# Sir Robert Chiltern — An Ideal Husband character guide

> Sir Robert Chiltern in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Robert Chiltern, Sir Robert, Robert, Sir Robert Chiltern Smiling, Sir Robert Chiltern Coldly, Sir Robert Chiltern Really, Sir Robert Chiltern Rushes, Sir Robert Chiltern Stop, Sir Robert Chiltern Excitedly, Sir Robert Chiltern Certainly, Sir Robert Chiltern Speaking, Sir Robert Chiltern Walking, Sir Robert Chiltern Weak, Sir Robert Chiltern Who, Sir Robert Chiltern No, Sir Robert Chiltern Rises, Sir Robert Chiltern Rising, Sir Robert Chiltern Stopping, Sir Robert Chiltern Arthur, Sir Robert Chiltern Gertrude

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

## Snapshot

A rising politician whose dazzling career rests on a secret sale of government information, he must decide whether to buy silence or tell the truth.

## Who they are

Sir Robert Chiltern is the admired Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, a self-made man whose fortune began with a letter sold to Baron Arnheim eighteen years ago. He worships his wife Gertrude as the embodiment of ideals he knows he has betrayed, and the arrival of Mrs. Cheveley, who holds the proof of that old sin, turns his composure to panic. His struggle between protecting his career and deserving his wife's love drives the play's central moral crisis.

## Relationships

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

_psychological_

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

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

_friendship_

Lord Goring is Sir Robert's loyal and wise friend, offering counsel and support during his crisis.

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

_family_

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

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

_social_

Tommy Trafford is a young, well-meaning friend and social associate of Sir Robert.

### [Phipps](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/an_ideal_husband_se/characters/phipps)

_professional_

Phipps, as Lord Goring's butler, respectfully attends to Sir Robert when he visits.

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

_professional_

Mason serves Sir Robert as the butler of the Chiltern household.

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

_friendship_

Lord Goring is Sir Robert's loyal and wise friend, offering counsel and support during his crisis.

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

_friendship_

Lord Goring is Sir Robert's loyal and wise friend, offering counsel and support during his crisis.

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

_family_

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

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

_psychological_

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

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

_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)

_family_

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

## Links

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