# Mrs. Cheveley — An Ideal Husband character guide

> Mrs. Cheveley in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** that Mrs. Cheveley, Mrs. Cheveley Smiling, Mrs. Cheveley Rising, Mrs. Cheveley Baron Arnheim, Mrs. Cheveley Arthur, frightening Mrs. Cheveley

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

## Snapshot

A brilliant, orchid-like adventuress from Vienna who arrives in London with a letter that can destroy Sir Robert Chiltern's career.

## Who they are

Mrs. Cheveley is a woman of restless gray-green eyes and scarlet lips, a work of art showing the influence of too many schools, who trades in other people's secrets and calls it society. She offers Sir Robert a bargain: support a fraudulent Argentine canal scheme, or she will expose the letter that reveals how his fortune was made. Her wit is as sharp as her morals are flexible, and her presence turns the Chilterns' drawing room into a battlefield where idealism, ambition, and old grudges collide.

## Relationships

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Cheveley blackmails Sir Robert over a past corrupt financial secret, wielding power and manipulation.

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

_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)

_psychological_

Lord Goring and Mrs. Cheveley have a past romantic history, and he now opposes her schemes with clever manipulation.

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

_professional_

Mason, a servant, attends to Mrs. Cheveley as a guest in the Chiltern household.

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

_social_

Lady Basildon and Mrs. Cheveley are acquaintances within London high society, though their relationship is superficial.

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

_social_

Tommy Trafford is a young man Mrs. Cheveley briefly flirts with and uses for social maneuvering.

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

_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)

_psychological_

Lord Goring and Mrs. Cheveley have a past romantic history, and he now opposes her schemes with clever manipulation.

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Cheveley blackmails Sir Robert over a past corrupt financial secret, wielding power and manipulation.

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

_professional_

Mason, a servant, attends to Mrs. Cheveley as a guest in the Chiltern household.

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

_psychological_

Lord Goring and Mrs. Cheveley have a past romantic history, and he now opposes her schemes with clever manipulation.

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

_psychological_

Mrs. Cheveley blackmails Sir Robert over a past corrupt financial secret, wielding power and manipulation.

## Links

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