Not Being Earnest in The Importance of Being Earnest While some critics contend that The Importance of Being Earnest is completely fanciful and has no relation to the real world, others maintain that Oscar Wilde's "trivial comedy for serious people" does make significant comments about social class and the institution of marriage. These observations include the prevalent utilization of deceit in everyday affairs. Indeed the characters and plot of the play appear to be entirely irreverent, thus
The Importance of Being Earnest ALGERNON. You have always told me it was Ernest. I have introduced you to every one as Ernest. You answer to the name of Ernest. You look as if your name was Ernest. You are the most earnest-looking person I ever saw in my life. It is perfectly absurd your saying that your name isn't Ernest. It's on your cards. Here is one of them. [Taking it from case.] 'Mr. Ernest Worthing, B. 4, The Albany.' I'll keep this as a proof that your name is Ernest if ever you attempt
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a timeless comedy of manners in which two young, light-hearted men, pretend their names are ‘Ernest’ in a bid to impress their love interests, who both believe the name Ernest bestows magical qualities on the possessor. Throughout the play, Wilde uses a mix of social drama, melodrama and farce to appeal to the audience. Through his gentle use of parody Wilde is able to ridicule his contemporaries and attack the values and attitudes of Victorian society
beliefs. Like many satirical plays, The Importance of Being Earnest is deliberately preposterous in nature so as to better ridicule Edwardian social life and cherished ideals. The Importance of Being Earnest is a stinging indictment of upper class British society of the time. The ingenious play mocks the concepts of aristocracy and love in Edwardian society, and addresses the notion of treating all important matters of life with genuine and earnest triviality. Much of the subtle and cleverly attributed
It has been said that ‘Comedy, beginning in turmoil but ending in harmony, celebrates life.’ and this is the general idea with ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ Wilde proves that this comedy of manners does conform to this model. As Lady Bracknell tries to prolong the resolution and tries to prevent the marriage between Jack and Gwendolyn, she can be seen as a ‘gorgon’ because she refuses to let Gwendolyn marry Jack. Despite this, She may be seen as a heroine because she is a strong, commanding
accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I'll certainly try to forget the fact" (Norton 2180). Through this statement and others in The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde creates a mockery and joke of the most sacred tradition in society; marriage. Wilde's intent in this play is to satirize and make fun of romantic situations that are far fetched but also contain some reality in the conversations of
AThe Importance of Being Earnest a play written by Oscar Wilde is set in England in the late Victorian era. Wilde uses obvious situational and dramatic irony within the play to satirize his time period. According to Roger Sale in Being Ernest the title has a double meaning to it and is certainly another example of satire used by Wilde. With a comedic approach, Wilde ridicules the absurdities of the character’s courtship rituals, their false faces, and their secrets. (Sale, 478) In the Victorian
name happens to be Earnest. So it turns out he was telling the truth the entire time. The lack of a point of view in this play adds to the lack of sense of the characters and suspension in the play. During this time period of Decadence in France and England the apprehensions of the characters are highly insignificant and conceited. The play in its entirety has a constant satiric tone in order to depict the shallow entanglements the upper society. The Importance of Being Earnest reflects a moral value
Oscar Wilde, the writer of The Importance of Being Earnest, celebrated the Victorian Era society while criticizing it in his play. Through his play, he utilized the humorous literary techniques of pun, irony, and satire to comment on the impact of Victorian Era society left on the characters themselves. These comedic literary devices also help to show how the members of this society in the Victorian Era live by a set of unspoken rules that determine politeness, as well as proper etiquette to live
to make this possible. At the beginning of the play, through a conversation between Jack and Algernon, Jack confesses that there are times when he becomes a young man called Earnest. Algernon through the same act of deception reveals a new character that always travels to Burnbury. The character eventually also becomes Earnest. One should, however, take note that, Jack’s deception is more serious than Algernon’s. Although Algernon takes part in lying about whom he truly is, Jack does not appreciate
Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” epitomizes the idiosyncrasy of the Victorian society through satire and wit. Throughout the play Wilde criticizes the common perception of the mid seventeenth through early eighteenth century culture, “Prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and narrow minded”. With his quintessential characters and intricate situations Wilde configures the perfect depiction of the carless irrationality of social life, the frivolity of the wealthy, the importance of money, and
Comedy for Serious People," The Importance of Being Earnest jokingly criticized Victorian manners and morals and attacking the society of the rich and luxurious. Oscar Wilde incorporated his own beliefs and ideology into the play by alluding to Victorian society "lets duplicity led to happiness." It is this "happiness" Wilde's play focuses on by concentrating the theme of the play on marriage. Alluding to marriage, The Importance of Being Earnest begins with the witty and selfish Algernon. It
“The Not So Earnest” In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, multiple methods are used to express the hypocrisy and sentimentality in London’s Victorian values. These approaches focus primarily on courtship, marriage, virtuous rules, and societal class. During this era, everyone has the goal of marriage. Courtship is short and espousal is long. Everyone is desperate to marry; it is like a race. Wilde gives multiple examples of this, such as the relationship between Gwendolyn and Jack
Analysis of Importance of Being Earnest “No man is an island.” This means that no man is alone. Of all of the men on the planet, they all have somebody. It may not be obvious to them, but they are not alone. This relates to “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde in a light tone. Jack has no idea who either of his parents are. Lady Bracknell tells Jack: “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.”(Act 1) When he finds out that the handbag
The Importance of Being Earnest Journal The Importance of Being Earnest gets its comedic aspect from the ridiculous characters and how they view earnestness as opposed to ‘Ernestness”. For example the main struggle of the characters is that they are more concerned with the fact that they are Ernest, not that they are particularly earnest. In Oscar Wilde’s play, Jack and Algernon, the two men in the story, face the challenge of appearing Ernest and earnest in front of their love interests, both of
Is He Serious? The Importance Of Being Earnest is a story of irony, the title itself is a pun. To be earnest means: to be honest or sincere, and everyone is lying stating their name is Ernest… how ironic. Many times writers embed irony into a story, like a Christ figure causing harm to someone, or the buckle up it saves lives sign falling onto someone who crashed into it killing them while wearing their seatbelt;but Wilde took irony to a whole new level. Not only did he use irony in the whole
of Being Earnest, follows the courtship of two young girls and exaggerates the absurd formalities of such a process in high society. The characters are shallow and delusional as a result of their upbringing, and collectively their words bring harsh criticism to the British upper class. These characters can be split into two clear categories. The majority, which is comprised of characters raised as
of Being Earnest”. Here, members of the upper class display a great deal of pride and pretense, feeling that they are inherently entitled to their wealth and higher social position. An example is Lady Bracknell, who is preoccupied with maintaining the status quo that she quickly squashes any signs of rebellion. Characters from higher societies/classes are mainly concerned about their reputation and respectability. Thus, expectations of the upper class for both men and women include being upstanding
Love in The Importance of Being Earnest Love is perhaps the most actively sought moral objective of one's life. And though marriage is often thought to be the logical consequence of love, it is Oscar Wilde's contention in his satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, that love begets bliss and marriage thwarts this course of bliss. Algernon Moncrieff spends very little time falling in love and the rest of the time striving toward engagement. Wilde demonstrates through him that once one becomes
Sommer Wood Mocking Marriage “The Importance of Being Earnest” By Oscar Wilde, is a satirical play that has captured the attention of audiences for over a hundred years. Much of this plays popularity has stemmed from Wilde’s ability to direct viewers attention to the flaws of Victorian society, while maintaining a lighthearted and comical tone throughout. Although the play maintains a humorous nature, Wilde manages to touch on many issues surrounding the moral and social values held by many people