An Ideal Husband

Sir Robert Chiltern is the protagonist of the play. Sir Robert is 40 years old and the undersecretary of foreign affairs in the House of Commons. Wilde describes Sir Robert as having dark hair and eyes as well as fine features. Wilde also suggests that his stern face contrasts with his deeply romantic eyes, suggesting he is torn between pragmatism and idealism.

Sir Robert is a man of principle: Widely respected as a politician and husband, he seems to represent the “ideal husband.” However, his past creates both internal and interpersonal conflict, which calls into question his apparent moral perfection. Through the conflict of the play and Sir Robert’s character development, Wilde critiques the hypocrisy of the Victorian insistence on moral purity. Sir Robert knows that regardless of his actual character, he could lose his job and his wife over a decision he made in his youth; in the eyes of society, Sir Robert is only as good as his reputation. However, once Sir Robert’s wife knows the truth and agrees to forgive him, Sir Robert is free to live without the weight of such expectations—at least in his married life. Through Sir Robert’s story, Wilde suggests that the private sphere could be a place where one’s humanity is respected even if the public sphere is not.