inevitably leads to tragedy.
Mrs. Cheveley believes that politicians who present themselves as models of virtue are merely hypocrites. Like Chiltern, they all have secrets to conceal, whether from their past or present. Wilde's contempt for hypocrisy is reflected in his fondness for characters who are dandies, such as Lord Goring. Lord Goring's dandy persona essentially embraces the idea that he is self-centered and a bit wicked. This contrasts sharply with those who claim to be virtuous citizens dedicated to duty and the welfare of others. However, if the so-called virtuous citizen cannot truly live up to this ideal, then they are similar to Goring—a person who occasionally prioritizes personal interests over the common good. Wilde argues that it is preferable to be like Goring, who does not pretend to be virtuous, rather than being a hypocrite.
An Ideal Husband explores the concept of "ideal" or pure as a warning against the Victorian fixation on perfect morality. The ideal version of anything is, by definition, a flawless example of it. Lady Chiltern desires an ideal husband, someone who perfectly fulfills his role as a husband and is also an ideal human being, meaning perfectly virtuous. She believes she has found this in Sir Robert, and Sir Robert, deeply in love with...
(This entire section contains 733 words.)
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his wife, wishes for her to maintain this belief. Lady Chiltern's realization that her desire for perfection is misguided is a vital part of her character development and the play's message.
The pairing of Mabel Chiltern and Lord Goring serves as Wilde's remedy to the Chilterns' predicament. Mabel notably states that she aspires to be a "good" wife to Lord Goring, not a perfect or ideal one. Lord Goring, perhaps, represents Wilde's idea of a "good enough" husband because he openly acknowledges his imperfections. Wilde seems to suggest that humanity will always fall short of its ideals, but this should not be a source of tragedy. Instead, tragedy arises from the insistence on achieving perfection even after every effort has been made.
Ambition
Politicians in late 19th-century England were not much different from those today. They saw themselves as public servants and entered politics to make a positive impact. However, succeeding in politics requires ambition. Politicians aspiring for high government positions must possess strong resolve and resilience. They face relentless attacks from opposing party members, and even their own party colleagues may try to outmaneuver them. Journalists often delve into their private lives, publishing anything that can sell newspapers or magazines. Therefore, along with the desire to do good, a politician aiming for the top must be highly ambitious. They need a drive for glory that makes the challenges of climbing to the top worthwhile. Wilde captures this type of politician in the highly ambitious Sir Robert Chiltern. By doing so, he accurately portrays a successful politician. Despite being only forty, Chiltern is already an under-secretary, and by the play's end, the prime minister offers him a cabinet position.
This portrayal of a politician's ambitious drive is fitting in An Ideal Husband. The play focuses on encouraging people to adopt a realistic view of the world and its workings. Consequently, Wilde avoids presenting an idealized version of the motivations behind top-ranking politicians.