The Veil
Mrs. Arbuthnot wears a cloak and veil, which are images of isolation and separation. She has a hidden secret, which is symbolized by her veil, a physical covering. The veil also functions as an image of shame, which many women felt due to double standards about sexuality in the Victorian era.
The Garden
Gardens are a key aspect of many Oscar Wilde plays. His gardens are often featured on vast country estates, and provide an apt setting for depicting and satirizing upper class life in the Victorian Era.
Imagery of Affluence
In Act 2, Hester comments "Your English society seems to me shallow, selfish, foolish. It has blinded its eyes, and stopped its ears. It lies like a leper in purple. It sits like a dead thing smeared with gold. It is all wrong, all wrong." Here we see that the imagery of affluence such as the colors purple and gold are used to create a critical image of the English upper classes.
Appearances
A lot of detail goes into describing the character's exterior appearance, and their attempt to appear a certain way. For example, Lady Hunstanton's English country house and garden is a key part of her image of affluence.
Wilde pays attention to women's exterior appearances, suggesting female beauty is significant in Victorian society. Lord Illingworth comments how "twenty years of romance make a woman look like a ruin; but twenty years of marriage makes her something like a public building". Mrs Allonby also comments that "plain women are always jealous of their husbands, beautiful women never are!" This emphasis on women's external appearance may suggest something about the focus of women's appearance in Victorian society, rather than their intelligence or talents.
