A Woman of No Importance E-Book

Oscar O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

• Herausgeber: DigiCat
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Oscar Wilde's 'A Woman of No Importance' is a masterpiece of wit and social commentary, as Wilde showcases his signature satirical style in critiquing the societal norms and the role of women in Victorian England. The play explores themes of morality, class, and gender through the interactions of a group of upper-class characters at a country estate. Wilde's sharp dialogue and clever humor make for an engaging read, highlighting the hypocrisy and superficiality of the aristocracy through the lens of a scandalous secret. The play's clever wordplay and biting social commentary set it apart as a timeless classic in English literature. Written during a time of increasing social change and upheaval, 'A Woman of No Importance' remains relevant and thought-provoking to this day. It serves as a fascinating exploration of societal expectations and the constraints placed on individuals, particularly women, in a rigidly stratified society. Oscar Wilde's own experiences as a flamboyant and controversial figure likely influenced his keen observations on the hypocrisy and double standards of his time, making 'A Woman of No Importance' a must-read for those interested in Victorian literature, social critique, and timeless storytelling.

Leseprobe

Oscar O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

A Woman of No Importance

 

EAN 8596547087694

DigiCat, 2022 Contact: [email protected]

Table of Contents

The Terrace at Hunstanton Chase.

The Drawing-room at Hunstanton Chase.

The Hall at Hunstanton Chase.

Sitting-room in Mrs. Arbuthnot's House at Wrockley.

All rights reservedJohn W. Luce & Co.

TO

GLADYS

COUNTESS DE GREY

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

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LORD ILLINGWORTH SIR JOHN PONTEFRACT LORD ALFRED RUFFORD MR. KELVIL, M.P. THE VEN. ARCHDEACON DAUBENY, D.D. GERALD ARBUTHNOT FARQUHAR, Butler FRANCIS, Footman LADY HUNSTANTON LADY CAROLINE PONTEFRACT LADY STUTFIELD MRS. ALLONBY MISS HESTER WORSLEY ALICE, Maid MRS. ARBUTHNOT

THE SCENES OF THE PLAY

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Act

I.

The Terrace at Hunstanton Chase.

Act

II.

The Drawing-room at Hunstanton Chase.

Act

III.

The Hall at Hunstanton Chase.

Act

IV.

Sitting-room in Mrs. Arbuthnot's House at Wrockley.

Time

:

The Present.

Place

:

The Shires.

The action of the play takes place within twenty-four hours.

LONDON: HAYMARKET THEATRE

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Lessee and Manager: Mr. H. Beerbohm TreeApril 19th, 1893

Lord Illingworth

Mr. Tree.

Sir John Pontefract

Mr.

E. Holman Clark

.

Lord Alfred Rufford

Mr. Ernest Lawford.

Mr. Kelvil

, M.P.

Mr. Charles Allan.

The Ven. Archdeacon Daubeny

, D.D.

Mr. Kemble.

Gerald Arbuthnot

Mr. Terry.

Farquhar

(

Butler

)

Mr. Hay.

Francis

(

Footman

)

Mr. Montague.

Lady Hunstanton

Miss

Rose Leclercq

.

Lady Caroline Pontefract

Miss Le Thière.

Lady Stutfield

Miss Blanche Horlock.

Mrs. Allonby

Mrs. Tree.

Miss Hester Worsley

Miss

Julia Neilson

.

Alice

(

Maid

)

Miss Kelly.

Mrs. Arbuthnot

Mrs. Bernard-Beere.

The Terrace at Hunstanton Chase.

Table of Contents

FIRST ACT

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SCENE

Lawn in front of the terrace at Hunstanton.

[SIR JOHNandLADY CAROLINE PONTEFRACT, MISS WORSLEY, on chairs under large yew tree.]

LADY CAROLINE I believe this is the first English country house you have stayed at, Miss Worsley?

HESTER Yes, Lady Caroline.

LADY CAROLINE You have no country houses, I am told, in America?

HESTER We have not many.

LADY CAROLINE Have you any country? What we should call country?

​HESTER [Smiling.] We have the largest country in the world, Lady Caroline. They used to tell us at school that some of our states are as big as France and England put together.

LADY CAROLINE Ah! you must find it very draughty, I should fancy. [ToSIR JOHN.] John, you should have your muffler. What is the use of my always knitting mufflers for you if you won't wear them?

SIR JOHN I am quite warm, Caroline, I assure you.

LADY CAROLINE I think not, John. Well, you couldn't come to a more charming place than this, Miss Worsley, though the house is excessively damp, quite unpardonably damp, and dear Lady Hunstanton is sometimes a little lax about the people she asks down here. [ToSIR JOHN.] Jane mixes too much. Lord Illingworth, of course, is a man of ​high distinction. It is a privilege to meet him. And that member of Parliament, Mr. Kettle——

SIR JOHN Kelvil, my love, Kelvil.

LADY CAROLINE He must be quite respectable. One has never heard his name before in the whole course of one's life, which speaks volumes for a man, nowadays. But Mrs. Allonby is hardly a very suitable person.

HESTER I dislike Mrs. Allonby. I dislike her more than I can say.

LADY CAROLINE I am not sure, Miss Worsley, that foreigners like yourself should cultivate likes or dislikes about the people they are invited to meet. Mrs. Allonby is very well born. She is a niece of Lord Brancaster's. It is said, of course, that she ran away twice before she was married. But you know how unfair people often are. I ​myself don't believe she ran away more than once.

HESTER Mr. Arbuthnot is very charming.

LADY CAROLINE Ah, yes! the young man who has a post in a bank. Lady Hunstanton is most kind in asking him here, and Lord Illingworth seems to have taken quite a fancy to him. I am not sure, however, that Jane is right in taking him out of his position. In my young days, Miss Worsley, one never met any one in society who worked for their living. It was not considered the thing.

HESTER In America those are the people we respect most.

LADY CAROLINE I have no doubt of it.

HESTER Mr. Arbuthnot has a beautiful nature! He is so simple, so sincere. He has one ​of the most beautiful natures I have ever come across. It is a privilege to meet him.

LADY CAROLINE It is not customary in England, Miss Worsley, for a young lady to speak with such enthusiasm of any person of the opposite sex. English women conceal their feelings till after they are married. They show them then.

HESTER Do you, in England, allow no friendship to exist between a young man and a young girl?

[EnterLADY HUNSTANTONfollowed by Footman with shawls and a cushion.]

LADY CAROLINE We think it very inadvisable. Jane, I was just saying what a pleasant party you have asked us to meet. You have a wonderful power of selection. It is quite a gift.

LADY HUNSTANTON

Dear Caroline, how kind of you! I think we all do fit in very nicely together.

And I hope our charming American visitor will carry back pleasant recollections of our English country life. [

To Footman.

] The cushion, there, Francis. And my shawl. The Shetland. Get the Shetland.

[Exit Footman for shawl.]

[EnterGERALD ARBUTHNOT.]

GERALD Lady Hunstanton, I have such good news to tell you. Lord Illingworth has just offered to make me his secretary.

LADY HUNSTANTON His secretary? That is good news indeed, Gerald. It means a very brilliant future in store for you. Your dear mother will be delighted. I really must try and induce her to come up here to-night. Do you think she would, Gerald? I know how difficult it is to get her to go anywhere.

GERALD Oh! I am sure she would, Lady Hunstanton, if she knew Lord Illingworth had made me such an offer.

[Enter Footman with shawl.] ​LADY HUNSTANTON I will write and tell her about it, and ask her to come up and meet him. [To Footman.] Just wait, Francis. [Writes letter.]

LADY CAROLINE That is a very wonderful opening for so young a man as you are, Mr. Arbuthnot.

GERALD It is indeed, Lady Caroline. I trust I shall be able to show myself worthy of it.

LADY CAROLINE I trust so.

GERALD [ToHESTER.] You have not congratulated me yet, Miss Worsley.

HESTER Are you very pleased about it?

GERALD Of course I am. It means everything to me—things that were out of the reach of hope before may be within hope's reach now.

​HESTER Nothing should be out of the reach of hope. Life is a hope.

LADY HUNSTANTON I fancy, Caroline, that Diplomacy is what Lord Illingworth is aiming at. I heard that he was offered Vienna. But that may not be true.

LADY CAROLINE I don't think that England should be represented abroad by an unmarried man, Jane. It might lead to complications.

LADY HUNSTANTON You are too nervous, Caroline. Believe me, you are too nervous. Besides, Lord Illingworth may marry any day. I was in hopes he would have married Lady Kelso. But I believe he said her family was too large. Or was it her feet? I forget which. I regret it very much. She was made to be an ambassador's wife.

LADY CAROLINE She certainly has a wonderful faculty of ​remembering people's names, and forgetting their faces.

LADY HUNSTANTON Well, that is very natural, Caroline, is it not? [To Footman.] Tell Henry to wait for an answer. I have written a line to your dear mother, Gerald, to tell her your good news, and to say she really must come to dinner. [Exit Footman]

GERALD That is awfully kind of you, Lady Hunstanton. [ToHESTER.] Will you come for a stroll, Miss Worsley?

HESTER With pleasure. [Exit withGERALD.]