Page "The Importance of Being Earnest" Paragraph 18

The Marquess of Queensberry, the father of Wilde's intimate friend Lord Alfred Douglas ( who was on holiday in Algiers at the time ), had planned to disrupt the play by throwing a bouquet of rotten vegetables at the playwright when he took his bow at the end of the show.

Wilde and Alexander learned of the plan, and the latter cancelled Queensberry's ticket and arranged for policemen to bar his entrance.

Nevertheless, he continued harassing Wilde, who eventually launched a private prosecution against the peer for criminal libel, triggering a series of trials ending in Wilde's imprisonment for gross indecency.

Wilde's ensuing notoriety caused the play, despite its success, to be closed after only 86 performances.