An Ideal Husband

“I don’t know that women are always rewarded for being charming. I think they are usually punished for it!”

Mrs. Cheveley critiques the expectations of women in the Victorian era—that they, like Lady Chiltern, should be pure, chaste, and well-mannered. To be charming is not necessarily an attribute that works to women’s benefit, as Mrs. Cheveley knows well. Women’s “proper” role is at issue throughout the play, in keeping with the theme of The Meaning of Class and Gender in a Modern World.

“Men can be analysed, women […] merely adored.”

Mrs. Cheveley’s remark contrasts markedly with the attitude of Lady Chiltern, who frequently protests against the notion that women are merely objects of desire and advocates for their societal advancement. However, Mrs. Cheveley’s own life belies the position she expresses, implying a cynical reason for her endorsement of convention: It allows her to avoid scrutiny. The play thus satirizes the self-righteousness of Lady Chiltern and her adversaries alike, painting “proper” traditional gender roles as morally bankrupt.

“Even you are not rich enough, Sir Robert, to buy back your past. No man is.”

Mrs. Cheveley tells Sir Robert he does not have the power to change what he’s done. This quote reveals the limitations of wealth, thereby suggesting that power is limited and that humanity—one’s flaws but also, the play suggests, their strengths—reigns supreme.