It s too late, Oscar. He tried to secede from society. Oscar Wilde wanted to live in a place and time such as Ancient Greece, with its ideals, values, and toleration of same-sex passion between older and younger men. But he lived in Victorian England, and was bound by its laws. Laws are for ordinary people, Wilde believed, not those with his great intellect, taste, and talent.
Aesthetics are more important than ethics.
That s a remarkable statement. Wilde not only convinced himself that he was immune from the criminal laws of England, but he showed a contempt for anyone who suggested otherwise. He does his best to turn his trial into a carnival, a big joke. He is not just witty, he is flippant. The job of a trial witness, however, is to tell the truth.