Fwd: 4587

Begin forwarded message:

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Date: October 2, 2014 at 12:15:36 PM MDT
To: seth weidenaar <sethweidenaar@gmail.com>
Subject: 4587

In the 1892 play, Lady Windermere's Fan, there are three characters: Duchess of Berwick, Lord Darlington, and Lady Windermere. The Duchess of Berwick appears to be an honest woman who speaks her mind no matter how negative her statement is. Lady Windermere has the character of a woman who wants things fair and correct. Lord Darlington is very cocky, suspicious and arrogant, basically. Oscar Wilde, the writer of the play, reveals the values of the characters and nature of their society also.

The reader can notice the Duchess of Berwick's honesty right away. As she enters the house, she tells Lord Darlington he is far too wicked to meet her daughter, face-to-face in line four. Then, in line eleven, she asks sarcastically, Isn't he dreadful? Before the Duchess and Lady Windermere have a conversation, Duchess of Berwick mentions the awful tea they had at Lady Markby's and comments on her son-in-law who prepared it. Throughout this section of the play, she keeps commenting and stating different things, especially to Lord Darlington.

During Duchess of Berwick's visit, her and Lady Windermere discuss the issue of guests receiving attention that can appear at Lady Windermere's birthday celebration. In line twenty-nine to thirty-three, Duchess of Berwick talks about how dreadful people can be at parties, especially men, and Lady Windermere agrees and says she will make a stand against it. Later, Lord Darlington calls marriage a game and says, "The wives hold all the honours and invariably lost the odd trick." The women took his statement offensive and Lady Windermere stood up to him asking questions. In line fifty-six, she says Lord Darlington is trivial and asks him, in line fifty-nine to sixty, why to you talk so trivially about life? The keep this conversation going until Lord Darlinton decides to leave. But before he does, Lady Windermere says to him in line seventy-two, "But you are not to say foolish, insincere things to people." Lord Darlington laughs and says, "It is a dangerous thing to reform any one."

Lord Darlington misbehaves, pretty much from lines forty-six to the end, in a cocky and arrogant way. First, he calls marriage a game which the women are no good at in lines forty-six to forty-nine. Then he makes a confusing statement in line sixty-one to sixty-three, "I think life is far too important a thing to ever talk seriously about it." If life is important, why not talk about it? Which is what Lady Windermere says to him in line sixty-four to sixty-six, "What does he mean?...Lord Darlington, just explain to me what you really mean." Then as arrogant as he is, he says, "I think I better not," and leaves quickly to avoid another conversation.