An Ideal Husband

How does Wilde employ irony and satire in An Ideal Husband to critique the social norms and values of the Victorian era? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Analyze the role of women in An Ideal Husband. How does Wilde challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles through characters like Lady Chiltern, Mabel, and Mrs. Cheveley? Can An Ideal Husband be considered a “feminist” text?

What does An Ideal Husband suggest a happy marriage should look like? How should wives behave? Husbands?

What is the significance of the play’s title? What meanings does “ideal” take on over the course of the play? Whom does the title refer to?

An Ideal Husband largely considers upper-class British society. How do the Victorian lower classes enter into the play, if at all? What is the significance of this?

What does the play suggest regarding Mrs. Cheveley’s true intentions? Does she want to be rich or in love? How do you know?

Discuss Lord Goring’s desire to wear a buttonhole. What might Wilde be suggesting about fashion and “high society” on the whole?

What is the significance of letters throughout the play? What might they symbolize with regard to the theme of public versus private life, as An Ideal Husband explores it?