Woman of No Importance

Final Essay Question AS - A Woman of No Importance.

Wilde once wrote "civilised society feels instinctively that manners are of more importance than morals". Explore how far Wilde presents this idea in a woman of no importance through the comedic genre.

Oscar Wilde satirized society and the very people watching his plays through the comedic genre of a Comedy of Manners. The witty language in the form of epigrams and paradoxes are the main focus rather than the plot. Also, 'manners' did not exactly mean being polite or carrying one's self with etiquette but following what society deemed to be acceptable and the custom.

In Act 1 Hester is delivering a didactic speech to the women, she is cut short by Lady Caroline. "Might I, dear Miss Worsley, as you are standing up, ask you for my cotton that is just behind you? Thank you". The subtext within the quote is that Lady Caroline is dismissing Hester and her speech. Even though Lady Caroline is polite in doing this it reveals the arrogance of her character. Lady Caroline's character could possibly be a reflection of English society and how they disregard the truth of morality within their society. Shortly after her speech Hester is again politely cut short, but this time by Lady Hunstanton. "There was a great deal of truth, I dare say, in what you said, and you looked very pretty while you said it, which is more important." Hester is talking about the importance of morals, yet Lady Hunstanton seems to be more concerned about her appearance and Lady Caroline about her cotton. It does not matter about a person morally or the choices they have made but more about their status and appearance. Here Wilde explores the idea of double standards. Hester in her speech speaks of double standards in regards to the diversity in the treatment of men and women; she reprimands the women in the drawing room for complying with the idea. "Don't have one law for men and another for women." A Women of No Importance is a dark comedy and ultimately a feminist play and this is where Wilde ridicules the idea of superficiality with in society, and he uses the character of Lady Caroline to undermine Hester's moral perspective. With this Wilde skilfully gives this particular scene an injection of comedy to notify the audience that Hester is not to be taken seriously. He does this in order to not let his audience to feel too uncomfortable with the serious tone within Hester's voice which is actually just a vehicle for Wilde's views.

The two characters within A Woman of No Importance who lack the most morals are Mrs Allonby and Lord Illingworth. Mrs Allonby is Lord Illingworth's match; they are both dissipated. "I will tell you when you have kissed the puritan." The fact that Mrs Allonby is putting 'the innocence of Hester on the line' exhibits her degeneracy. Moreover, that Lord Illingworth accepts her challenge for Hester's purity is typical as Lord Illingworth is the rake within the play and highly typical of the Comedy of Manners Genre and melodrama. Mrs Arbuthnot is the prime example of a rake having his way with an innocent naïve girl. The status of the 'fallen woman' is given to Mrs Arbuthnot as she carries Lord Illingworth illegitimate