# Lady Chiltern — An Ideal Husband character guide

> Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Gertrude Chiltern, Gertrude, Lady Chiltern Smiling, Lady Chiltern Robert, Lady Chiltern All, Lady Chiltern Gravely, Lady Chiltern Rising, Lady Chiltern Thrusting, Lady Chiltern Startled, Lady Chiltern Coldly, Lady Chiltern Ah, Lady Chiltern Dear Mabel, Lady Chiltern Mabel, Enter Lady Chiltern

**First appearance:** 0001-an-ideal-husband

## Snapshot

Sir Robert's adoring wife, whose absolute faith in her husband's integrity becomes the very thing that makes confession impossible.

## Who they are

Lady Chiltern is a woman of strict principle who once won the good conduct prize at school and has built her marriage on the belief that her husband is a man of unimpeachable honour. Her idealism is both her beauty and her limitation: Robert fears that telling her the truth would turn her love to horror, and Lord Goring suspects she has never learned that forgiveness is part of love. Her confrontation with Mrs. Cheveley and her gradual reckoning with human frailty form the emotional core of the play.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Cheveley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/mrs_cheveley)

_rivalry_

Lady Chiltern despises Mrs. Cheveley for her manipulative nature and threat to her husband's reputation.

### [Lord Goring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/lord_goring)

_friendship_

Lady Chiltern and Lord Goring share a deep, platonic friendship built on mutual respect and trust.

### [Sir Robert Chiltern](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/sir_robert_chiltern)

_family_

They are a married couple whose relationship is strained by Sir Robert's hidden past and Lady Chiltern's idealism.

### [Lady Basildon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/lady_basildon)

_social_

Lady Basildon is a fashionable society acquaintance of Lady Chiltern, sharing polite social interactions.

### [Mason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/mason)

_professional_

Mason is the butler in Lady Chiltern's household, serving her with deference.

### [Vicomte de Nanjac](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/vicomte_de_nanjac)

_social_

The Vicomte de Nanjac is a charming French diplomat and social acquaintance of Lady Chiltern.

### [Tommy Trafford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/tommy_trafford)

_social_

Tommy Trafford is a young admirer and social friend of Lady Chiltern, often present at her gatherings.

### [Mrs. Cheveley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/mrs_cheveley)

_rivalry_

Lady Chiltern despises Mrs. Cheveley for her manipulative nature and threat to her husband's reputation.

### [Lord Goring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/lord_goring)

_friendship_

Lady Chiltern and Lord Goring share a deep, platonic friendship built on mutual respect and trust.

### [Sir Robert Chiltern](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/sir_robert_chiltern)

_family_

They are a married couple whose relationship is strained by Sir Robert's hidden past and Lady Chiltern's idealism.

### [Sir Robert Chiltern](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/sir_robert_chiltern)

_family_

They are a married couple whose relationship is strained by Sir Robert's hidden past and Lady Chiltern's idealism.

### [Lord Goring](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/lord_goring)

_friendship_

Lady Chiltern and Lord Goring share a deep, platonic friendship built on mutual respect and trust.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/lady_chiltern
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters