(Bitterly.) I only war against one woman, against Gertrude Chiltern. I hate her. I hate her now more than ever. (LORD GORING: Because you have brought a real tragedy into her life, I suppose.) (With a sneer.) Oh, there is only one real tragedy in a woman’s life. The fact that her past is always her lover, and her future invariably her husband. (LORD GORING: Lady Chiltern knows nothing of the kind of life to which you are alluding.) A woman whose size in gloves is seven and three-quarters never knows much about anything. You know Gertrude has always worn seven and three-quarters? That is one of the reasons why there was never any moral sympathy between us.... Well, Arthur, I suppose this romantic interview may be regarded as at an end. You admit it was romantic, don’t you? For the privilege of being your wife I was ready to surrender a great prize, the climax of my diplomatic career. You decline. Very well. If Sir Robert doesn’t uphold my Argentine scheme, I expose him. Voilà tout.

Mrs Cheveley Monologue from An Ideal Husband

Rehearse Mrs Cheveley's monologue