Discover Oscar Wilde’s witty and scathing society drama, ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ and read the complete play online for free.
First performed in 1893, Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance is a brilliant “drawing-room comedy” that uses the glittering surface of aristocratic English society to explore profound themes of hypocrisy, gender inequality, and the devastating power of a scandalous past. The plot revolves around a weekend party at the country estate of the sophisticated but shallow Lady Hunstanton. The central drama ignites when the charming, cynical Lord Illingworth offers a promising young clerk, Gerald Arbuthnot, the position of his private secretary. Unbeknownst to Gerald, Lord Illingworth is his father, who abandoned Gerald’s mother, Mrs. Arbuthnot, twenty years earlier, leaving her to live as a social outcast—a “woman of no importance.”
As in all of Wilde’s society plays, the plot is a vehicle for his dazzling epigrams and social satire. Characters like the puritanical American visitor Hester Worsley, the witty idler Lord Alfred (“Dumby”), and the endlessly gossipy Lady Hunstanton deliver lines that skewer Victorian morality with surgical precision. Yet, beneath the glittering banter lies a serious and moving critique of the double standard that ruins women for sins it excuses in men. Mrs. Arbuthnot’s confrontation with Lord Illingworth forms the play’s powerful, emotional core, challenging the very foundations of the society that has shunned her.
A Woman of No Importance showcases Wilde at the peak of his theatrical powers, balancing sublime comedy with genuine pathos. It is a play about the masks people wear, the price of nonconformity, and the quiet strength of those society chooses to ignore. Its title, dripping with irony, asks the audience: who truly has importance, and who gets to decide?
On this page, you can experience Wilde’s sharp and poignant drama. We offer the complete play script for online reading.
Book Info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | A Woman of No Importance |
| Author | Oscar Wilde |
| Year of Publication | 1893 (first performance) |
| Genre | Drama, Comedy of Manners, Society Play |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Legal Status | Public Domain |
| Format | Online Reading |
Read A Woman of No Importance Online
Attend Lady Hunstanton’s fateful weekend party. Begin Wilde’s witty and tragic play by exploring the first act interactively below.
This preview introduces the sparkling, cynical society circle, but the full drama of revelation, confrontation, and moral choice is available in the complete play for our subscribers.
A subscription unlocks this Wilde classic and our library of dramatic literature and social satire. Witness a society unravel with a bon mot.
About A Woman of No Importance
The play’s structure is classic Wilde: a seemingly frivolous social gathering slowly reveals the fissures and secrets that threaten to shatter its elegant façade.
The Epigrammatic Style
Wilde’s genius for the perfect, paradoxical quip is on full display:
- “The English country gentleman galloping after a fox—the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable.”
- “One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that would tell one anything.”
- “Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.”
These lines entertain while subtly critiquing the values of the speakers and their world.
The Double Standard
This is the play’s central target. Lord Illingworth is a celebrated, powerful man whose past seduction and abandonment are seen as a minor peccadillo. Mrs. Arbuthnot, his victim, has lived a life of ostracism and hardship for the exact same “sin.” The play forces the audience to confront this injustice, particularly through the righteous outrage of the American, Hester, who condemns English hypocrisy.
Character as Symbol
- Lord Illingworth: Represents the charming, amoral, and privileged aristocrat who believes style and wit absolve him of responsibility.
- Mrs. Arbuthnot: Represents suffering, maternal love, and moral strength forged through hardship. Her refusal of Illingworth’s belated offer of marriage is a powerful assertion of her own worth.
- Hester Worsley: Represents a puritanical, judgmental form of morality, but also a sincere belief in justice and purity that shames the corrupt English society.
The Conflict of Generations and Values
The play pits the older, cynical generation (Illingworth, Lady Hunstanton) against the younger, more idealistic one (Gerald, Hester). It also contrasts English moral laxity with American rigidity, exploring whether any position is entirely defensible.
Why Read A Woman of No Importance Today?
Its critique of hypocrisy, slut-shaming, and patriarchal power structures remains startlingly relevant. The phrase “a woman of no importance” echoes in modern discussions about whose stories are valued and whose are dismissed.
As a piece of theater, it is a delight—brimming with some of Wilde’s very best lines. To read A Woman of No Importance is to be dazzled by wit, moved by tragedy, and provoked to think about the price of reputation and the true meaning of importance in a judgmental world.
FAQ
Can I read A Woman of No Importance for free?
Yes, you can read the first act for free via our interactive preview. Access to the complete four-act play requires a subscription.
Is this one of Wilde’s major plays?
Yes, it is one of his four great society comedies, alongside Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest. It is often considered the most overtly moral and melodramatic of the four.
What is the significance of the ending?
Without giving it away, the ending reinforces Mrs. Arbuthnot’s moral victory and choice of a life defined by her own values and her son’s love, rather than by societal rehabilitation through a hollow marriage.
Is it as funny as The Importance of Being Earnest?
It has magnificent wit, but it has a darker, more serious plot at its core. The comedy is often more sardonic and satirical than the pure, farcical joy of Earnest.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. Play scripts, with their clear dialogue and stage directions, are very well-suited for reading on mobile devices.