LITERATURE - Oscar Wilde

On Valentine's Day 1895, the most famous playwright in the English-speaking world, Oscar Wilde, presented his new play The Importance of Being Serious in London, at the St James Theatre, the audience was packed with celebrities, aristocrats and famous politicians. who eagerly awaited another triumph from a universal man heralded as a genius at the end of the performance there was a standing ovation, the critics adored the work and so did the public, making it Wild's fourth great success in just three years, but only a few Months later, Wilde was bankrupt and about to be imprisoned for his reputation. he was in tatters and his life ruined beyond repair was like everyone else then and now agreed in a tragedy the rapid fall of a great man due to a small but fateful slip the story of how

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went from famous playwright to prisoner in such a short time time The passage of time has much to teach us about misfortune and infamy.

We need not be acclaimed to understand that Wild's moving tragedy urges us to abandon our normal moralism and feel sympathy for those who go astray; It requires us to extend our love not only to those who obviously deserve it, but precisely to those who do not seem to please. The tragedy began several years earlier, when she was introduced to a young seducer named Lord Alfred Douglas Douglas, known to family and friends as bosey, was extremely handsome, charming and arrogant in 1892 a year. After meeting, the two men fell deeply in love, although Wilde was married with two children, he spent much of his time with boce, they traveled together, stayed in hotels and organized large dinners for his friends in 1894, they were constantly seen together in The public and rumors of their love affair had spread to Boces's father, the Marquis of Queensberry.

The Marquis was a cruel and aggressive character known for inventing the rules of Queensberry amateur boxing. Having decided that Wilde was corrupting his son, he demanded that the couple stop seeing each other. Another, when Wilde refused, Queensberry began harassing him throughout London, threatening violence against the hotel-restaurant managers if they allowed Wilde and Bosey into the premises. Queensberry reserved a seat for the opening night of the importance of being serious, he planned to throw her a bouquet of rotten vegetables. Wild when he came on stage when Wilde found out about the stunt he had embarked on at the theater and Queensberry was furious.

He left a calling card that publicly accused Wilde of having sexual relations with other men, as homosexuality was illegal and deeply frowned upon in the Victorian era. Society this was a dangerous accusation seeing as there was no end to Queensbury's bullying behavior. Wilde decided to take legal action, suing Queensberry for defamation. Wilde hoped to clear his name and put an end to the harassment when the trial began. Wilde was confident of taking the stand and gave witty, distracted answers during his cross-examination a few days later. However, the tide turned. had turned against him, it became clear that Queensberry lawyers had hired private detectives to uncover an inconvenient truth: both Wild and Bosey had hired prostitutes, some had even blackmailed Wild.

The past successfully blackmailed him in exchange for his silence. The trial was desperate and Wilde dropped his case, but events had spiraled out of his control and Wilde was soon arrested on charges of gross indecency. The legal costs left him bankrupt and the theaters folded. They were forced to abandon The criminal trial of their works began at the Old Bailey on 26 April. He faced 25 charges, all related to his sexual relationships with younger men. Wilde continued to deny the allegations and the jury was unable to reach a verdict, but when the prosecution was allowed to try. Wilde for the second time was finally found guilty.

The judge said in his ruling that it is the worst case I have ever tried. I will hand down the harshest sentence the law allows. Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labor in London's Pentonville Prison, where he was held. Envoys spent six hours a day walking on a heavy treadmill or untangling old ropes using their hands and knees for someone from a luxurious background like Wild. It was an impossible difficulty. His bed was a hard board that made it difficult to sleep. The prisoners were kept alone in their homes. In cells and forbidden to speak to each other, Wild suffered from dysentery and became very physically frail after six months.

He was moved to Reading Prison while he stood on the central platform at Clapham Junction in handcuffs. Passersby began to recognize the famous playwright and laughed. and they mocked him, some even spit on him for half an hour. I stayed there. Wilde later wrote in the gray November rain, surrounded by a jeering crowd, for a year after they did that to me. I cried every day at the same time and for the same amount of time. During his last year in prison, Wilde wrote a harrowing profundis essay. Once, a lord of language, I have no words to express my anguish and my shame.

As terrible as what the world did to me. What I did to myself was much more terrible. Still, the gods had given me almost everything, but I allowed myself to be lured into long periods of sensual, mindless tranquility. I allowed the pleasure to take over me. I ended up in a horrible misfortune. Now there is only one thing for me: absolute humility. I have been in prison for almost two years I have been through every state of suffering possible the only people I would like to be with now are artists and people who have suffered those who know what beauty is and those who know what it's pain no one else interests me in may 1897

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was finally released, he set sail for Dieppe in France on the same day his wife Constance changed her name and moved abroad with their two children Vivian, now 11, and Cyril, of 12.

Wilde would never see his children again, he missed them every day, Constance agreed to send them. He gave him money on the condition that he end his relationship with Bosey, but only a few months later the couple reunited and the money ran out, they moved to Naples and Wilde began using the name Sebastian Melmoth inspired by the great Christian martyr Saint Sebastian and a gothic novel character who had sold his soul to the devil they hoped to find privacy abroad but scandal seemed to follow them wherever they went english clients recognized them in hotels and demanded to be turned away after constance stopped sending money bosey's mother He offered to pay their debts if he returned home and the couple once again separated.

Despised by many of his former friends, Wilde moved to Paris, where he lived in relative poverty, spending most of his time and money in bars and coffees, borrowing money wherever he could and drinking a lot. The weight skyrocketed and their conversation dragged on. He was slowly getting drunk to death when a friend suggested that he try writing another comedy piece. He replied: I have lost the mainspring of life and art. I have pleasures and passions, but the joy of life is gone. Your final piece. of writing a poem the ballad of reading the prison was published in 1898 the author's name was listed as c33 wild's cell block and cell number of his stay in prison in the late 1900s wilds had developed meningitis and became seriously ill a Catholic priest visited his hotel and baptized him in the church, he died the next day at the age of 46.

More than a century later, in 2017, a law was passed to exonerate those who had been convicted for their sexuality and Oscar Wilde received an official pardon from the UK government. "It is enormously important," declared one government minister, that we pardon people convicted of historic sexual offenses who would be innocent of any crime. Today, our society has become generous with specific savage behaviors, but remains moralistic with a large number of other peoples and ways of life, many of us. throughout the ages he would like to console and befriend Oscar Wilde. It is a touching hope, but one that would be better used to extend understanding to all those less talented and less ingenious figures who are currently facing grave difficulties and still deserve compassion, which would be true civilization. and a world where the horrible fall of the wild had not been in vain Our online store has a variety of books and gifts that address the most important and often neglected areas of life, click now for more information.