Mrs. Arbuthnot

Apparently a respectable widow who does good works among the poor and is a regular churchgoer, she declines invitations to dinner parties and other social amusements, although she does visit the upper class characters at Lady Hunstanton's, since they all appear to know her and her son, Gerald. The auidence soon discover, however, that she has a secret past, in which she was the lover of Lord Illingworth, whose son Gerald is. His refulsa to marry her has led to her bringing up Gerlad on her own and her love for him is all consuming- some might feel it is overly strong for a mother-child relationhip. Although she feels her past sin bitterly, she is unable to repent it because Gerald is the result. Her religious beliefs lead her to agree with the purtanical Hester Worsely that women who sin should be outcasts,…