An Ideal Husband (Wilde)
Short summary
London, late 19th century. At an evening reception, ambitious politician Sir Robert Chiltern, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, met the charming yet cunning Mrs. Cheveley. She blackmailed him with knowledge of a dishonorable secret from his past. Years before, in need of money, Robert had sold a confidential government secret. Mrs. Cheveley demanded he publicly support a dubious canal scheme in Argentina, knowing he risked losing his reputation and career if exposed.
Lady Chiltern, Robert's morally upright wife, learned of Mrs. Cheveley's manipulation and urged her husband to maintain his integrity, not knowing she had idealized him beyond reality. Panicked and desperate, Robert blamed her demanding standards for their situation, painfully admitting to Lady Chiltern:
You made your false idol of me, and I had not the courage to come down, show you my wounds, tell you my weaknesses. I was afraid that I might lose your love, as I have lost it now. And so, last night you ruined my life for me.
Sir Robert's loyal friend, the witty and insightful bachelor Lord Goring, intervened. Recognizing Mrs. Cheveley from his past, he outwitted her by threatening to expose her theft of a valuable brooch unless she surrendered Robert's incriminating letter. When Mrs. Cheveley stole and attempted to use Lady Chiltern's note suggesting a suspected affair between Lady Chiltern and Lord Goring, Sir Robert trusted his wife and friend, dismissing all accusations. Lord Goring's guidance helped Lady Chiltern realize her love should forgive her husband's past mistakes, enabling their reconciliation.
In the aftermath, Sir Robert firmly resisted the blackmail by publicly speaking truthfully against the canal scheme. Accepting his flaws, Lady Chiltern supported Robert's decision to continue his public career, and Lord Goring became engaged to Robert's sister, Mabel Chiltern, finding happiness through genuine love and loyalty.
Detailed summary by acts
The division into sections within acts is editorial.
Act 1. The Blackmail Scheme
The Chilterns' reception and introduction of key characters
The play opened at Sir Robert Chiltern's elegant London home in Grosvenor Square, where a grand evening reception was underway. Lady Chiltern, a woman of grave Greek beauty, received guests at the top of the staircase. Among the attendees were society ladies Mrs. Marchmont and Lady Basildon, who exchanged witty remarks about the tedium of social obligations.
Lord Caversham arrived looking for his son, Lord Goring, whom he criticized for his idle lifestyle. Shortly after, Lord Goring himself appeared, embodying the perfect dandy with his flawless appearance and witty remarks. He engaged in playful banter with Mabel Chiltern, Sir Robert's sister, revealing their mutual attraction.
The atmosphere shifted when Lady Markby arrived with Mrs. Cheveley, a woman with Venetian red hair and a calculating demeanor. Lady Chiltern recognized Mrs. Cheveley as a former schoolmate whom she had despised for her dishonesty. Meanwhile, Sir Robert Chiltern, an accomplished politician with a distinguished career, entered the scene and was introduced to Mrs. Cheveley.
Mrs. Cheveley's blackmail scheme against Sir Robert
After the initial pleasantries, Mrs. Cheveley requested a private conversation with Sir Robert Chiltern. She revealed that she had come to London to gain his support for the Argentine Canal scheme, a project he had previously denounced as fraudulent. When Sir Robert refused to change his position, Mrs. Cheveley unveiled her true purpose: blackmail.
She possessed a letter that proved Sir Robert had sold a Cabinet secret to Baron Arnheim early in his career, an act that had been the foundation of his fortune and political success. Mrs. Cheveley threatened to expose this scandal unless Sir Robert publicly supported the Argentine Canal scheme in Parliament.
Sooner or later we have all to pay for what we do. You have to pay now. Before I leave you tonight, you have got to promise me to suppress your report, and to speak in the House in favour of this scheme.
Horrified but trapped, Sir Robert initially tried to deny the accusation, then attempted to buy Mrs. Cheveley's silence. She refused his money, insisting that only his public support of the scheme would satisfy her. Cornered and desperate to protect his reputation and marriage, Sir Robert reluctantly agreed to her demands, promising to suppress his report and speak in favor of the Argentine Canal in Parliament.
Sir Robert's anguish and Lady Chiltern's idealism
After the guests departed, Mrs. Cheveley boasted to Lady Chiltern about Sir Robert's agreement to support her scheme. Shocked and disbelieving, Lady Chiltern confronted her husband. Sir Robert attempted to justify his change of position by claiming that circumstances alter principles, but Lady Chiltern firmly rejected this reasoning.
Circumstances should never alter principles!... It can never be necessary to do what is not honourable. Or if it be necessary, then what is it that I have loved! But it is not, Robert; tell me it is not.
Lady Chiltern insisted that her husband write to Mrs. Cheveley immediately, declining to support the scheme. Under pressure from his wife, Sir Robert reluctantly wrote the letter, though he was clearly tormented by the potential consequences. Lady Chiltern, unaware of the blackmail threat, praised her husband for his moral integrity, believing she had saved him from making a terrible mistake.
Left alone, Sir Robert was consumed by dread, knowing that his refusal to comply with Mrs. Cheveley's demands would likely lead to the exposure of his past corruption and the destruction of both his career and marriage. The act ended with Sir Robert in a state of profound despair, trapped between his wife's idealism and the looming threat of public disgrace.
Act 2. Confrontations and Confessions
Lord Goring's counsel and the complexity of morality
The next morning, Sir Robert Chiltern visited Lord Goring to confide his predicament. In a moment of raw honesty, he revealed the full story of his youthful indiscretion. As a young, ambitious but poor secretary to Lord Radley, he had been influenced by Baron Arnheim's philosophy of power and wealth. When the opportunity arose, he sold a Cabinet secret about the Suez Canal for £110,000, which became the foundation of his fortune and political career.
Every man of ambition has to fight his century with its own weapons. What this century worships is wealth. The God of this century is wealth. To succeed one must have wealth. At all costs one must have wealth.
Lord Goring listened sympathetically but did not excuse his friend's actions. He advised Sir Robert to tell his wife the truth, arguing that secrets between spouses inevitably lead to trouble. Sir Robert, however, feared losing Lady Chiltern's love and respect if she learned of his dishonorable past. The two friends discussed possible strategies to counter Mrs. Cheveley, with Lord Goring suggesting they investigate whether she had any secrets that might be used against her.
Lady Chiltern's confrontation with Mrs. Cheveley
Later that day, Lady Chiltern received an unexpected visit from Mrs. Cheveley, who had been brought to the house by Lady Markby. While Lady Markby chatted amiably, Mrs. Cheveley claimed she was searching for a lost diamond brooch. After Lady Markby departed to visit another friend, the two women were left alone, and their conversation quickly turned hostile.
Lady Chiltern directly confronted Mrs. Cheveley, stating that she knew of her dishonorable past and would not allow her to associate with her husband. Mrs. Cheveley responded with cold calculation, revealing that she held power over Sir Robert and would ruin him if he did not support her scheme. She explained that she possessed a letter proving Sir Robert had sold a Cabinet secret early in his career.
The confrontation escalated when Sir Robert entered the room and overheard part of their conversation. Mrs. Cheveley boldly addressed him, reiterating her threat to expose his past unless he complied with her demands by noon the next day. After she departed, Lady Chiltern turned to her husband in shock and disbelief, demanding to know if the accusations were true.
Sir Robert, unable to deny the truth any longer, admitted that Mrs. Cheveley's claims were accurate. Lady Chiltern was devastated, her idealized image of her husband shattered. She recoiled from him, declaring that one's past defines who they are, and that public and private life should both represent a person at their highest.
One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged... I see no difference between them. They should both represent man at his highest. I see no difference between them.
Sir Robert's devastating confession to his wife
Faced with his wife's moral condemnation, Sir Robert delivered an impassioned defense of his actions. He argued that she had placed him on an impossible pedestal, creating an ideal that no man could live up to. He explained that men, unlike women, understand human weakness and can love despite flaws and imperfections. His love for her had prevented him from revealing his true self, fearing he would lose her affection if she knew his weaknesses.
Sir Robert bitterly pointed out that her rigid moral stance had now ruined his life. By forcing him to reject Mrs. Cheveley's demands, Lady Chiltern had unwittingly ensured his public disgrace. He faced the prospect of scandal, the end of his political career, and a lonely, dishonored life. His emotional outburst left Lady Chiltern stunned and conflicted, torn between her moral principles and her love for her husband.
As Sir Robert left the room, Lady Chiltern remained alone, overwhelmed by the revelation and its implications for their marriage. The act concluded with her in tears, her world upended by the collision between her idealistic expectations and the complicated reality of her husband's past.
Act 3. Turning the Tables
The political dilemma and planned counter-attack
The third act opened in Lord Goring's elegantly appointed library. Sir Robert Chiltern arrived, deeply troubled about his situation. He informed Lord Goring that his telegram to Vienna had yielded no useful information about Mrs. Cheveley that could be used against her. With the Argentine Canal debate scheduled for that evening and no leverage against his blackmailer, Sir Robert faced an impossible choice between public disgrace and private dishonor.
Unexpected encounters at Lord Goring's house
While Sir Robert was visiting, Lord Caversham arrived to lecture his son about his idle lifestyle. Lord Goring managed to send his father to the conservatory, but their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of another visitor. Lord Goring had received a letter from Lady Chiltern earlier that day, stating that she needed his help and would be coming to see him. Assuming the new arrival was Lady Chiltern, he instructed his butler, Phipps, to show her into the drawing room.
However, the visitor was actually Mrs. Cheveley, who had come to manipulate Lord Goring. Unaware of this, Lord Goring continued his conversation with Sir Robert, who suddenly heard a noise from the drawing room. Suspicious that someone might be eavesdropping, Sir Robert demanded to see who was there. Lord Goring tried to prevent him, claiming there was no one, but Sir Robert insisted and discovered a woman in the drawing room.
Assuming it was Lord Goring's lover, and possibly even believing it was his own wife having an affair, Sir Robert stormed out in anger. Lord Goring then confronted Mrs. Cheveley, who revealed she had been listening to their conversation through the door. She offered to sell Sir Robert's incriminating letter to Lord Goring in exchange for his hand in marriage, revealing they had once been engaged years before.
The diamond brooch and Mrs. Cheveley's defeat
Lord Goring refused Mrs. Cheveley's proposal, leading her to threaten once more to ruin Sir Robert. The conversation took an unexpected turn when Lord Goring noticed a diamond snake-brooch with a ruby that Mrs. Cheveley claimed to have lost at the Chilterns' house. He recognized it as a piece of jewelry he had given to his cousin Lady Berkshire years ago, which had been stolen. Mrs. Cheveley had been the thief.
Lord Goring cleverly clasped the brooch on Mrs. Cheveley's arm as a bracelet, knowing it had a peculiar spring mechanism that she couldn't unfasten without knowing its secret. With Mrs. Cheveley effectively trapped, he threatened to call the police and have her arrested for theft unless she surrendered Sir Robert's letter. Cornered, Mrs. Cheveley reluctantly handed over the incriminating document, which Lord Goring immediately burned.
However, before leaving, Mrs. Cheveley managed to steal a letter she found on Lord Goring's desk—Lady Chiltern's note asking for his help. Misinterpreting its contents as evidence of a love affair, Mrs. Cheveley planned to send it to Sir Robert as revenge, believing it would destroy the Chilterns' marriage.
Act 4. Resolutions and Reconciliations
The letter's misunderstanding and political opportunity
The final act took place the next morning in the Chilterns' home. Lord Goring arrived early, hoping to speak with Lady Chiltern about the events of the previous night. He learned from Lord Caversham that Sir Robert had delivered a brilliant speech in Parliament, denouncing the Argentine Canal scheme despite the threat of blackmail. This principled stand had earned him widespread admiration and an offer of a Cabinet position from the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Sir Robert had received Lady Chiltern's letter to Lord Goring, which Mrs. Cheveley had sent to him. However, he misinterpreted it as a letter his wife had written to him, expressing her trust and love despite knowing his past. This misunderstanding brought him immense relief, believing his wife had forgiven him. When Lady Chiltern appeared, Sir Robert embraced her gratefully, not realizing her confusion at his reaction.
Lord Goring's proposal to Mabel Chiltern
While the Chilterns were reconciling, Lord Goring found an opportunity to speak with Mabel Chiltern. Their conversation was filled with playful banter, with Mabel teasing Lord Goring about his tardiness for their appointment in the park the previous day. Despite her feigned indifference, it was clear she had genuine affection for him.
Lord Goring proposed marriage to Mabel, who happily accepted, admitting she had been waiting for him to ask. Their engagement was momentarily threatened when Sir Robert, still believing Lord Goring had been entertaining Mrs. Cheveley as a lover, refused to give his consent to the marriage. However, Lady Chiltern intervened, explaining that it was she who had written to Lord Goring seeking advice, and that Mrs. Cheveley had stolen her letter.
With this misunderstanding cleared, Sir Robert gave his blessing to the engagement. Lord Caversham, though initially skeptical of his son's capacity for marriage, was pleased with the match. When asked what kind of husband she wanted, Mabel Chiltern rejected the notion of an ideal husband in favor of something more genuine.
An ideal husband! Oh, I don't think I should like that. It sounds like something in the next world. All I want is to be... to be... oh! a real wife to him.
Forgiveness and reconciliation between the Chilterns
The resolution of the political crisis and the engagement of Lord Goring and Mabel set the stage for the final reconciliation between Sir Robert and Lady Chiltern. When Sir Robert learned of the Cabinet position offered to him, he initially decided to decline it and retire from public life, believing this sacrifice necessary to preserve his marriage.
However, Lord Goring took Lady Chiltern aside and urged her not to let her husband abandon his career. He argued that a man's life and ambitions have greater scope than a woman's, and that she should not force Sir Robert to sacrifice his political future because of a youthful indiscretion.
A man's life is of more value than a woman's. It has larger issues, wider scope, greater ambitions. Our lives revolve in curves of emotions. It is upon lines of intellect that a man's life progresses. I have just learnt this.
Moved by Lord Goring's words, Lady Chiltern reconsidered her position. When Sir Robert presented her with his letter declining the Cabinet position, she tore it up, encouraging him to accept the honor and continue his political career. The play concluded with the couple's reconciliation, as they affirmed their love for each other and looked forward to beginning a new life together.
Is it love you feel for me, or is it pity merely?... It is love, Robert. Love, and only love. For both of us a new life is beginning.