# Lord Illingworth — A Woman of No Importance character guide

> Lord Illingworth in A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Lord Illingworth, dear Lord Illingworth

**First appearance:** 0003-a-woman-of-no-importance

## Snapshot

A brilliant, amoral aristocrat who collects epigrams and protégés, he offers Gerald a career while quietly circling the mother he once abandoned.

## Who they are

Lord Illingworth moves through Lady Hunstanton's house as the most quoted and least trusted man in the room, charming women he despises and mentoring a young secretary he finds refreshingly unspoiled. His wit is a weapon and a shield, and his interest in Gerald carries an unsettling undertow he alone fully understands. He embodies the play's argument that society forgives men what it punishes women for.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot)

_romantic_

Former lovers with a deeply painful history; Lord Illingworth seduced and abandoned Mrs. Arbuthnot, leaving her with their illegitimate son.

### [Lady Hunstanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/lady_hunstanton)

_social_

They are well-bred acquaintances moving in the same aristocratic social circle, with Lady Hunstanton acting as a gracious host.

### [Hester Worsley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/hester_worsley)

_rivalry_

Hester openly disapproves of Lord Illingworth's cynical, immoral views and they clash ideologically.

### [Sir John Kelvil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/sir_john_kelvil)

_rivalry_

They are political and social rivals, with Lord Illingworth dismissing Sir John as a dull, moralizing bore.

### [Archdeacon Daubeny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/archdeacon_daubeny)

_rivalry_

The Archdeacon disapproves of Lord Illingworth's immoral lifestyle and they engage in polite but pointed ideological sparring.

### [Gerald Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/gerald_arbuthnot)

_family_

Lord Illingworth is Gerald's biological father, though Gerald initially idolizes him as a mentor before learning the painful truth.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters/lord_illingworth
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_woman_of_no_importance_se/characters