Plays

Oscar Wilde wrote nine plays in all between 1879 and 1894. His fame as a dramatist rests on four comedies, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest and the tragedy Salomé. His plays continue to dazzle audiences even a century after his death.

All his plays are freely available on this site!

Oscar Wilde's plays:

• The Importance of Being Earnest
  The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy on the seriousness of society.
  
  
• Lady Windermere's Fan
  Lady Windermere's Fan: A Play About a Good Woman is a four act comedy, a biting satire on the morals of Victorian society, particularly marriage.
  
  
• Salome
  Salome is a tragedy that tells the Biblical story of Salome, who dances the 'Dance of the Seven Veils' for her step father King Herod and asks for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter as a reward.
  
  
• The Duchess of Padua
  The Duchess of Padua is a melodramatic tragedy set in Padua.
  
  
• A Woman of No Importance
  A Woman of No Importance is a testimony of Wilde's wit and his brand of dark comedy.
  
  
• An Ideal Husband
  An Ideal Husband is a comedy which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour.
  
  
• Vera, or the Nihilists
  Vera; or, The Nihilists is a melodramatic tragedy set in Russia. It was the first play that Wilde ever wrote.
  
  
• A Florentine Tragedy
  A Florentine Tragedy is the story of a merchant who, finding his wife in the arms of a prince, strangles his rival.
  
  
• La Sainte Courtisane
  In La Sainte Courtisane a stunningly beautiful courtesan, Myrrhina, seeks out a handsome young hermit, Honorius, who converts her to Christianity and is in turn converted by her to a life of pagan pleasure.