the same time" (Stokes 163). Goring first explained to Sir Robert Chiltern, the main character who stood to lose everything in the exposure of a long-kept secret, that he "must begin by telling [his] wife the whole story" (Wilde 58), but soon afterwards Goring proclaimed, "the truth is a thing I get rid of as soon as possible!" (Wilde 63). Lord Goring "deliberately tempt[ed] Lady Chiltern into sin" (Eltis 161), but his character did not create the intrigue that necessitated Gorings temptation of Lady Chiltern in order to preserve the Chilterns marriage. In contrast, The Importance of Being Earnests Algernon, while not technically the central character, was essential to the plot through his lies. Algernons imaginary invalid, Bunbury, created an excuse for him to pursue Cecily, and his appearance as Jacks imaginary brother Ernest perpetuated the confusion of the story. Algernon deceived nearly everyone in the play, with the exception of Jack; the two men were close, without many secrets, and had "several things in common, most noticeably their commitment to deception" (Raby 60). Algernons careless lying left no damage in the end of The Importance of Being Earnest, just as Lord Gorings deception was for the best; in Wildes life, his deception was not so fortunate. Algernon and Lord Goring represented the playwright himself and showed his wishful thinking in the happy outcomes of their deceit. While Lord Goring and Algernon both displayed many aspects of the deception Wilde emphasized in An Ideal Husband, the other characters symbolized, alluded to, and predicted much of Wildes struggles in his personal life. In An Ideal Husband, the serious threat to Robert Chilterns reputation loomed as menacingly as the serious threat to Wildes reputation if his homosexual relationship were to be found out. Wilde also within the play alluded to events that occurred during the run on stage; at one point, Lord Goring commented, "Oh, why will parents a...
