| Since the end of the 19th century, Oscar Wilde has been holding more disputes than any other figure in English literature. He regards Victorian hypocrisy and philistinism with disgust. As an advocator of Aestheticism, he is associated with the "art for art's sake"movement. By emphasizing the individuality and autonomy of art, he proposes that art in no way expresses the moral conditions that surround it, thus it should not be confined by any moral standard. Apparently, there are many contradictions in his theory, which can hardly be put into effect in the writings. Wilde's great contribution to English literature in the 1890's is his drama, which is considered the second most brilliant gem following Shakespeare. Wilde writes 7 dramas during his life, of which tragedy Salome and comedy Lady Windermere's Fan are more distinguished. Salome is a one-act play written in French. Princess Salome falls in love with prophet Jokanaan at the first sight, but she is firmly refused by him. So Salome swears to kiss Jokanaan's lips and promises to dance for Herod (Salome's step-father who desires for her) in exchange for Jokanaan's head. Finally she does get what she wants. While she is kissing her dead lover fanatically, the jealous Herod can't keep his temper any more, and executes her. Salome shows Wilde's high sense of Aestheticism. Everyone in the play is pulled by a mysterious strength, Salome or Herod, Young Syrian or Jokanaan. In the control of it, people disobey their moral standards and get into an extreme state. The so-called strength is an overwhelming desire for beauty. And the desire does indeed lie at the very center of the play. In Salome, Wilde raises this ungovernable, crazy and even "evil"desire to a higher level and turns it into a persistent pursuit of beauty. Salome also shows some kind of innovation in the aspect of structure, imagery, stage effect and language style. In Salome, there are three triangular relationships with Salome as the key: Salome---Young Syrian---Jokanaan; Herod---Salome---Herodias; Salome---Jokanaan---Herod, thus the theme of "desire"and "destroy of beauty"are fully expressed in the well-set dramatic conflicts. Another deliberate design is the reiterated image of "moon", which plays an important role in the play. On the one hand, it reflects the changes in people's mind, and shows their characters as well. On the other hand, it enriches the expressive techniques of drama and adds to the tragic atmosphere of the play by indicating the progressive plot. Meanwhile, Wilde spares no effort on the stage effect. For example, the cleverly exercised light controls people's mood and makes them deeply touched. Apart from that, the unique language of Salome, which combines long monologues and outburst short sentences with a string of similes and music-like repetition, produces a sad and moving aesthetic song. Lady Windermere's Fan is Wilde's first Society comedy, which is on the subject of family and marriage. The basic situation in the play involves Mrs. Erlynne's (a mature woman with a past) attempt to be readmitted into fashionable society and the self-sacrifice she endures to save her daughter (Lady Windermere who is unaware of their relationship) from eloping with Lord Darlington. In the play, Wilde challenges the hypocritical morals on family in the upper class. Wilde's dramatic change in theme can be seen as a response to Ibsen, as his dissatisfaction with the society is in accordance to his Norwegian counterpart. However, Wilde's comedies are not as deep as those of Ibsen's. For example, Wilde always takes a moderate attitude toward the faultiness of human beings, which is partly due to his duality in the real life. In respect to dramatic techniques, Lady Windermere's Fan shows the continuity and development of Salome. Although there are also three triangular... |
PDF Full Text Request