A Woman of No Importance

A Woman of No Importance is a play by Oscar Wilde that was first performed in 1893. It is one of Wilde’s four drawing room plays, which satirize English high society, but critics often consider this play to be his least successful. The action of the play takes place at a party held at Lady Hunstanton’s English country estate and depicts the conflict that arises when Lord Illingworth, a wealthy and charming aristocrat, encounters his illegitimate son Gerald Arbuthnot. A Woman of No Importance uses both comedic and melodramatic elements and has been praised for its clever dialogue; however, it is also criticized for its conventionality and overly sentimental ending. The play has been adapted for television several times, mostly recently in 1960 by Independent Television.

This guide refers to the version published in 1912 by Methuen & Co., London.

Content Warning: The source text depicts an incident of sexual harassment and characters with sexist attitudes.

Plot Summary

A Woman of No Importance opens at a party hosted by Lady Hunstanton at her English country estate. Lady Caroline, a wealthy older woman, talks with Hester Worsley, a young American who is heir to a vast fortune. Lady Caroline criticizes some of Hester’s American beliefs and manners, particularly her admiration for a young man named Gerald Arbuthnot who is a humble bank clerk. However, Gerald has just been offered a position as secretary to a powerful English aristocrat named Lord Illingworth, which could be the start of a lucrative and influential career. Lady Hunstanton writes a letter to Gerald’s mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot, inviting her to come to dinner to celebrate her son’s good news.

Afterward, the older women gossip about Lord Illingworth’s reputation for being flirtatious and immoral. When Lord Illingworth enters, he does not object to the rumors, instead making witty jokes about his own disinterest in morality. Another guest named Mrs. Allonby trades jokes and barbs with Lord Illingworth about Hester’s puritanical insistence on biblical morality; Lord Illingworth claims that he will succeed in seducing Hester. A servant enters to deliver a written response from Mrs. Arbuthnot—she declines the invitation to dinner but promises to visit after. Lord Illingworth glances at the letter and seems to recognize the handwriting. When Mrs. Allonby asks him about it, he says it reminds him of “A woman of no importance” (44).

After dinner, Mrs. Allonby jokes about what women want from men and her own dissatisfaction with her husband. Hester becomes irritated with her flippant cynicism and condemns English society for its obsession with superficial aesthetics over values. Mrs. Arbuthnot arrives at this moment and Hester immediately gravitates toward her, finding her to be more moral and virtuous than the other women at the party.

However, when Gerald introduces Lord Illingworth to his mother and tells her about the job opportunity, the conversation turns awkward. Mrs. Arbuthnot insists that her son is not qualified for the position of secretary, claiming that he should decline the offer. When Lady Hunstanton calls the other guests to the music room to hear a performance, Lord Illingworth and Mrs. Arbuthnot remain behind to speak privately. Their conversation reveals that Mrs. Arbuthnot is named Rachel and that her last name and her story about being a widow are a lie. In actuality, she is Lord Illingworth’s former lover, and Gerald is his illegitimate son. Lord Illingworth, who was previously called George Harford before he inherited his title, promised to marry Rachel but then abandoned her after she became pregnant. Mrs. Arbuthnot is still angry with Lord Illingworth, and she begs him not to take her son from her. However, Lord Illingworth is fond of Gerald and threatens to expose Mrs. Arbuthnot to her son, who will surely judge her harshly, if she objects to Gerald taking the position. Defeated, Mrs. Arbuthnot is forced to accept this or face exposure.

As the party concludes, Gerald returns to join his mother. He is frustrated with his mother’s distrust of Lord Illingworth, telling her that he needs a better job so he can have a chance at marrying Hester, whom he is in love with. Mrs. Arbuthnot tries to explain her reasoning, revealing that she knows that Lord Illingworth seduced a young woman but refused to marry her even after she became pregnant. Gerald dismisses her concerns, saying that the woman must not have been very virtuous if she allowed herself to be seduced. Their discussion is interrupted when Hester screams for help, upset because Lord Illingworth has made a sexual advance on her. Gerald nearly attacks him for dishonoring Hester; panicking and trying to stop Gerald, Mrs. Arbuthnot ends up revealing that Lord Illingworth is his father.

The following day, at the Arbuthnots’ house, Gerald is writing a letter in the drawing room. He tells Mrs. Arbuthnot that he has invited Lord Illingworth to their house that afternoon. Gerald intends to force Lord Illingworth to marry his mother to help restore her tarnished reputation. However, Mrs. Arbuthnot refuses to marry Lord Illingworth, claiming that her hatred for him is stronger than her desire to end her dishonor.

Mrs. Arbuthnot explains how she has devoted herself to her son, and she says that because of her love for Gerald, she can never truly regret the sexual encounter that produced him. Hester overhears this and runs into the room, proclaiming that Mrs. Arbuthnot is a martyr for all women. Hester reveals that she will marry Gerald and use her inherited fortune to take care of him and his mother, inviting them both to leave the country with her. Gerald is overjoyed to hear her say this, and the two lovers walk out together to the garden.

Just then, Lord Illingworth arrives and speaks with Mrs. Arbuthnot in the drawing room. He tells her that he wants to provide his son with property and an inheritance. Lord Illingworth reads the letter that Gerald was writing earlier, in which Gerald asks Lord Illingworth to marry his mother; Lord Illingworth agrees to marry Mrs. Arbuthnot if that is what he must do to keep his son. However, she refuses him, telling him that she hates him. Lord Illingworth insults her by saying that the whole affair has been amusing to him, and Mrs. Arbuthnot slaps him. He leaves, forgetting one of his gloves. Gerald and Hester return, and Hester pledges to treat her as a mother. Gerald notices the glove and asks who came to visit, and Mrs. Arbuthnot replies that it was “A man of no importance” (182).