Oscar Wilde has become a household name for most all readers
of Western Literature. Though his name will be forever cast in infamy, the name
Oscar Wilde did not always have this same charm, in fact his first play Vera
did not even hit the stage as its performance was cancelled. Eventually,
Wilde’s writing got more famous and garnered more positive attention. After
visiting the United States on tour and getting married, it seemed as if his
life was going to pick up speed. Little did the public know the future that he
had in store. In 1884, the year of his son’s birth, he supposedly took his
first lover, Robert Ross. During this time, Wilde’s style in terms of fashion
and writing took notice as being radical and caused much controversy and
popularity. Later on, Wilde became closer to Lord Alfred Douglass, his next
partner. In this same string, The Importance
of Being Earnest seemed to compensate for any social drama. But this mega
success was not enough for Lord Alfred Douglass’s father, who would end up prosecuting
against both his son and Wilde and lead them to jail. In this time, Wilde
stayed with Douglass in jail while his plays both became more controversial and
successful.
On May 29, 1884, Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd were
married and at first the marriage was documented as being quite successful,
with both professing their love for each other in their letter exchanges. Wilde
even had encouraged his own male friends to get married because of his own
happy marriage. However, after their second child was born, their relationship
slowly deteriorated by welcoming Robbie Ross into their home. Ross and Wilde
engaged in a more than friendly relationship, with Lloyd supposedly ignorant to
the occurrences. Later, Wilde’s relationship with Albert “Boise” Douglas began
with Constance’s absence from the home, wishing to be more independent. As
Wilde and Douglas’s relationship continued, Wilde was later thrown out of the house,
but welcomed later welcomed back. Wilde and Lloyd’s relationship continued
after his return, with her visiting him in prison as well as using her
allowance to pay for the expenses he had incurred. His own views marriage, such
as “A man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing”
and “Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence”, can be seen in
his play The Importance of Being Earnest”
, with Algernon and Jack wooing their fiancées under the guise of being a different
man.
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