Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet and critic. He was regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian era. He was born on 16 October 1854, in Dublin, Ireland, the second of three children born to writer Jane Francesca Agnes née Elgee (1821-1896) and surgeon Sir William Robert Wills Wilde (1815-1876). Wilde's mother was a prominent poet and nationalist; his father a successful ear and eye surgeon and noted philanthropist, knighted in 1864.

In 1884 Wilde married Constance Mary Lloyd (1858-1898) with whom he would have two sons; Cyril Vyvyan. The Wildes settled in Chelsea, London where Oscar continued to write and work for such magazines as the Pall Mall Gazette and became editor of Woman's World in 1887.

Wilde’s ‘scandalous’ past is well known. In 1891 Wilde met English poet Lord Alfred Douglas "Bosie". It was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that caused many problems for Oscar and eventually led to his downfall. Alfred had a tempestuous relationship with his father which did not help matters. He disapproved of his son's lifestyle and when he learned of his openly living with Wilde, he set out to defame Wilde. For the opening performance of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London the Marquess planned to publicly expose and humiliate Wilde. Oscar took legal steps to protect himself against the 'brute' but he ultimately won a case whereby Wilde was charged with "gross indecency" for homosexual acts. He was sentenced to two years of hard labour.

Wilde’s final play and arguably greatest play: ’The Importance of being Earnest’ was a play that could be directly identifiable with Wilde’s personal life. He was someone who was against the norms of society, being a gay man, hiding his true identity.

By late November 1900 Wilde had developed Meningitis and died.