Lady Windermere’s Fan: Act II Summary & Analysis

The Duchess’s scorn for younger sons introduces the idea that a person’s family of origin can be a drawback—a concept that will become important by the end of this act. Her scolding of Agatha also highlights just how constricted women’s actions in London society are.

The way that Dumby rapidly adapts his opinions to suit his various conversation partners is a comedic example of the way that spoken language can be hollow and untrustworthy.

Augustus’s concerns about Mrs. Erlynne and her lack of respectable family connections highlights how much a person’s perceived goodness is entwined with their various connections to others. Especially for women, respectable connections are crucial, even if the connection is as tenuous as simply attending a party at a respectable person’s house.

Cecil Graham’s complaints here again paint the idea of family as a dull but necessary burden. For her part, Lady Plymdale adds a new twist to the idea that good and bad can easily be mistaken for one another and emphasizes that conventional gender roles only increase this risk.

In this sequence, Lady Windermere’s fan becomes a vivid representation of her attempt to use her femininity as a weapon. Letting Lord Darlington hold it suggests that she intends to use her potentially romantic connection to him as a way to control her own circumstances. She is confined by the expectations attached to being a woman, but she still finds ways to exercise agency within these strictures.

Mrs. Erlynne’s arrival immediately complicates both the play’s presentation of morality and its treatment of gender roles. First, Lady Windermere’s failure to follow through with her threat shows that her commitment to unambiguous morality does have its limits; this moment indicates that perhaps she will have to reevaluate her views. Second, Mrs. Erlynne’s beauty, charm, and skill in talking to men mark her as traditionally feminine in many ways. At this point, it seems almost as though she defeats Lady Windermere by fully embracing her identity as a woman, an idea reinforced when Lady Windermere accidentally drops her fan, an object that symbolizes the performance of femininity.

This series of conversations provides multiples examples of speech being used to deceive and mislead. Mrs. Erlynne uses her charming conversational skills to win over the powerful Lady Jedburgh, while Dumby leads Lady Plymdale to think that he doesn’t know Mrs. Erlynne even though he actually does.

The sequence sets up a contrast between Mrs. Erlynne’s and Lady Windermere’s differing versions of “goodness.” Mrs. Erlynne successfully manipulates multiple party guests to her advantage, while Lady Windermere continues to behave in a ladylike fashion even though she’s furious. Note that Lady Plymdale is actually incorrect in thinking that Lady Windermere invited Mrs. Erlynne, since it was actually Lord Windermere who did so. Nonetheless, this moment shows that among the party guests, Mrs. Erlynne seems to be coming out on top, despite Lady Windermere’s best efforts.

Darlington’s confession shows how easily the idea of friendship can be corrupted for personal gain. Once he has a chance of getting what he wants, he immediately drops the pretense of friendship, even claiming that it is impossible. This incident also highlights the precarious situation that Lady Windermere finds herself in, as a woman caught between two men she seemingly can’t trust.

It’s interesting that Lord Darlington’s ideas about right and wrong suddenly become so distinct here. He’s clear about the fact that Lady Windermere’s hesitation is unforgiveable, even though he expressed uncertainty in the previous act about such strict boundaries. This moment shows that it’s always tempting to view morality simplistically, even for those who claim they don’t. Lady Windermere’s despair here also underscores the flimsiness of her friendships; where she said earlier in the day that she has many friends, she now feels that she has none.

Mrs. Erlynne’s quick transition (in the guests’ opinion) from an obviously wicked person to an obviously good one demonstrates especially clearly how porous these boundaries are. The Duchess’s sudden dismissal of her nieces also shows that even family bonds cannot be trusted. Finally, this moment is perhaps the clearest—and funniest—example of how meaningless the characters’ reliance on language can be. The Duchess perceives Agatha as talkative and articulate and evaluates her based on her words, even though Agatha doesn’t actually say anything meaningful.

Watching Lord Windermere and Mrs. Erlynne talk, Lady Windermere assumes that she’s correct in observing their love for each other, but once again, her blind acceptance of the presence of language leads her astray. This moment also brings up the question of whether Lord Windermere is behaving morally or not; at this point, it seems impossible to tell.

The letter is another dramatic example of attempted communication gone awry. It is read by the wrong recipient, which, ironically, is perhaps the only reason it later produces a good outcome; if Lord Windermere had read the letter as intended, events might have gone much worse for Lady Windermere. Additionally, Mrs. Erlynne’s words about history repeating itself suggest that part of the danger of family relationships is their tendency to lock a person into harmful patterns.

It’s clear from this humorous interaction with Augustus that Mrs. Erlynne’s intention to marry him is completely self-serving. This is yet another relationship based on manipulation rather than sincere feeling. Her success in this moment also depends on her ability to take aspects of predictable gender roles—even that of wife, as Augustus suggests—and use them to her advantage.