Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why does Lady Chiltern make that speech at the end of the play? Is it anti-feminist? Was Oscar Wilde a misogynist? Do you think it's fair to judge that speech by today's standards?
- How much of a role do social class and wealth play in shaping the moral compasses of the characters in An Ideal Husband? Does need define their actions influence their moral stance?
- Of the three central women in the play – Lady Chiltern, Mrs. Cheveley, and Mabel – who is the most modern, and why?
- Mrs. Markby is uninterested in social issues. Lady Chiltern is extremely informed and engaged politically. Mabel is as uninterested as Mrs. Markby. Why is this so? Is political or social engagement cyclical in nature? Do the differences have to do with circumstance, personality, age?
- Who do you think would affect more positive change on the world: Sir Robert or Lord Goring?