Oscar Wilde's World: The Victorian Era

by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg Oscar Wilde was very much a product of his time, so it is only fitting to understand just what that time was before diving into the production itself. So what was the

Victorian Era? The Victorian Era started in 1837 with the crowning of Queen Victoria to the British throne and ended in 1901 at the end of her rule. This time period was known as a time that involved relative peace and prosperity in the country. The British Empire expanded all over the globe during this time, and Britain became the most powerful country in the world. While this prosperity happened internationally, there were significant societal, artistic and technological changes that altered life in Britain for many years. While it was a time of peace and prosperity, it was also associated with words such as “prudish,” “hypocritical,” and “stuffy." But that is not true for every aspect. It does apply, however, to the upper and middle classes. The middle class was expanding during this time, and in order to become nobler and rise in status, many middle class people felt like they had to live properly like the other half and follow the rules and conventions in order to do that. And the upper class was certainly not short on rules-- but that is a post for another time! Among this, many middle class people, like Wilde, tried to marry up in order to get into proper society.

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As changes in class occurred, many other developments did as well, in London especially. New roads were cut through slums, a sewer network was constructed, ten bridges were built over the Thames, and three tunnels were built underneath it. So many things happened in these years that changed the face of London forever. With the continued development of the railroad, mass tourism became quite popular. Because of this, the arts saw a good change: the building of museums with the support of the Royal family. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, loved the arts and aided in the building of Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Opera House, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, and many other amenities that supported the humanities. Great writers rose to prominence during this time as well, including the likes of George Eliot, Rudyard Kipling, the Bronte sisters, and our friend Oscar Wilde. The works they produced were quite popular among the Victorian audience. The Victorian Era was the perfect time for Oscar Wilde to write his most famous play. Without the interesting dynamics that existed at this time to play on, The Importance of Being Earnest would not be as lasting a piece that it is.

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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="376"] Margaret Roper[/caption] Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter by Adam White, dramaturg Thomas More was a family man; he was married twice and had four children with his first wife, Jane Colt. After being married for six years, Jane Colt More died, leaving More with four children: Margaret, Elizabeth, Cecily and John. However, More quickly remarried to the widow Dame Alice Middleton, marrying her within a month of his wife’s death. While many of his friends resisted the rapid nature of the arrangement, More went through with it. Thomas and Alice More would raise the four children Thomas More had with Jane, as well as Alice’s daughter from her previous marriage and a foster daughter. Certainly, More valued his family and the welfare of his children. More also valued the power of education. He insisted that his daughters be educated through rigorous schooling, and this was unusual in 16th-century England, as society at large believed women unfit for scholarly pursuits. Despite cultural and institutional norms, Margaret More, the eldest of the More children (and More’s favorite, some would argue), would grow to become one of the most educated people in all of England, a woman of great scholarly knowledge. Margaret More Roper was tutored at home and became well-known for her studies, particularly for her adeptness in Greek and Latin. Her skill in writing and speaking Latin would impress the clergy of England. This specialty is reflected in a scene in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons where Margaret and King Henry VIII engage in a bit of Latin language sparring. She would also become the first woman who was not of royal birth to publish a translated book. In October 1524, Roper published an English translation of a book called ‘Precatio dominica’ written by Thomas More’s good friend Erasmus. This book was based on the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of translating the book directly from Latin to English, Roper would use her extensive knowledge of both languages to construct the themes and the meanings Erasmus had written in to the treatise with her own words. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="291"] Erasmus, Dutch humanist and good friend to Thomas More[/caption] It was Margaret who would visit the imprisoned Thomas More the most often. They were very close, writing letters to one another regularly the duration of their relationship. It was in a letter to Margaret that Thomas More confided, “I do nobody harm, I say none harm, I thinke none harm, but wish everybody good. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live.” We have good reason to believe that Margaret More Roper very well understood what would be her father’s fate. After Thomas More’s execution, Margaret More Roper and her husband William Roper would continue to carry on his legacy in their own ways. William Roper would write the first biography of Thomas More, a glowing and gracious document that would influence our understanding of More’s personality for hundreds of years to come. Margaret More Roper actually kept her father’s head after his beheading, pickling it to preserve it from decay. While many of us may find that historical tidbit a tad macabre, I would like to believe that Margaret More Roper had deep admiration for her father; perhaps it was out of this feeling she kept his head. Please stay tuned to the 4th Wall Dramaturgy Blog to catch clips of my interview with Mallory Gee, the actress who will portray Margaret More Roper in BYU’s A Man for All Seasons. Bibliography: Abernathy, Susan. "Margaret Roper, Daughter of Sir Thomas More." Early Modern England. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Duerden, Richard. "A Man for All Seasons." Telephone interview. 31 Jan. 2014. "Margaret Roper." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. "Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations." Sir Thomas More Quotes and Quotations. Luminarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

Oscar Wilde's World: The Victorian Era

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Margaret More Roper: Scholar and Daughter

From Page to Stage - Working with the English Dept.