Lastly, An Ideal Husband

         In Oscar Wilde’s play, “An Ideal Husband”, many characters’ actions connect not only to their character’s personalities but also to bigger themes. The dramatic interpretation I will be doing, or the mise en scène that I will be doing, will be on Lord Goring’s interaction with Mabel Chiltern in Act I, lines 217-235. At this point in time, Mabel Chiltern is introduced for the first time. She and Lord Goring have a flirtatious conversation.
         To set up the audience by introducing the relationship dynamics between Mabel and Lord Goring, I would have Lord Goring act in a fun, flirtatious, and witty way in most the lines. However, in the last part of that segment, I would change his tone and make him a more serious character. Through lines 217-230, Lord Goring’s character can be acted with a smile, some half smile, and raised eyebrows when he responds to Mabel Chiltern’s flirtatious jokes. Halfway through, in line 223, Lord Goring responds that he is “very selfish”. I would also want the character to move his position so that he is physically close to Mabel Chiltern, creating a sexual tension between the two. Also, in line 228, when Lord Goring says, “Quite dreadful”, he could emphasize those words to add to the flirting affair. After all this flirting, in line 235, Lord Goring switches topics from talking about the two of them to talking about Mrs. Cheveley – “Who brought Mrs. Cheveley here? That woman in heliotrope, who has just gone out of the room with your brother” (Wilde ll. 233-235). Here, I would have Lord Goring’s character switch to a serious tone – the volume of his voice can be lowered and sound concerned. His facial expression can also switch from a smiling face to one that is not smiling.
          Because Lord Goring’s character has been seen as playful and witty up until this point in the play – especially with his interactions with his father – I would choose for his character to continue to be witty with Mabel Chiltern in lines 217-231. Later on, however, when he switches to asking about Mrs. Cheveley, I would want his character to be more serious to be consistent with the fact that they have had previous history. His seriousness foreshadows their previous history and his knowledge of Mrs. Cheveley’s nature – one that is schemes and deceives. While it seems like Lord Goring’s character is very shallow, though witty – exemplified by his interactions with Mabel in this scene and his father in other scenes – Lord Goring develops into quite a complex character as the play progresses. He shows that he is capable of true care when giving Sir Robert advice regarding his scandal, giving Lady Chiltern advice to preserve her marriage, and negotiating with Lady Cheveley to preserve his friend Sir Robert’s public reputation. In order to be consistent with his dual personality, I want Lord Goring to be flirtatious in lines 217-230 and serious in lines 231-235. Doing so would reveal some of his dual personality, foreshadow events to come, and help develop his complex character.