Why Is Character Assasination Un-forgivable ?
Oscar Wilde, the renowned Irish playwright, faced a series of legal battles in 1895, culminating in his conviction for "gross indecency" under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. Wilde initiated a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who accused him of sodomy. The libel case collapsed when evidence of Wilde’s relationships with men was presented, leading to his arrest and subsequent trials. He was convicted and sentenced to two years of hard labor. Wilde’s public image as a celebrated literary figure was destroyed. The trials exposed his private life to intense public scrutiny, with newspapers like The Times and The Daily Telegraph publishing lurid details. He was vilified as a moral degenerate, shunned by society, and his works were boycotted. The imprisonment at Reading Gaol was physically and mentally gruelling. Wilde’s health deteriorated due to harsh conditions, including malnutrition and illness. While explicit self-harm is not documented, his letters,...