The Ideal Lady Chiltern

In the play “An Ideal Husband” by Oscar Wilde, Lady Chiltern is wife of the successful politician Sir Robert Chiltern who built his envied wealth and success on a sin committed in his youth. When Lady Chiltern finds out about her husband’s secret she’s in hysterics yelling, “It is not true! Robert! It is not true!” While portraying this part she should look around the room frantically as if looking for an escape out of her shocked misery while avoiding eye contact with Sir Robert, because she doesn’t want to face the truth that is about to face and ruin her. As she is looking around she should pace the room with her hands in the air to dramatize the scene. She’s in panic because her husband’s secret has ruined the ideal marriage that she has so convincingly led. Her ideal husband, whom she has prided herself in, has a flaw.  The image he depicted is ruined just like the ideal life she lived in. Once Mrs. Cheveley leaves the room, Sir Robert confirms the secret with his laconicism. Furry then runs over her and she finally approaches him and continues to condemn him for his past mistake. She grabs him by the shoulders shaking him as her face reddens in despair screaming: “Lie to me! Lie to me! Tell me it is not true!” Because she knows what this will do to her public image, she rather be left in ignorance as if hoping it will change the reality of his sin. She is not accustomed to any scandals because her character has never had to deal with them. In her opinion of her self she was always proper and has never committed any errors in her past or present. She puts herself in a pedestal and does the same with her husband always having high expectations of him. As he let her down she wasn’t prepared for the worst. Never had she the necessity to question his ideal character, but now the sin he built his success on baffles her as she is confused what this will do to their future and public image.