An Ideal Husband

Itself a work of aestheticism, An Ideal Husband explores the value of art through the characters’ attitude toward pursuits such as politics and science, as well as toward life generally. Throughout the play, characters examine and blur the lines between “serious” subjects and art and pleasure to reveal the dangers of a stern and moralizing approach to existence.

Politics, which Sir Robert describes as a noble pursuit, is a frequent object of the play’s satire and thus illustrates its broader approach and attitude. The moralizing bent in politics is little more than hypocrisy, Wilde suggests, as characters like Mrs. Cheveley and Lord Goring reveal the artful game that is politics in the modern age. Moreover, there is merit to treating it as the game it is; to do so is not to make light of it but rather to expose the absurdity of politics itself. As Lord Goring says to another guest of the Chilterns, “I adore political parties. They are the only place left to us where people don’t talk politics” (212). Lord Goring, who offers most of the satirical dialogue throughout the play, ironically suggests that political parties have become the only place where people can enjoy music, food, conversation, and art without discussing politics. At the same time, his remark mocks the pretensions of politics, which he suggests are in practice as glib as his own remarks.

Part of the problem with treating things like politics seriously, Wilde suggests, is that humans themselves are fundamentally unserious—or, at least, irrational. The Victorian era saw immense advancements in science, including the advent of psychoanalysis. Lord Goring, however, casually dismisses the idea that one can systematize human behavior, telling Mabel that “[a]ll reasons are absurd” (211). Lord Goring suggests here that to subject human motivation to scrutiny—even close scrutiny that allows the possibility of unconscious, irrational motivations—is as absurd as the motivations themselves. The better response, he implies, is to appreciate humanity for what it is. Similarly, Mrs. Cheveley tells Sir Robert that “[s]cience can never grapple with the irrational. That is why it has no future before it, in this world” (207). The two are discussing the supposed irrationality of women, but Mrs. Cheveley suggests that all humans are basically irrational.

The play thus argues for appreciating the beauty of life as it is rather than dissecting it or subjecting it to staunch moral standards. This is apparent in Lord Goring’s many attempts to help the other characters appreciate the flaws in their partners and value love above all else. Mrs. Cheveley tells Lady Markby that fathers have much to learn from their sons about life. When Lady Markby questions what she means, she replies, “The art of living. The only really fine art we have produced in modern times” (261). In the context of the tension between Lord Caversham and Lord Goring, Mrs. Cheveley’s comment suggests that the attitudes Lord Goring embodies are the ultimate form of art.