Gerald Arbuthnot
E675446
Gerald Arbuthnot is a central character in Oscar Wilde’s play "A Woman of No Importance," whose discovery of his illegitimate birth and his mother’s past drives the drama’s exploration of Victorian morality and hypocrisy.
Statements (42)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
theatrical character ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | Gerald NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsIn | A Woman of No Importance NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
mother–son relationship
ⓘ
questions of legitimacy ⓘ social scandal ⓘ |
| biologicalFather | Lord Illingworth NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characterTrait |
ambitious
ⓘ
idealistic ⓘ naive ⓘ |
| conflict |
discovers his illegitimate birth
ⓘ
torn between ambition and moral duty ⓘ |
| creator | Oscar Wilde NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| decisionPoint | must choose between career and loyalty to his mother ⓘ |
| dramaticContext | upper-class English society ⓘ |
| dramaticFunction |
central character
ⓘ
protagonist ⓘ |
| employer | Lord Illingworth NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| familyStatus | illegitimate son ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | A Woman of No Importance NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre | drama ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | late Victorian literature ⓘ |
| medium | stage play ⓘ |
| moralArc | moves from admiration of Lord Illingworth to rejection ⓘ |
| mother | Rachel Arbuthnot NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nationality | British ⓘ |
| occupation | secretary ⓘ |
| placeInNarrative | young man offered a diplomatic post ⓘ |
| plotRole | catalyst for revelation of his mother’s past ⓘ |
| relationship |
devoted son of Rachel Arbuthnot
ⓘ
protégé of Lord Illingworth ⓘ |
| setting | Victorian era NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| themeInvolvement |
Victorian morality
ⓘ
hypocrisy ⓘ illegitimacy ⓘ social reputation ⓘ |
| workAuthorNationality | Irish ⓘ |
| workForm | four-act play ⓘ |
| workGenre | comedy of manners ⓘ |
| workPublicationDate | 1893 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.