Oscar Wilde: A Brief Biography

Human beings possess several virtues that differentiate them from other creatures and can use them in ways that represent their perceptions of social order. Surprisingly, Oscar Wilde believes that disobedience is an original virtue of every human and that it is responsible for progress and development. While Wilde’s claim is not entirely accurate, it is largely valid as evidenced by the recent events across the world, including the US, that have led to positive outcomes in spite of being termed and perceived as acts of disobedience.

Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband Oscar Wilde (1845-1903) lived an outrageous and controversial life which was well publicized and condemned, as his life defied the strict social mores of the time. He was put into this public position due to the success of his plays which challenged Victorian earnestness while being hilariously funny. His plays, in particular An Ideal Husband, 1895 portray Victorian society as viciously hypocritical at it's worst and laughably pretentious at it's best. Wilde expressed this point of view in An Ideal Husband through the rich use of plot development, construction of characters, dramatic irony, hyperbole, witty and epigrammatic repartee and satire.

Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid.

An object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Newton’s first law of motion identifies what is needed to produce change. Oscar Wilde shared similar observations when he said, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” Both Newton and Wilde recognized how force was essential in order to successfully achieve change. Although Wilde was an influential leader in the late 1800s, his ideas are still applicable to today’s world just like Newton’s laws of motion. The force of disobedience and rebellion has followed Wilde’s claim by historically altering the world and continuing to serve as a powerful platform for change.

Upon his return to England in 1883, Wilde began lecturing on his experiences in America. This is how he came to meet Constance Lloyd, whom he later married on May 29, 1884. The couple had two children together. However, the marriage began to have problems after Wilde met Canadian, Robert Ross, which "began his involvement in the disordered, destructive homosexual lifestyle so luridly suggested in The Picture of Dorian Gray and catalogued in his sensational trials" (Stayley 318). Robert Ross forced Wilde to confront the homosexual tendencies that he had been trying desperately to suppress. A whole new world opened for Wilde, and his only resource in which to channel this new energy was through his literary works.

Throughout life we are told not to do anything bad and to not break the rules, however how is a person supposed to learn from what they do wrong? Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Disobedience in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is a man’s original virtue…,” through historical evidence this statement is made true because without minor disobedience and rebellion, we wouldn’t have the basic human rights that we have today. In the second part of his quote, Wilde makes a point that through the disobedience and rebellion of historical figures, social progress would not have been made, and the shape of American culture wouldn’t be the way it is today.

Wilde uses the satirical devices travesty and irony in order to portray marriage negatively. Through his use of satire, one can infer that Wilde sees marriage as a hindrance and a task that society seems to be obsessed with. In Act 1, the proposal scene is shown. After Gwendolen and Jack admit that they have feelings for each other, Jack states that they should get married at once, but Gwendolen decides that Jack must properly propose first. The use of travesty is present here when the meaningful act of proposing to someone is constructed to be comical. Jack asks Gwendolen if he may propose to her. When most individuals wish to propose, they do not usually ask for permission first. Once Jack does propose, Gwendolen asks as though she is surprised and asks, “How long have you been about it!” (line 360). Through the way that Jack and Gwendolen conduct themselves, marriage can be perceived as trivial, when it is actually a significant act because a person is committing to a life with another individual. This shows that Wilde does not agree with marriage and it is not to be taken as seriously as society treats it today.

Morgane Bensadoun The Importance Of Being Hypocritical Ideals are only as ideal as the advocate's moral conduct. Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedic play that explores the convoluted beliefs of Victorian society through the use of satire. Wilde uses a satirical lens to examine not only the pretenses that typify Victorian culture but to explicate the fundamentals of the characters.

Background Oscar Wilde grew up in a household of successful parents. Wilde’s father, William Wilde, was a famous eye surgeon. His mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a profound writer (Pearson, 15). They both had an impact on his fame and achievements. He grew up with two siblings, Willie, his older brother, and Isola, his little sister.

Throughout his life Oscar Wilde had many strong influences exerted upon him. During his early childhood his mother influenced him and into college some of his professors and certain philosophers left a substantial impression upon him. Into adulthood these influences leaked out in his writing. These influences gave him ample ideas for writing The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde's study of the Hellenistic ideals of Epicurus, his coddled lifestyle as a child and his devotion to the movement of Aesthetics and Moral Ambiguity have produced one of the most astounding works of horror fiction.

is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. Satire in The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde is known

John Lahr, a critic of the famous author and playwright Oscar Wilde, once claimed, “To stand out in Victorian culture,Wilde had to stand against it.” Wilde definitely did not conform to the society by which he was surrounded; being an aesthetic homosexual was not the typical or ideal Victorian man. His distaste for the era he lived in is seen clearly in his humorous play The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde was personally judged and outcasted by his own society, which caused him to mock his audience and argue that the Victorian Era was not as virtuous as those of that time attempted to appear. He uses this piece of writing as an opportunity to not only stand against and disprove the Victorian ideals, but to persuade his audience to realize

In Oscar Wilde’s play, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, we find many comedic elements strengthening his criticism of Victorian society. With a range of devices providing comedic elements, this comedy of manners is a play varied in its provision of humour. Firstly, Wilde uses satire in the play in order to mock society at the time, with the many ideals and manners of the people of the time challenged, the satirized theme of marriage featuring heavily in Act 1. A great example of such is in Gwendolen’s erroneous insinuation that men with the name of Ernest are more ‘safe’ in terms of marriage.

In chapter 20 of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian reflects on his past crimes and wonders whether he will ever change and retrieve his innocence again. Throughout the final chapter of the novel, the elements of Gothic novel that Wilde explores conveys the idea of the pursuit of individualism. Dorian’s wild, racing emotions clearly show how much he is driven by his readiness to fulfill his desires under any circumstance. Through this, the use of specific words and punctuation markings highlight Dorian’s personal yearning of removing himself from his past.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a fictional novel written by Oscar Wilde in the 1800’s. Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer who have wrote so many fiction stories and theater plays, unfortunately his only published novel is “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. During his lifetime, Oscar Wilde have lived in many places including France and London.