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Back to Subjects - Theater

Lady Windermeres Fan

Lady Windermeres Fan Lady Windermere’s Fan is a witty commentary on the wiles of social properness in late 19th century England. Oscar Wilde was a flamboyant homosexual understandably critical of the norms of his day. Within the play, lie subtle and overt contradictions about the “properness” of the high born upper-class. During the Victorian period, strict rules governed mannerisms, protocol, etiquette, decency, etc. This decorum became too oppressive for Wilde’s taste. The morality of the upper-class is supposedly the standard of the day, to which everyone is evaluated. However, in this play, the morality of the main characters pivots more on the situation instead of social status. Independent from inner intentions, all characters are only moral when its self-serving. Obvious examples are Lady Windermere and the Duchess. Lady Windermere tries to be superlative at the expense of being realistic. The Duchess pretends to be proper but is exposed by her contradictory statements. Less overt examples include Lord Windermere and Lord Darlington. (Secretly, I think Lord Darlington is Wilde himself.) Lord Windermere tries to uphold his family name through dubious relations with a scandalous woman. While Lord Darlington does not represent himself as a proper person, he becomes conveniently judgmental when he feels he has a chance with Lady Windermere. On the bottom of the social pyramid lies the characters who do not pretend to be proper: Lord Augustus Lorton, Mr. Cecil Graham and Mrs. Erlynne. All of these characters admit their transgressions (gossip, scandals, etc) and make no apology for themselves. On the top of the pyramid lie the epitome of properness: Lady Plymdale, Lady Stutfield, and Lady Jedburgh. These are the stuck-up characters that make up the top tier of the three layered social strata represented in the play. Notice, they are also the smallest of the three layers. Just like in real life! As far as the caliber of acting, it was superb. (I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did!) The timing of mannerisms was tight and abrupt, as well as the speech. To prevent talking over one another, the characters had to have precise cuing from the other actors. The Duchess of Berwick STOLE the show. She’s the most colorful character and most vital to the understanding of the conflict. She dictates her role very well within an embellished gown of supremacy. She has to intersect the other characters’ paths at just the right time. She also has to use a lot of facial expressions to convey her character’s way of over-emphasizing her opinions. Her animations are overstated like a true snobby aristocrat. Traci Scott is magnificent! In fact, if you take her out of the play, the whole thing becomes so lackluster. In fact, the other characters seem purposely insipid to show how much fun, or interesting at best, a little scandal can be. The scenery was simple and purposeful. This is functional in that the eye is not distracted from the intended focus: the characters‘ dialogue. Yes, the setting is important, but not to overshadow the conflict(s) at hand. Some reviews described a mediocre delivery based on the dull scenery. Who cares? The richness comes from the plot itself and the witty presentation, not what flowers are in the vase! The scenery is not eye-candy, but this is 19th century England. How can a stage crew maneuver a mansion on stage? The space available was used wisely (i.e., while the guests danced at the party and when Agatha looks at the sunset.) I think the scenery was appropriate in that it was somewhat unfurnished. This displays how empty the houses of the rich and high-born truly are. They are huge spaces of mostly nothing. They are not meant to be cozy warm abodes. They are meant to be seen as bare and cryptic. These halls of nobility are anything but whimsical playgrounds. I must comment on the vital role of wit in this play. 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 society. The time frame is also important to the play. This entire labyrinth of irony transpires in less than 24 hours! By this time frame, Wilde expresses how confusing situations become in such a small amount of time. The gossiping Duchess started one little rumor and the rest escalates out of control. This is a microcosm of what happens in life. Bad news makes the blood pump and the heart race. Scandal provokes more passion and feeling. During the play, the characters shift their opinions about Mrs. Erlynne from one extreme to the other, leaving Lady Windermere with her own grief. Everyone likes Mrs. Erlynne after they meet her. This leaves Lady Windermere in a very compromised position because all the commotion dispersed. Later, she too resolves her reservations about Mrs. Erlynne. Thus, Mrs. Erlynne begins as a harlot who climbs the social ladder by winning the approval of nobles and marries a rich man. In the meantime, the Duchess deceptively finds a husband for her daughter, Agatha, Mrs. Erlynne conceals she is Lady Windermere’s mother and Lord Darlington tries to court Lady Windermere. Whew! People feed off scandals and gossip faster than factual information because they take life much too seriously for Wilde’s taste. The end results are just as confusing as the details that render them. Wilde is obviously critical of the way gossip and hypocrisy spins out of control by hurrying the events of the play. The procession of events, scandals and resolutions puts everyone into a tailspin of ebb and flow, even the audience is out of breath. The whole impish production is much too complicated for any character to be truly enlightened or enriched. Lady Windermere’s Fan is a social commentary on how to approach life in general. Wilde took the view one should create for the sake of creativity, or the movement “art for art's sake.” He warned of taking life too seriously. “I never approve, or disapprove, of anything now,” he once said on the issue of morality. “It is an absurd attitude to take towards life. We are not sent into the world to air our moral prejudices. I never take any notice of what common people say, and I never interfere with what charming people do.” Wilde’s recurring themes on the importance of “imagination, self-development, and individualism” are apparent in this play. The characters portray people who are very serious and common at the same time. How fanciful and carefree is life? Well, no one knows until they sincerely become completely unrestrained and untainted. Quite plainly the play reminds us to live for ourselves (as Lord Darlington would) and for the moment because otherwise one lives for something or someone else. After all, good and bad are relative terms, mere labels. They are not absolute terms, thus, everything is nothing until it is compared to something else. This is the heart of the aesthetic thinker. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1469