Wilde includes a lot of wit in his plays. It is by far his trademark. The role of wit (and irony) prevents the theme from sounding like a sermon. As a homosexual, I don’t think Wilde had an affection for the conservatism that later imprisoned him. The theme is about the fallacy of idealism and rigidity in life. The wit is complimented by irony. Witty caption appear in order to hold the interest of the audience. Irony presents the fact that “turn-about is fair play.” The Duchess is not only an aristocrat, but is the highest ranking member of society in the play. Ironically, she is the most scandalous with her contradictions and gossip. She has an amazing outlook on life, especially her marriage. She is proper in a textbook sense, not in a genuine sense. (Again, the standard is not the reality. ) The Duchess doesn’t mind if her husband has a “concubine” of sorts, but she does mind if he throws away the money on her. In other words, she married for money. However, the Duchess condemns Mrs. Erlynne for essentially the same ploy. Mrs. Erlynne has the most questionable moral fiber yet, is the most selfless as she saves the marriage of her daughter at her own expense. Lady Windermere earnestly thinks of herself as being without scandal until she finds herself inadvertently in the middle of one. She also lets Mrs. Erlynne take the fall for her. Lady Winderemere married for love, not money like the Duchess. However, she doesn’t remain married for love. She does not want her marriage to break up because she will be without any social status, just like her mother. But, Mrs. Erlynne will not allow that. Through this web of irony, Wilde depicts everyone in the play as having a flaw, even the most principled character, Lady Windermere. In this device, we see Wilde doing two things: thumbing his nose at a prejudiced society and their subjective “norms“ and allowing the audience to laugh at soc...
