Here are some themes that have come up in various sites. I've added some discussion points, do you agree? Disagree? Why?
If you were married to a man that had done this, would it bother you? Is it so morally apprehensible that you would leave them? Think badly of them? If not, what kind of things would make you do that? Infidelity? Abuse?
This is taken from the Grade Saver website:
Institution of Marriage
If you have a look at the Grade Saver website, it talks about Wilde making a mockery of the institution of marriage. Why would he do that? Look at his marriage, a gay man married to an 'ideal' Victorian woman - that's not very conventional. And why do you think he even got married in the first place? To satisfy the Lord Caversham of his life? To conform? We know Oscar didn't like to conform, so what else could you say made him do it? A sense of normalcy? He didn't do it for love, as a 'normal' marriage might be. He definitely didn't do it for sex, as he was having plenty of that with men! Maybe it was stability?
What is the institution of marriage? This website gives you some good ideas, and this Forbes article (ah, it references a movie. Since you guys don't watch movies, you may have to Google it...!) is really good about what marriage means now. Do you agree? It talks about how men have to be financially stable before even wanting to get married - is that what Robert was doing when he suddenly accumulated a bankful of money? Was that why he did it? He makes it clear he'd do anything to keep Gertrude's love - would he do anything to have it? As much as Mabel's idea of a man with a past is a tad shallow, that was how women of the time were thinking; after all, it wasn't acceptable for them to go out and be another earner in the workforce, they had to solely depend on their husband's income.
Here's a video from the Emmy-winning series, Downton Abbey (pleeeeeease get a copy) - one of the ladies of the household was in love with the driver, far below her station, but listen to the comments of her family. She 'brought shame on her family' by marrying him. Albeit the Edwardian era, this is only a couple of years after AIH (An Ideal Husband..keep up!) so the rules still apply.
Sadly, we live in a time where women have to go to work to afford the little luxuries in life: going out for a meal, having a driver, a maid, paying for your children's school fees etc - it all adds up! If you rely solely on your man, you can kiss all of that goodbye. Not so in the Victorian era; there were plenty of men in London with generations of wealth that meant you didn't have to, and that is the life of Gertrude; and that was what Mabel wanted, and to a greater extent Mrs Chevely.
Mrs Chevely and Robert have a lot more in common than we think. They are both escaping their pasts by wanting a better future. Robert does that by acquiring a lot of money, as quickly as possible (no point working hard your entire life to be rich when you're old!) and Mrs Chevely does that by marrying the richest man on her radar. Remember, being poor in the Victorian Era was hell on Earth...
Mabel knows what it's like too, which is why she sets her sights on Goring. She used to a nice cooshy life, would she want to go back to being middle class? No more parties, no more horse-drawn carriages. Is she really that different to Chevely? Or is she better at hiding it?
The Triumph of Love
How do you feel about this? Does love always conquer all? Is love all you need? Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey certainly thought so, but she was the exception to the rule. AIH ladies are a little different. It's clearly not. But, love does Triumph (reference to the tapestry). Is that a good enough ending for you? Do you think that truly is what Oscar thought? He loved his little man on the side, Boisy, and at the time maybe he thought it would triumph - that Victorian ideals didn't matter.
Modernity
The Victorian Era is dripping with people who wanted to advance in life, and socially that is exactly what they did. If the industrial revolution (started on the backs of these lovely Victorians) didn't happen, we would be not be as advanced as we are today. Mrs Markby notes Mabel's 'modernity' and she says it like it's a bad thing. What makes her modern? What makes anybody modern? Thinking differently from the pack? In Downton Abbey (again, go and get it or download it) one of the other ladies of the house, to help out during WWI offered to help a farm and drive it's tractor, to which her grandmother (of Victorian generation or nearabouts) remarked, "Edith you're a Lady, not Toad of Toad Hall!" It was the 'don't you know you're place? Don't be so silly'.
All of these themes are inter-linked so it's a good idea to go through them and see where they do do you can weave them through your essays, proving you have a good handle on the topics and text as a whole...
PS GET DOWNTON ABBEY
Political Corruption
What do you think of political corruption? What do you think constitutes it?
Wikipedia describes it as:
...the use of power by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved with the government. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.
Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft, andembezzlement. Corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money laundering, andhuman trafficking, though is not restricted to these activities.
If you were married to a man that had done this, would it bother you? Is it so morally apprehensible that you would leave them? Think badly of them? If not, what kind of things would make you do that? Infidelity? Abuse?
This is taken from the Grade Saver website:
Political corruption dominates the plot in An Ideal Husband. Sir Robert's flawless career is threatened by the corruption of his youth. One of the play's ironies is that the happy ending relies on Sir Robert's corruption remaining hidden from public view. The offer of a cabinet seat would never stand if the public had knowledge of his past. Yet, because he successfully hides this past, he feels absolved of his crime. Even Lady Chiltern forgives him for it. The reader can also certainly understand the folly of youth and imperfections of humanity, especially in the face of temptation. However, Wilde's play observes the relevant point that the modern political playing ground was emerging into one where corruption often went hand in hand with politics. The morals of many people, and some of the plays major characters, are based more on the fear of public detection and retaining social status than on pure values of right and wrong. He criticizes this society throughout the play.
Institution of Marriage
If you have a look at the Grade Saver website, it talks about Wilde making a mockery of the institution of marriage. Why would he do that? Look at his marriage, a gay man married to an 'ideal' Victorian woman - that's not very conventional. And why do you think he even got married in the first place? To satisfy the Lord Caversham of his life? To conform? We know Oscar didn't like to conform, so what else could you say made him do it? A sense of normalcy? He didn't do it for love, as a 'normal' marriage might be. He definitely didn't do it for sex, as he was having plenty of that with men! Maybe it was stability?
What is the institution of marriage? This website gives you some good ideas, and this Forbes article (ah, it references a movie. Since you guys don't watch movies, you may have to Google it...!) is really good about what marriage means now. Do you agree? It talks about how men have to be financially stable before even wanting to get married - is that what Robert was doing when he suddenly accumulated a bankful of money? Was that why he did it? He makes it clear he'd do anything to keep Gertrude's love - would he do anything to have it? As much as Mabel's idea of a man with a past is a tad shallow, that was how women of the time were thinking; after all, it wasn't acceptable for them to go out and be another earner in the workforce, they had to solely depend on their husband's income.
Here's a video from the Emmy-winning series, Downton Abbey (pleeeeeease get a copy) - one of the ladies of the household was in love with the driver, far below her station, but listen to the comments of her family. She 'brought shame on her family' by marrying him. Albeit the Edwardian era, this is only a couple of years after AIH (An Ideal Husband..keep up!) so the rules still apply.
Sadly, we live in a time where women have to go to work to afford the little luxuries in life: going out for a meal, having a driver, a maid, paying for your children's school fees etc - it all adds up! If you rely solely on your man, you can kiss all of that goodbye. Not so in the Victorian era; there were plenty of men in London with generations of wealth that meant you didn't have to, and that is the life of Gertrude; and that was what Mabel wanted, and to a greater extent Mrs Chevely.
Mrs Chevely and Robert have a lot more in common than we think. They are both escaping their pasts by wanting a better future. Robert does that by acquiring a lot of money, as quickly as possible (no point working hard your entire life to be rich when you're old!) and Mrs Chevely does that by marrying the richest man on her radar. Remember, being poor in the Victorian Era was hell on Earth...
Mabel knows what it's like too, which is why she sets her sights on Goring. She used to a nice cooshy life, would she want to go back to being middle class? No more parties, no more horse-drawn carriages. Is she really that different to Chevely? Or is she better at hiding it?
The Triumph of Love
How do you feel about this? Does love always conquer all? Is love all you need? Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey certainly thought so, but she was the exception to the rule. AIH ladies are a little different. It's clearly not. But, love does Triumph (reference to the tapestry). Is that a good enough ending for you? Do you think that truly is what Oscar thought? He loved his little man on the side, Boisy, and at the time maybe he thought it would triumph - that Victorian ideals didn't matter.
Modernity
The Victorian Era is dripping with people who wanted to advance in life, and socially that is exactly what they did. If the industrial revolution (started on the backs of these lovely Victorians) didn't happen, we would be not be as advanced as we are today. Mrs Markby notes Mabel's 'modernity' and she says it like it's a bad thing. What makes her modern? What makes anybody modern? Thinking differently from the pack? In Downton Abbey (again, go and get it or download it) one of the other ladies of the house, to help out during WWI offered to help a farm and drive it's tractor, to which her grandmother (of Victorian generation or nearabouts) remarked, "Edith you're a Lady, not Toad of Toad Hall!" It was the 'don't you know you're place? Don't be so silly'.
All of these themes are inter-linked so it's a good idea to go through them and see where they do do you can weave them through your essays, proving you have a good handle on the topics and text as a whole...
PS GET DOWNTON ABBEY
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