Theatre, TV, novels, movies – where would they be without strong female characters? Wise, witty, strong, brave, foolish or foul they are fundamental to what we watch and read.

For that women (and men) everywhere should offer a round of applause to mould-breaking Victorian feminists Oscar Wilde and Lillie Langtry.

One a playwright adored by society and then destroyed by its hypocritical condemnation of his homosexuality; the other the first socialite to appear on stage, who captivated and scandalised in equal measure (this included her affair with the Prince of Wales – complete with sojourns in a Scottish love nest).

They were powerhouses for change.

Wilde gave us the self-actualised female protagonist who apologises to no one. What’s more he approached the female characters in his plays from all different angles.

Some are martyrs........

© Herald Scotland