Lady
Basildon:Mrs. Marchmont’s primary companion at the Chiltern party, she is a
frequent complainer. The two women discuss a variety of"current"
social issues, are highly superficial, and act as very basic, decorative
characters in the plot. Lady Basildon
and her close friend Mrs. Marchmont are the first speakers in Wilde's play,
setting the tone with their witty banter. Lady Basildon and her friend affect a
world-weary attitude, pretending to find the fashionable London parties they go
to terribly boring. As Lady Basildon says of a different party the two are
planning to attend "Horribly tedious! Never know why I go. Never know why
I go anywhere." (Act I, pg.165) The duo's worldly sophistication and wit
undoubtedly flattered a portion of his audience whom Wilde hoped would enjoy
his play, namely fashionable society women.
Sir
Robert Chiltern:Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, a member of English
society, and married to the honest and respectable Lady Chiltern, Sir Robert
Chiltern is the “tragic hero” of the play. Early in his public career Chiltern
sold state secrets to Baron Arnheim, from which he becamequite rich. The past
comes back to haunt him when Mrs. Cheveley arrives at his home and blackmails
him with evidence of his wrongdoing. Chiltern, who is powerfully dependent on
his ill-gotten wealth, struggles between succumbing to Mrs. Cheveley's
blackmail and living and honest life. Fortunately, he is saved from disgrace
through a variety of happenstance occurrences, and in fact discovers an even
greater happiness in his marriage and government work than he had known before
his status and professional career were threatened.
Lord
Goring is a very clever and dashing man who lives a life of simple luxury
andavoids professional pursuits. He is always impeccably dressed in the most up
to date fashion, and demonstrates substantial intelligence and a penchant for
acute analysis of human behavior. Ironically, he also prides himselfon
rejecting the expectations of society. A close friend of Sir Robert Chiltern,
Goring wisely counsels him after Mrs. Cheveley, whom Goring was once engaged
to, reveals her blackmail scheme. He also works to heal the wounds between Lady
Chiltern and her husband and to destroy Mrs. Cheveley's evil scheme. Lord
Goringis quite successful in these endeavors and in factproves to be a hero of
the play. In the final scenesof the play, he proposes to Mabel Chiltern, who
accepts him.Lady Gertrude Chiltern:Sir Robert Chiltern’s extremely beautiful
twenty-seven year old wife, champion of the Higher Education of women, a member
of the Woman’s Liberal Association, and a moral, upstanding citizen. Lady
Chiltern also attended school with Mrs. Cheveley, and knows her to be dishonest
and unkind. Lady Chiltern expects perfection from herhusband, which makes it
difficult for her to understand that he might have mistakes in his past.
However, she loves her husband dearly and finally accepts that every man is
somehow flawed.
Mrs.
Cheveley, who attended school with Lady Chiltern, is dishonest, selfish, and
manipulative. The villain of the play, she arrives at the Chiltern's party and
blackmails Robert Chiltern with a dishonest letter he wrote early in his public
career that reveals state secrets for monetary gain. Mrs. Cheveley revels in
wielding power over others and tells Sir Chiltern that in order to prevent her
from publishing the letter, he must support her current financial scheme, the
Argentinean Canal. Later, Lord Goring tricks her into admitting theft and
successfully foils her scheme to destroy Robert Chiltern and his marriage.
Mabel
Chiltern:Sir Robert Chiltern's sister. Mabel constantly teases Lord Goring and
flirts with him throughout the play. She complains often that Tommy Trafford
proposes to her in a most unpleasant manner. In the final scenes of the play,
Lord Goring proposesto her and she accepts his hand.
Lord
Caversham:Lord Goring’s father, Caversham prides himself on dignity and honor.
Caversham constantly belittles his dandy of a son publicly and privately,
accusing him of an idle life and urging him to begin a professional career and
marry.
Lady
Markby:A pleasant woman who is friends with Mrs. Cheveley and brings her to the
Chiltern home. Lady Markby is very traditional in her views, rejecting higher
education for women and longing for more simple days where women simply wished
for the attention of a husband.
Phipps:A
"mask with a manner" who serves Lord Goring as his butler. He is
known for his complete reticence, making him the "ideal butler".He is
bsolutely impassive, he reveals nothing of his intellect or emotions and
"represents the dominance of form." Phipps appears briefly at
thebeginning of Act III in a comic interlude with Lord Goring.
Vicomte
de Nanjac:A guest at the Chiltern’s party, the Vicomte talks with many of the
women. He asks Mabel to dance with him, recognizes Mrs. Cheveley from knowing
her in Berlin five years previous, and excessively, almost comically, compliments
the English language.
Mr.
Monford:A secretary to Sir Robert Chiltern, also described as a dandy.
James:A
minor character, James is Lord Goring's footman and appears to show Mrs.
Cheveley into Lord Goring's library in Act III and withdraws when Phipps gives
him a glassy stare.
Mason:Butler
toSir Robert Chiltern, Mason is another minor character who announces each
guest at the dinner party in Act I.Harold:Sir Robert's footman.He appears
briefly in Act IV.
Pic Source:
https://victorianchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/victoriandress121.jpg
By:
(13020154025) Arighi Ramadhani D.
(13020154065) Ittaqi Tafunijinata
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