Pearce is more receptive to Wilde's Shakespearian influence: "Unfortunately, the derivativeness of The Duchess of Padua has devalued it in the eyes of the critics...Yet if The Duchess of Padua is an imitation of Shakespeare, it is a very good imitation." He emphasises the presence of Wilde's own paradoxical style in lines such as "She is worse than ugly, she is good", and views it as sharing major themes and language with the rest of Wilde's canon. AdaptationsThe Duchess of Padua was the basis of a one-act opera by Jane Van Etten, titled Guido Ferranti, which premiered in Chicago in 1914 and was one of the first American operas by a woman to be produced by a regular company. The work has been adapted into a chamber opera for four voices and piano duet by Edward Lambert (2019). Notes References Ellmann, Richard. Oscar Wilde. Penguin Books, 1987. Pearce, Joseph. The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde''. Ignatius Press, 2004 External links Oscholars - academic online magazine dedicated to Wilde's works Review in Time Out of a rare modern production Plays by Oscar Wilde 1883 plays Plays adapted into operas