An Ideal Husband: A Play by Oscar Wilde is an 1895 comedic stage play which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour.

The action is set in London, in "the present", and takes place over the course of three days. "Sooner or later," Wilde notes, "we shall all have to pay for what we do."

But he adds that, "No one should be entirely judged by their past." In the summer of 1893, Oscar Wilde began writing An Ideal Husband, and he completed it later that winter. At this point in his career he was accustomed to success, and in writing An Ideal Husband he wanted to ensure himself public fame. His work began at Goring-on-Thames, after which he named the character Lord Goring, and concluded at St. James Place.