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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by Emme Corbett, dramaturg As a senior student studying history at BYU. One of the first concepts you learn as a history major is that when you study history, it is vital that you do not bring your modern-day biases with you. As strange as some past behaviors or occurrences may be to our modern eyes, understanding the reality of what life was like in historical societies allows for a more authentic and rich study of the past. It also becomes evident fairly quickly that no matter what point in time you’re studying or where you are in the world, there will be commonalities across many cultures. The shared similarity of the human experience allows these connections to occur, so it is no surprise that researching various time periods could be related back to Caesar in Ancient Rome. It was necessary in our dramaturgical research to explore three major time periods that are encompassed within this play in one way or another. These time periods are first, 49 B.C. Rome, when Julius Caesar first became a dictator of Ancient Rome, and the setting for the original script. Second, 1599 England, when William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was first performed, most likely at the Globe Theatre. And third, 1919 Italy, when Italy was recovering from participating in the First World War, and the setting for our performance at BYU. This weakened state created a situation where authoritarianism could ensue. It was an interesting experience to be able to connect the culture of Ancient Rome to that of Italy in the early 20th century. The reason for choosing this production of Julius Caesar to take place in 1919 Italy is not random. The significance of that time period is to draw upon the reality that history repeats itself. An aspect of history that is repeatedly detrimental to countless societies is when a group of people finds itself weak and vulnerable--whether that is due to lack of resources, a change in leadership, exiting a war, or simply evolving generations--and a power vacuum is created. This moment in time when desperation allows for someone to assume leadership (based purely on the need to rely on anybody) and provide temporary relief is often too quickly turned into an authoritarian government. The third time period that we also had to account for in this production was the time of Shakespeare in 1599 England. Some of the questions we had to ask ourselves were: Why Julius Caesar? What elements from the story of Caesar’s assassination did Shakespeare feel would resonate with his audience? From these questions and further research on the Elizabethan period, we discovered that, like in 1919 Italy, there was a concern with the succession to the Crown. Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time and created conflict among the people beyond her just being a woman in power. Queen Elizabeth never married and subsequently never bore any children, thus failing to secure a successor who was in her direct line. Another element of the play that related to Shakespeare’s audience was the role of the plebeians. Their behavior in the play could symbolize how the lower class in the Elizabethan Era, while uneducated and changeable, contribute largely to the success of their society.

Oscar Wilde's World: The Victorian Era

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