An Ideal Husband

by

Oscar Wilde

Lord Caversham Character Analysis

Lord Goring’s father, an irritable, stubborn man who frequently commands Lord Goring to grow up. He wants Lord Goring to marry, enter politics, and generally behave in a dignified manner. He is continually perplexed and frustrated by Lord Goring’s behavior, because he fails to realize that he and his son have incompatible ideas of adultness and seriousness. Lord Caversham believes that there is exactly one way to live well, while Lord Goring believes that there are countless ways. The former is conservatism; the latter is dandyism, which makes life into art, and holds that good lives are as rare and various as works of art.

Lord Caversham Quotes in An Ideal Husband

The An Ideal Husband quotes below are all either spoken by Lord Caversham or refer to Lord Caversham. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Natural and the Artificial Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Part 2 Quotes

LORD CAVERSHAM
You seem to me to be living entirely for pleasure.

LORD GORING
What else is there to live for, father? Nothing ages like happiness.

Related Characters: Lord Arthur Goring (speaker), Lord Caversham (speaker)
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Part 1 Quotes

But women who have common sense are so curiously plain, father, aren’t they?

Related Characters: Lord Arthur Goring (speaker), Lord Caversham
Page Number: 51
Explanation and Analysis:
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Lord Caversham Quotes in An Ideal Husband

The An Ideal Husband quotes below are all either spoken by Lord Caversham or refer to Lord Caversham. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Natural and the Artificial Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Part 2 Quotes

LORD CAVERSHAM
You seem to me to be living entirely for pleasure.

LORD GORING
What else is there to live for, father? Nothing ages like happiness.

Related Characters: Lord Arthur Goring (speaker), Lord Caversham (speaker)
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 3, Part 1 Quotes

But women who have common sense are so curiously plain, father, aren’t they?

Related Characters: Lord Arthur Goring (speaker), Lord Caversham
Page Number: 51
Explanation and Analysis: