Reviewing a play you have read and not seen is something of a challenge, as you try to picture what would be on stage from the (often limited) stage directions and the script itself. Oscar Wilde's renowned 'A Woman of No Importance' is no exception, as a four act satire of the British upper classes in the late 19th century with multiple characters and intertwining plot lines makes it more complicated than many other plays. The first three acts of the play are set in Lady Hunstanton's estate as she hosts a dinner party where Gerald Arbuthnot, a bastard, is offered a position of importance, his parents come face to face for the first time in his lifetime, and Hesther, a Puritan who is visiting from America, is shocked by the outdated and stifling nature of the British aristocracy. In the final act, the clash between Gerald's parents escalates further, as does that between British and American values, before a neat resolution is created with a banishment and an engagement... Sound complicated? It is.
Lord Illingworth is the irreputable bachelor who employs Gerald, holding favour in high society through his shocking antics. In A Woman Of No Importance, Illingworth's reputation quite literally precedes him, as he is discussed throughout the first act before making an appearance on the stage. This allows the audience to create a picture of him (which is not altogether positive) before he even opens his mouth, which only serves to confirm their worst suspicions. When challenged to kiss Hesther, he takes it on with gusto, claiming she is a bad sport when she does not comply. This action epitomises his attitude towards women, treating them as objects who exist to satisfy his desires and then discarding them afterwards, or shaming them if they refuse to comply to his 'right' to satisfaction. Unfortunately, even in the present day, this attitude towards women is not unusual, with 'lad culture' supporting the objectification and subordination of women. Wilde was in this way very ahead of his time, with his sharp critique of society's norms.
However, Wilde seems to take this a little too seriously, with some of his many characters seemingly only included to add to his critique whilst providing some comedy, rather than serving a role within the body of the play, which detracted from my overall enjoyment as the play felt overcomplicated at times. This is most notable in the character of Lady Caroline, who seems to only speak if she is fussing over her husband, Lord John, wondering where he is or whether he is all right. This serves to satirise the frivolity of the upper classes and how out of touch they are with the real issues of the world. However, this criticism is already overt in several other aspects of the play, and alternatively could have been made through another character. Therefore I feel that the removal of Lady Caroline and Lord John from the play would serve to improve its fluidity.
Aside from this slight overcomplication, A Woman of No Importance, is a joy to read, with the abundance of satire that you would expect from Wilde. That said, I daresay that it would be considerably more enjoyable when consumed as plays should be - in the dimmed lighting of an auditorium, a spectator truly looking into the world that Wilde has created.
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