Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), the esteemed Irish playwright, poet, and author, is celebrated for his brilliant wit, flamboyant style, and infamous imprisonment. Born in Dublin, Wilde became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford, Wilde was a proponent of the aesthetic movement, which advocated for art's sake. His literary contributions include a wide range of works, from the novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' to a series of acclaimed plays such as 'Lady Windermere's Fan' and 'An Ideal Husband'. 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895) stands as his masterpiece, a farcical comedy that highlights Wilde's dazzling linguistic agility and superlative command of satire and social commentary. The play's success was shadowed by Wilde's legal trials for 'gross indecency', a result of his homosexual relationships, which led to his imprisonment and eventual exile in France. Despite his premature death, the legacy of his works continues to be celebrated, forming an integral part of the Western literary canon. Critiques see Wilde's work as an astute dissection of Victorian mores, delivered with an irony and elegance that remain influential to this day.