Rob Frydlewicz: The Downfall of Oscar Wilde, May 25, 1895

In the winter of 1895 Irish playwright Oscar Wilde had perhaps his greatest artistic triumph when his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest opened in London to great acclaim. But just three months later, on May 25, 1895, the married father of two was found guilty of "gross indecency" with another man and sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison.

Sadly, he largely brought this misfortune upon himself. After being referred to as a "sodomite" on a calling card left by his male lover's father, Wilde sued him for libel. However, midway through the trial he thought it best to withdraw the charges, but by then too many incriminating things had been said by Wilde and he was brought up on morals charges.

It's unfortunate that Wilde's hubris blinded him to the fact that Victorian England was far from ready to overlook his licentious behavior, regardless of his fame. After his two-year sentence was completed he moved to France where he died a few years later at the age of 46, largely penniless and with few friends.

For more posts like this, Rob also has a blog called ZeitGAYst.