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- In expressing her unconditional support for Sir Robert, Lady Chiltern parrots Lord Goring's pep talk almost word for word. Here are the nuts and bolts of the speech: a man's life is more important than a woman's; men are intellect, women are emotion. "As a woman, I can help the world by forgiving."
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Lady Gertrude Chiltern. A well-liked, busy politician known for his integrity in both public and private life. In the beginning of the play, he seems to be entirely in control of his fate. He is successful, esteemed, and happily married to Lady Chiltern: his life seems to be following some universally desirable plan.
- Mabel Chiltern
The An Ideal Husband quotes below are all either spoken by...
- Lady Gertrude Chiltern
With Lord Goring ’s help, she sees that it’s important to...
- Love, Morality, and Forgiveness
The only characters who truly develop in this respect are...
- Mabel Chiltern
Goring will also teach her that Sir Robert—as a man—lives by his intellect and requires a successful public life. Thus Lady Chiltern will forgo her rigid morals and allow her husband to continue his career despite its ill-gotten beginnings.
Mrs. Cheveley was a lying thief as a young girl; she must be one now. When Lady Chiltern discovers that Sir Robert was unethical in the past, she determines that he must still be today. The interesting thing about this perspective is that, of all the characters in the play, Lady Chiltern changes the most.
The pressure to be perfect comes from his wife, sure, but also from everyone around him. An Ideal Husband is chock full of characters gushing over the seemingly impeccable Sir Robert Chiltern. Lord Caversham proclaims that Sir Robert has "what we want so much in political life nowadays – high character, high moral tone, high principles" (4.194).
When Mrs Cheveley pointedly informs Lady Chiltern of Sir Robert's change of heart regarding the canal scheme, the morally inflexible Lady Chiltern, unaware of both her husband's past and the blackmail plot, insists that Sir Robert renege on his promise to Mrs Cheveley.
