Wilde’s first three plays demonstrate his orthodoxy: his characters conform to the popular types, he makes use of the commonest stage clichés, and strictly respects the established formula of the well-made play, mirroring the ordinary theatrical tastes of his time.

The success of these plays owed much also to the excellence of the acting, and even more to the notoriety of the author, who was faithful to his usual self and, on the occasion of the first performance of Lady Windermere’s Fun, made his curtain speech smoking a cigarette and congratulating the audience for their good taste.
Wilde wrote four plays in a very short time, from 1892 to 1895.

In that year, the scandal caused by a law-suit and resulting trial against him on account of his immoral behaviour - he was accused of being homosexual - put an end to his career as a playwright.