Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

The protagonist and title character, Lord Arthur Savile, is very much a man of his era and social class, whose credulity and capability for self-delusion is taken to an absurd extreme. Although he does succeed in committing murder by the end of the tale, he does not conform to criminal stereotypes: he lacks for nothing in his luxurious life, he does not bear any ill will toward the relatives he attempts to kill, and, despite occasional bouts of despair and panic, sets about his “duty” in a methodical, common-sense fashion. Significantly, he proves himself to be unable to plan and carry out a crime. He never sets out to murder Mr. Podgers; their encounter is spontaneous and the crime almost instantaneous. Once the possibility of scandal is removed, the murder also fails to provoke any further reflection.

Lord Arthur is a comic, rather than disturbing figure. He receives his palm reading and not only believes that it is true that he is destined to commit a murder, but also that his best course of action is to go ahead and commit that murder right now to get it out of the way before his wedding. Wilde uses Lord Arthur’s flawed logic and reasoning abilities to underscore the