Always forgive your enemies

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde: A Summary

Early Life and Education

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the son of Sir William Wilde, a prominent ear and eye surgeon, and Jane Wilde, a poet and nationalist. Wilde excelled academically, studying classics at Trinity College, Dublin, and later at Magdalen College, Oxford. At Oxford, he became known for his wit, flamboyance, and devotion to the Aesthetic movement, which championed “art for art’s sake.”

Literary Career

Wilde began his literary career with poetry and critical essays. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), caused a stir for its themes of decadence and moral duplicity. He gained immense popularity through his plays, including Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest—the last of which is still considered one of the greatest comedies in the English language.

Style and Philosophy

Wilde was a master of epigrams and paradoxes, often challenging Victorian norms with humor and elegance. He believed in beauty, individualism, and the subversion of societal expectations. His writing combined sharp satire with deep philosophical insight.

Trials and Imprisonment

In 1895, Wilde’s career and personal life collapsed when he sued the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of his lover Lord Alfred Douglas, for libel. The trial exposed Wilde’s homosexuality, which was illegal at the time. He was convicted of “gross indecency” and sentenced to two years of hard labor. During this time, he wrote De Profundis, a long, reflective letter to Douglas.

Final Years and Death

After his release in 1897, Wilde lived in exile in France under the name Sebastian Melmoth. He published The Ballad of Reading Gaol based on his prison experience. He died in poverty on November 30, 1900, in Paris, aged 46.