The Importance of Being Earnest
analytical Essay
1239 words
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 woman who isn’t passive like traditional Victorian women as she makes decisions which indicates that she has power within the play. Furthermore, Wilde has constructed her in such a way that she dominates the company wherever she is present and judges people according to their wealth even though she is from a non-aristocratic background. Therefore, Lady Bracknell may be viewed as a character that stays ‘bad’. Despite the obstacles surrounding Lady Bracknell, there are some aspects throughout the play which do conform to this model. For instance, Jack faces problems during the play which are then resolved through his actions and are consequently followed by happiness in the resolution when he finds out ‘the vital Importance of Being Earnest’ . Similarly, the same can be said for Algernon who lies to please the women that he desires to achieve happiness in Act 3. Therefore, depending on each character and their actions beforehand, they either face happiness or distress which indicates that comedy does have some elements of movement from distress to happiness and from ‘bad’ to ‘good’. In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ Jack is presented as a character that has lied to get what he wants and because of this he has been given faults. Here Joc... ... middle of paper ... ...d’ or bad’. In essence, this comedy of manners does have traces of movement from distress to happiness as all the characters within the play were either involved in ‘good’ or ‘bad’ affairs. But despite this, in the resolution Jack learnt from his mistakes which resulted in happiness for him and Gwendolyn as she got married to a person named Earnest. Similarly, Cecily also got married which resulted in celebration, but as Algernon didn’t tell her the truth about his name he hadn’t reformed in the process which indicates that he did stay ‘bad’. Likewise, Lady Bracknell also stayed distressed when she was not part of any comic resolution. As this is the case, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ does conform to this model, but this movement from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ is dependent on the different characters that Wilde has constructed and the situations that they went through.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how wilde proves that comedy of manners does conform to this model. lady bracknell is a strong, commanding woman who isn't passive like traditional victorian women.
- Analyzes how jack is presented as a character that has lied to get what he wants and has been given faults.
- Analyzes how algernon is portrayed as a rake who lives an irresponsible and immoral life filled with decadence.
- Analyzes how miss prism defines comedy as "the good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. this is what fiction means."
- Analyzes how the comedy of manners has traces of movement from distress to happiness as all the characters within the play were either involved in ‘good’ or ‘bad’ affairs.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
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- Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayTheatre Studies: Cat One Draft The Importance of Being Earnest is set in late Victorian England, a time of social reform. Society was rediscovering art in its many forms yet as a consequence, The Upper class continued their program of suppressed inferiority. The lower classes were treated with disdain and disgust and the animosity between the groups was easily visible. Essentially, the late Victorian era was the beginning of a mini cultural renaissance, yet Upper Class society, which forms the basis of the play was rigidly controlled by a set of unwritten rules, a code of conduct as it may, in which all were expected to conform with.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the importance of being earnest is set in late victorian england, a time of social reform. the upper class continued their program of suppressed inferiority, while the lower classes were treated with disdain and disgust.
- Explains that women rebelled against their stereotypes towards the end of the 19th century. they became active in the social scene with charities, churches, local politics, and the arts.
- Analyzes how the importance of being earnest is a play in the comedy of manners style that satirizes the ways of late victorian upper class and their social etiquette.
- Describes how the importance of being earnest was staged in conventional theatres in the confines of the proscenium arch. it used the ideas of realism and thrust them upon the stage.
- Analyzes how wilde uses alliteration and puns to create a complex, yet enthralling language.
- Describes their role in designing tickets for their production. they researched victorian society and found older examples of victorian work. after drafting the design, they presented the finished product to the class.
1045 wordsRead More - The morals of the Victorian Era gained renown for their strict socials roles that existed for both men and women. However, Oscar Wilde rejected these morals as he not only wrote characters but also acted as a character who flippantly disregarded the strict moral code. In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde elicits a thoughtful laughter through the constant hypocrisy and non-sequitous behaviours of Lady Bracknell. Wilde uses her to explore the hypocrisy that he detested within Victorian Society, and through Lady Bracknell’s commentary on gender roles and marital roles, Wilde illustrates his own personal contentions with Victorian morals.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde rejected the strict morals of the victorian era. in his play the importance of being earnest, he elicits a thoughtful laughter through lady bracknell's hypocrisy and non-sequitous behaviour.
- Analyzes how wilde uses the ridiculous reply of lady bracknell to show the idiosyncratic nature of victorian morality in regard to upper class men.
- Analyzes how wilde uses lady bracknell's views on marriage to illustrate the fundamental perversion of the victorian matrimonial ideal since it uses marriage as a social construct while ignoring the sexual construct.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell acts as a caricature of victorian society and morality, and when she views aspects of gender relations and matrimonial relations, her true significance appears.
656 wordsRead More - Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayAccording to two female characters in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Ernest is a name that is typically desirable for a husband and represents high social status and wealth. Earnest, on the contrary, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, means to be “serious, sincere”, or, in other words, honest (“Earnest”). Within the irony of the title of Wilde’s play itself, the hypocrisy of the high social class of the Victorian era is revealed. Wilde himself said of the play in one of his letters to Lord Alfred Douglas from Worthing, “The real charm of the play, if it is to have a charm, must be in the dialogue. The plot is slight…but…adequate” (Ericksen, 145).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's the importance of being earnest portrays the hypocrisy of the high social class of victorian era.
- Analyzes how the importance of being earnest is a comedy of manners, revealing the shallow mindset of victorian high society through satirical, yet critical tone.
- Analyzes how wilde reveals victorian high society's false sincerity and shallowness through the dialogue between characters.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell's values are not held in the character of the individual, but in silly things like wealth and status.
- Analyzes how gwendolen fairfax and cecily cardew defy victorian ideals for women of modesty, unassertiveness, and naivety.
- Analyzes how wilde exposes the prevailing class prejudices of nineteenth century england through the character, values, and dialogue of the characters.
1137 wordsRead More - Gwendolen Insincereanalytical essaySometimes, people may not be the best in character, and their values may be superficial in nature. Although this may be the case, these people may have a reason for their questionable character. These people may have been treated poorly before, or their influences make them poor characters. Such is Gwendolen Fairfax in Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Ernest. To the audience, she may seem to be someone shallow, dishonest, or even insincere. The audience is most likely correct, although if one pays attention, one may realize the reason why Gwendolen has such a character. Throughout the play, Wilde shows how Gwendolen’s trivial and insincere character is influenced by her mother and the people around her, as well as the result of
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde shows how gwendolen fairfax's trivial and insincere character is influenced by her mother and the people around her.
- Analyzes how gwendolen and lady bracknell grow up to be dramatic and superficial, since her mother only cares about the money of who her family marries.
- Analyzes how gwendolen's dishonesty and insincerity are influenced by the people around her.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell's negligence towards gwendolen’s opinions becomes an influence towards her trivial character.
- Analyzes how gwendolen becomes insincere towards cecily when she sees the other as a threat to her relationship with ernest.
- Analyzes how gwendolen's insincerity is caused by the people around her, as well as the insecurity she feels.
1289 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Being Earnest Book Reviewanalytical essayKaba 3 Saran D. Kaba Cristin Thomas Drama 1310-86007 12 December 2015 The importance of being Earnest Review The Importance of Being Earnest was performed for the first time on February 1895, is considered to be Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece. The play is about two men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrief, who are living in England in the 1890’s. These men have dual identities in both the town and the country in order to escape their normal lives and both choosing the name of Earnest. Oscar Wilde’s play is a Victorian melodrama and a classical marriage comedy where couples fall in love buy cannot get married for various reasons.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the importance of being earnest, performed for the first time in 1895, is considered to be oscar wilde's masterpiece.
- Explains that the through-line connected the events of the play to the overall story, and became the journey that they traveled from the beginning.
- Analyzes how the language, which is different from the one we use today, was easy to understand for a modern audience, while the comedy was also relatable to the contemporary audiences.
- Analyzes how the set, costume designs, and props were taken right out of the 1800's and enhanced the production. the set was comprehensible and humorous while keeping its environment for the period.
- Analyzes how all the movements, including actor entrances and exits, as well as lighting and sound prompts helped the overall production performance to capture the audience’s attention.
- Analyzes how the talent of the actors produced amusement on stage and brought oscar wilde's piece to life.
- Opines that they enjoyed the importance of being earnest at the northeast drama playhouse. the actors played jack and algernon, both pretending to be ernest, were their favorite characters.
692 wordsRead More - Review of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnestanalytical essayReview of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde definitely proved itself to be “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” I saw the play at State University’s State Theatre. The play was long, in a three-act structure, yet it moved along at a good pace. They did a nice job of preparing the audience, there was an interesting lobby display with sketches of each of the costumes with fabric samples and they played music to fit the time period before the show began.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that oscar wilde's "the importance of being earnest" proved itself to be "a trivial comedy for serious people."
- Analyzes how aristotle's play had an intricate and definitely interesting plot. the story begins with ernest visiting his friend algy at his house in town.
- Analyzes how jack, distrustful of algernon's intentions toward cecily, orders him to leave by the next train.
- Analyzes the character of algernon moncrieff and his friend jack worthing in aristotle's play.
618 wordsRead More - An Imagined Modern-Day Setting for "The Importance of Being Earnest"explanatory essayFirstly I would set this play in the 21st century so that a modern audience could relate to it. Algernon, one of the main characters in the play, would live in a luxury apartment in the centre of London, over looking the River Thames. His apartment would have a minimalist theme to it and would be influenced by aesthetic; for example he would have a piece of abstract art on the wall for no reason other than that he thinks it looks nice.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they would set the play in the 21st century so that a modern audience could relate to it. algernon's apartment would be minimalist and influenced by aesthetics.
- Explains that everything algernon has in the living room is there simply because it looks good and makes him look good too. the fact that he has an expensive grand piano reflects oscar wilde's belief in aesthetics.
- Explains that they would dress cecily, one of the four main characters, in a flowery pink dress, as it shows her girly, childish innocence.
- Explains that they would dress gwendolen as the opposite of cecily. they would wear a bold red top, black skirt, and pointy stiletto heels.
331 wordsRead More - Satire In The Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayThe nineteenth Century Victorian Age was a time during which the English people were under the reign of Queen Victoria whilst relishing in the recent success of British imperialism due to the growing power of the British empire. This Era was known for its excessively lavish lifestyle, aestheticism, and greed. Victorian society was often imbued with extravagance and flamboyant ideas: "People wore extravagant clothing, went above and beyond when it came to
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the victorian age was known for its excessively lavish lifestyle, aestheticism, and greed.
- Analyzes how wilde's artful use of satire conveys the ridicule of the societal and cultural views of marriage, love, social class, and gender.
133 wordsRead More - Earnest: A Fictional Narrativenarrative essayRiding his bike down the gravel road, Justin leaned it against the fence before he went over where Ernest was trimming bushes.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how justin leaned his bike against the fence before he went over where ernest was trimming bushes.
- Narrates how the man stared at a yellowed, vinyl tablecloth, with dusty, artificial red roses on the table, recalling his mother wouldn't allow artificial flowers in their home.
- Narrates how ernest pleaded with justin to follow him into the house, if his mother finds out, she'll put him on restriction until i graduate.
- Describes how justin decided it would be okay if he went into the house a few minutes.
224 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Being Earnest Play Review Essayanalytical essayOn May 25th I went to see The Importance of Being Earnest performed at the Artist Repertory Theater in Downtown Portland. The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde and directed by Michael Mendelson and had a cast of 8 actors, Sarah Lucht, Ayanna Berkshire, Jamie M. Rea, Linda Alper, Kailey Rhodes, Vana O’Brien, Crystal Ann Muñoz, and JoAnn Johnson. In this analysis, many things will be discussed, such as the costume choice, the set design, and the performance of two characters Lady Bracknell and Reverend Chasuble.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they went to see the importance of being earnest at the artist repertory theater in downtown portland. the cast included sarah lucht, ayanna berkshire, jamie rea, linda alper, kailey rhodes, vana o’brien, crystal ann muoz, and joann johnson.
- Analyzes how the set of the play was a flexiable stage with diamond shaped black and white tile floor and thick fancy white crown molding. the first set consisted of an arm chair with gold decorative nailhead trim.
- Analyzes how bobby brewer wallin used clothing that showed its age to keep the play in the original period. the character of lady bracknell was dressed in a dark lavender loose satin gown, with oversized ball-shaped shoulders, and an orange belt.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell would show off her wealth and class by the way she acted. she was rude, loud, and entitled, something linda alper performed very well.
603 wordsRead More