A Woman of No Importance, Final Act Essay

Wilde uses many dramatic effects throughout the play to shock and amuse the audience and many of them preserve be seen in this final scene. The item that this conversation between Mrs Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth takes place in Mrs Arbuthnots house, her personal space and territory puts her at an advantage and it shows that Lord Illingworth is surrendering his usual control everyplace his situations By Lord Illingworth referring to Mrs Arbuthnot as Rachel we be again made aware that we are listening to two people who guard a strong away relationship.She calls him George Harford while he uses her name far less often that in the persuasive Act 2. During this scene, Lord Illingworth speaks with awareness of the legal situation, he knows he can never make Gerald legitimate but he is ordaining to leave him property What more can a gentleman desire in this innovation? and Mrs Arbuthnots response of No function more, I am quite sure turns this in to a class confrontation. When Mr s Arbuthnot says I told you I was not interested, and I request you to go. this is a threat to conventional society and the audience would curb been shocked by this.She treats Lord Illingworth as he once treated her, in stringently financial terms and she tells him that Gerald no longer needs his money, You come too late. My son has no need of you. You are not necessary. She whence goes on to exempt to him that Gerald and Hester are in love and they dont need his money because Hester already has money of her own. Lord Illingworth asks where they will go and Mrs Arbuthnots reply We will not tell you, and if you find us we will not know you. You seem surprised.What welcome would you get from the girl whose lips you tried to soil, from the boy whose life you have shamed, from the mother who dishonor comes from you? is very melodramatic and it also relives the fact that Lord Illingworth tried to kiss Hester and this is when Gerald found out that he was his father, Lord Illingwor th you have insulted the purest thing on Gods earth. This leaves Lord Illingworth to admit that he wants Gerald, Rachel, I want my son. Wilde uses many props in this scene, the main one being the letter Gerald has written to Lord Illingworth imploring him to marry his mother.The audience know what is written in the letter before Lord Illingworth does and this adds drama and tension because the audience are delay for the big reveal and to see what happens. This letter also links back to the letter that Lord Illingworth sees in Act 2 and says What a curious handwrite It reminds me of the handwriting of a woman I used to know years ago. and his dismissal of it so simply. The stage direction of Mrs Arbuthnot watches him all the era is very distinguished because she wants to see his reaction.Ironically his proposal of marriage after reading Geralds letter uses similar language to Mrs Arbuthnots when explaining to Gerald why she would refuse him, for her marriage would be a sacrifi ce and for Lord Illingworth it would be a surrender. For Mrs Arbuthnot to say this at this point in the play would have been very uncommon for the time because the audience would be expecting a happy ending, for the fallen women to marry the father of her child or for it to end like a melodrama, in tragedy.For the first time, Mrs Arbuthnot is rejoicing against Lord Illingworth with the repetition of his own words when she says, Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely if ever do they exempt them. Lord Illingworth is clearly surprised at this response and then resorts to cruelty. His parting speech creates an exciting climax as the censorship of the time wouldnt leave alone anyone to say the word bastard on the stage.Wildes stage direction of Mrs Arbuthnots use of the glove Mrs Arbuthnot snatches up glove and strikes Lord Illingworth across the casing with it is a very good use of a prop because in the time this play was written a glove was a very virile item and being hit with one was a sign of violence and confrontation. The audience is allowed a shock, due to the word about to be spoken and then they get a relief as the taboo is maintained by Mrs Arbuthnot cutting Lord Illingworth off before he can finish his execration because she will not let him say the word because she doesnt want to hear him say this about her beloved son.The villain is punished and Mrs Arbuthnots respectability is ma intained. All of this is typical of a melodrama and we the audience now feel something has been accomplished. Wildes use of stage directions are very well placed and are very dramatic, especially the last few lines of this scene when Mrs Arbuthnot falls sobbing on the sofa and it reinforces that this play is a melodrama because people are not normally this dramatic in normal everyday life.Gerald and Hester now return to Mrs Arbuthnot and we have the image of a man and a woman in a tend which has been mentioned previously through out the play and is a sign of sex and fertility and in this scene it shows the audience the image of a new family emerging. Due to Hester having changed her views from believe that women who have children outside of the laws of marriage should be punished, A woman who has sinned should be punished, shouldnt she? And that the children should also carry this shame, Yes, it is right that the sins of the parents should be visited on the children.It is a sound law. It is Gods law. to her now saying I was wrong. Gods law is only love. Because she is in love with Gerald and has managed to listen and understand all of the things that Mrs Arbuthnot has had to face to bring up Gerald alone. At the end of the play when Gerald sees the glove lying on the floor Mrs Arbuthnot picks up and changes the title line of the play and once again mirrors Lord Illingworths statement about seeing the letter from Mrs Arbuthnot, Oh o one. No one in particular. A Man of no importance. Unmarried and defian t she enters into a chic and better world although the 19th century attitudes to marriage are still upheld in a way because even though she has won against Lord Illingworth and she has managed to remark Gerald and now has the love and respect of Hester the audience are still left with the image of them being exiled to America, where they have less strict views on illegitimacy and have more freedom.