Lady Windermere's Fan, Essay Example

In plays, dialogue is often relied upon in order to reveal the morals, and values of its characters. Dialogue also plays a very important role in establishing the nature of the society the place takes place in. In Oscar Wilde’s satire Lady Windermere’s Fan, the dialogue is effective in doing just this, giving the reader the opportunity to make great incites regarding the inner workings of the three characters who speakOne of the characters with dialogue in Lady Windermere’s Fan is Lord Darlington. Based on what he says, as well as what others say about him, Darlington is a rather laid back, carefree individual. This is backed up with his statement to Lady Windermere “I think that life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.” This quote can lead to the assumption that Darlington is a man who lives for pleasure. Darlington is also obviously very playful. This is seen in his reaction to when the Duchess of Berwick jokingly calls him wicked, where he quips “Don’t say that Duchess. As a wicked man I am a complete failure.” Throughout the course of the excerpt, he makes known the fact that he is a rogue.

Of the three characters who speak, Lady Windermere appears to be the most proper, stating “I will have no one in my house about whom there is any scandal.” Her prim nature is supported when she abruptly corrects the Duchess of Berwick when she refers to Windermere’s party as a ball, with the statement “Oh, you musn’t [sic] think it is going to be a ball, Duchess. It is only a dance in honour [sic] of my birthday. A small and early.” This statement suggests that Lady Windermere rejects the unstable atmosphere of big parties in favor of calmer, more stable ones.

Of all the characters, the Duchess of Berwick is the hardest one to analyze. She has limited lines of substance. However, this does not mean that she lacks any sort of character revelations in the excerpt. She is shown to be quite protective of her daughter, Agatha, stating that