The Importance of Being More Than Earnest
analytical Essay
1726 words
Every line, every character, and every stage direction in The Importance of Being Earnest is set on supporting Oscar Wilde’s want for social change. The Importance of Being Earnest was written during the late period of the Victorian era. During this period social classification was taken very seriously. It could affect working and living conditions, education, religion, and marriage. Wilde explores the issues of social class and turns it into a comedic play. He humorously criticizes Victorian manners and attacking the society of the luxurious life. The audience becomes self-aware as the characters reflect on themselves. Plays such as this become successful because of the backgrounds the writers come from and the experiences they have had. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde satirizes the Victorian society and the ironic differences between the lower and upper class. The Importance of Being Earnest satirizes the life of the wealthy. Is it possible that Oscar Wilde contradicted himself? Wilde was born on 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. His mother, Jane Rancesca Agnes, was a writer and his father, Sir William Robert Wills Wilde, was a surgeon. To answer the question, Wilde was definitely a part of the upper-class. After attending Trinity College he continued his education at Magdalen College in Oxford. After settling in London he wrote his first collection of poetry. He was “…profoundly affected by beauty and lived and dressed flamboyantly compared to the typical Victorian styles and mores of the time” (Merriman). He was characterized as charming and witty. These qualities are shown as he created The Importance of Being Earnest in in 1895. As most of his works, this play is “…deeply reflective of his own personality and of the neces... ... middle of paper ... ..., C. D. "Oscar Wilde." The Literature Network. Jalic INC., 2008. Web. 3 Apr 2012. . Parker, Oliver, Dir. The Importance of Being Earnest. By Oscar Wilde. 2002. Miramax 2002. DVD. Raby, Peter. The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print. Thienpont, Eva. "From Faltering Arrow To Pistol Shot: The Importance Of Being Earnest." Cambridge Quarterly 33.3 (2004): 245-255. Humanities International Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Ed. Michael Gillespie. New York: Norton Critical Editions, 2006. Print. Woods, Robert. The Demography of Victorian England and Wales. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Web.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's the importance of being earnest satirizes the victorian society and the ironic differences between the lower and upper classes.
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's the importance of being earnest satirizes the life of the wealthy.
- Analyzes how wilde satirizes the upper classes by placing the play in an upper class social setting.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat and controlling mother who forces marriage based on wealth or status rather than love.
- Opines that when a young girl becomes engaged to someone, she or her father, should inform them of the fact. engagement should come on her surprise or unpleasant, as the case may be.
- Analyzes how wilde satirizes aristocratic foolish beliefs through exaggeration. lady bracknell is superlative and feels that her daughter has had the highest level of upbringing.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell represents the views of aristocrats in the film, the importance of being earnest.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell believes the upper class to be much more educated than the lower class because of social status alone.
- Analyzes how wilde demonstrates the extremes of lady bracknell by comparing her to miss prism. the irony of these ideals symbolizes the ridiculousness of the time.
- Analyzes wilde's play, the importance of being earnest, as one of the first plays to deal with modern issues, such as the importance of social status.
- Explains that oscar wilde's the importance of being earnest was performed at gainesville state college ed cabell theatre.
- Explains that the national council of teachers of english was established in 1956. the literature network, jalic inc., 2008.
- Explains that wilde, oscar, and woods, robert. the demography of victorian england and wales.
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- Earnestness In The Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayThroughout the late nineteenth century, Oscar Wilde wrote plays such as Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest- his most famous play. Earnest is a comedic work that focuses on a pair of wealthy men. They have been leading double lives so that they can go off for periods of time and enjoy living without responsibility while still maintaining their aristocratic reputation. Because of Wilde’s invlovement in the aesthetic movement, it is not uncommon (or unfair) to believe that his work, Earnest included, is nothing more than fluff. That being said, it is also fair to argue that this particular play does have meaning in it. Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest as a commentary on the hypocrisy of the ideal Victorian character. Earnestness is sincerity- which most Victorians believed themselves to be- and so Wilde uses the word ironically. In his eyes, people who considered themselves sincere were actually smug, self-righteous, and pompous. He expresses these opinions clearly through the play’s over-the-top and frustrating characters.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde wrote plays such as lady windermere's fan, a woman of no importance, an ideal husband, and the impairment of being earnest.
- Analyzes how wilde points out the flaws in victorian values that lead one to believe that the only way to be both happy and respected is to live a double life.
- Analyzes how wilde is claiming that society values the guise of morality more than the real thing.
- Analyzes wilde's cynasis, claiming that victorian society is built on lies and deciet and that truth in each person only sees the light of day when it will benefit them.
- Analyzes how wilde's the importance of being earnest is a comedic work. it is absurd, but entertaining, and provides an examination of hypocritical victorian ideals through its characters.
1453 wordsRead More - Importance Of Being Earnest Essayanalytical essayCecily’s Diary of Reality in The Importance of Being Earnest In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses wit to undermine the societal expectations of women. Set in England during the late 19th century, the play shows the shallow and trivial attitude of the upper-class Victorian society. This status-driven society favors men, creating a dissatisfying life for women. The male characters, particularly Algernon Moncreiff, uses wit to show superiority over women.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde uses wit to undermine the societal expectations of women in the importance of being earnest.
- Analyzes how algernon moncreiff, an upper-class male, traipses around with a sarcastic attitude and sharp tongue. socioeconomic status and pure amusement influence him and act as his only motivation in life.
- Analyzes how cecily cardew's view of her diary is important when analyzing the relationship between her and algernon.
- Analyzes how algernon exploits cecily's interest in ernest to flirt with her, but since he sees marriage as "problematic," their relations should not move much further.
- Analyzes how cecily's diary proves her power over algernon. it is simply a young girl’s record of her own thought sand impressions and consequently meant for publication.
- Analyzes how cecily's overdramatic performances are a cover for her cleverness. the diary scene between her and algernon gains whole new meaning.
885 wordsRead More - Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayThe 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. This code referred to a number of things, including the way they ate, dressed, and spoke. The 19th Century saw many important alliances formed politically between Queen Victoria and her Prime Ministers. This was typified by her friendship with Benjamin Disraeli. Together they formed a number of political partnerships, none of which was more important than the Reform Act. The Reform Act greatly annoyed the upper class, which considered the idea of any man being allowed to vote as simply disgraceful. The Victorian era saw legislation concerning labour and industry, which began to intrude on the power of the Upper class over the working class labourers. In fact by the late 1880’s Lower classes were working less hours, while their wages continued to increase. This allowed many to enjoy luxuries that until then were considered only possible by the Upper Classes.
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 Importance of Being Earnest, uses comedy and farce to display a light hearted approach to the hugely powerful upper class of Victorian society and add a playful edge to their actions. Although it could also be seen as a comedic shell for the true nature of Wilde’s comment upon the society in which it is set, exposing the flaws and inconsistencies that the upper class was built upon. It will be necessary to consider whether Wilde is purposely commenting on the dysfunction of the society in which he lived, or if it does in fact only serve as a comedy.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how wilde's writing is funny because it allows a victorian audience to laugh at their own behaviour.
- Analyzes how wilde creates playfulness in the importance of being earnest by following the classic structure of comedy moving from disorder to harmony at the end.
- Analyzes how wilde mocks the victorian fixation on material worth and how this can affect the pursuit of love.
- Analyzes how wilde's play is a sharp satire as he mocks social obligations, suggesting that people had to escape the unrealistic pressure society placed upon them.
- Analyzes how wilde uses the title, the importance of being earnest, to create irony and satire as the characters despite striving to, act without any morality.
- Concludes that wilde's play is a harsh comment on the victorian society in which it is set, despite the use of classic comedic devices.
- Analyzes how wilde's the importance of being earnest uses comedy and farce to display a light hearted approach to the hugely powerful upper class of victorian society.
1202 wordsRead More - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wildeanalytical essayOne of the Oscar Wilde’s most loved, well known and successful play ‘The Importance Of Being Earnest’ was written during the summer of 1894 at Worthing, England. It was first performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James’s theatre, London. Jack Worthing, the play’s main character was found and adopted by a wealthy man, Thomas Cardew in a handbag at a railway line where he was accidentally abandoned as a baby. All the respect that has been given to him as acknowledged upper-class Victorian is only because of his adopted father’s wealth. As the protagonist of the play he is expected to be an earnest man to do justice to the title of the play, but it turned out to be that he is nowhere close to that. Wilde has used Jack’s character more to an instrument to represent a set of ideas or attitudes.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's "the importance of being earnest" was written during the summer of 1894 at worthing, england, and first performed on 14 february 1895 at the st james’s theatre, london.
- Analyzes how jack's relatives and neighbors believe him to be well-mannered, productive member of a polite. he acts like an older brother to algernon.
- Analyzes how jack creates a fake and imaginary persona to avoid the burdens of his social responsibility. his love for gwendolen fairfax, the daughter of lady bracknell, is pure and sincere.
- Analyzes how algernon (algy) moncrieff, jack's best friend, is younger, flip-pant, irrelevant, and playful in nature. he exemplifies acumen, ridicules the world around him and the society in it.
- Analyzes how algy represents wilde's cleverness and position in the esthetic culture of the 1890s.
- Explains that oscar used two different locations as the setting for this play, which are the luxurious london and the unblemished countryside estate, hertfordshire in the late 19th century of the victorian era.
- Analyzes how wilde has made both the country and the city setting as a waggish and frolicsome.
- Explains that unlike most plays, this play does not have a narrator from whose eyes and voice we learn the story. the characters speak in the first-person.
- Analyzes how algernon moncrieff is visited by his best friend, ernest worthing, who explains the purpose of his visit to algy’s cousin, gwendolen.
- Explains how jack aka ‘ernest’ was forced into admitting his double-role act. this was his explanation for creating a fake younger brother called ‘ ernest’.
- Analyzes how algernon reveals about a fake persona, his friend ‘bunbury’, that he created to escape from the dull gathering and social responsibility.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell enters the room to find about both of them. she asks jack if he could be considered as a life partner for her daughter.
- Analyzes how gwendolen disapproves further contact between them and tells him that they can never get to be together as he don't know about his biological parents or their level/status.
- Analyzes how act 2 takes place at jack's country house in woolton, hertfordshire. cecily is found studying german language as scheduled by her uncle, jack with her governess, miss prism.
- Analyzes how jack has setup a plan to kill his irresponsible younger brother ‘ernest’ because that is how much he's willing to marry gwendolen.
- Analyzes how jack and algy calmed them down and explained the truth. they were engaged to nobody, since there was no ernest. the men told them that they only wanted to meet the lady of their interest.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell arrives at the manor house and sees algernon holding cecily's hand, which she disapproves in the first. jack refuses to give his consent for their marriage.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell recognizes miss prism as a family nursemaid twenty-eight years ago. she recklessly put the baby boy in the hand bag and the manuscript of her novel.
- Analyzes how wilde uses comical tone most of the time in the play, with puns and epigrams used to show satirical situations. he never wastes his opportunity to critic the victorian society.
- Analyzes how the play's style of writing is as funny and witty as oscar wilde. some dialogues can be literally taken out and used in our lives.
- Analyzes wilde's use of the main character to tell the world things that would come out of his own mouth. the advices and comments that jack and algernon give in the play are examples of their thought.
- Analyzes how dramatic irony is one of the important essences of john and algernon's play, which is the double life jack has been living all the while to stupefy his friends.
- Analyzes how jack and algernon have been trying to marry the love of their love beyond all the obstacles they faced. marriages are made in heaven, but this was not the case during the victorian era.
- Analyzes how marriage was more to maintaining and improving the social status. it was measured by the amount of wealth rather than the deep of love.
- Analyzes how jack and algernon's fake personas are their way of escaping from the burdensome responsibility of the society.
- Opines that wilde's play is funny and has its own hidden message. all of us are living a lie to some extent.
1979 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayEvery text is an argument to the audience and every argument is influenced by a text and the audience surrounding the author. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play written by Oscar Wilde which was first performed in 1895. The plot centers around the proposal of marriage between Jack Worthing and Gwendolen Bracknell and also the proposal from Jack’s friend and Gwendolen 's cousin Algernon Moncrieff extended towards Jack’s ward, Cecily Cardew. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses the ideas of his time period, his own background, and absurd comedy to argue that the views of marriage and gender held by those in Victorian Era England are wrong and hypocritical.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that every text is an argument to the audience and every argument is influenced by a text. the importance of being earnest was written by oscar wilde and first performed in 1895.
- Analyzes how wilde's portrayal of the victorian era in the importance of being earnest portrays the high standards and expectations that victorian gentlemen were held to.
- Explains that oscar wilde was influenced by the values held by his audience, but unlike other members of victorian society, he refused to accept them.
- Analyzes wilde's use of absurd and ironic comedy in the play to illustrate the absurdity of victorian society.
- Analyzes how an audience and context influence an author creating a triangle of impact. oscar wilde uses the ideas of his time period, comparing them to his own, and criticizing them in his play.
1120 wordsRead More - The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde, is a novel about two friends who lead double lives. Throughout the novel, the reader sees both sides of John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff’s personalities. Both characters exhibit a serious upper class personality in one setting but also have a completely different personality that allows them to be more carefree and pleasure-seeking. Ultimately Worthing & Moncrieff’s double lives allow them to express different sides of themselves and in turn discover their true selves.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jack's best friend, algernon moncrieff, creates a double life in london, and uses the name ernest in an attempt to meet cecily cardew.
- Analyzes how ernest and algernon moncrieff's double lives allow them to express a personality that they aren't usually able to show.
- Explains wilde, oscar, and sylvan barnet's the importance of being earnest: and other plays.
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's the importance of being earnest is a novel about two friends who lead double lives.
576 wordsRead More - Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayOscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ can be perceived as either a seemingly satirical piece aimed at the upper class society of the 1890s with a darker nature underneath or as a play “which imitates nothing, represents nothing” and “is nothing.” (William Archer). However, I believe it is the former – a belief fuelled by the comedic features used in the interview scene between Lady Bracknell and Jack Worthing. Wilde convinces the audience to believing that there is something empowering and different about Lady Bracknell as she interviews Jack as opposed to her husband, demonstrating that women in her generation are in charge despite the ‘separate spheres’ debate.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how oscar wilde's 'the importance of being earnest' can be perceived as either satirical or a play aimed at the upper class society of the 1890s.
- Analyzes the absurdity of lady bracknell's views during the opening of the scene.
- Analyzes how wilde's clever use of farce creates irony as the audience know that education does have an effect and the absurdity continues to go further as she suggests it would probably lead to "acts of violence".
- Analyzes how jack's admission to having a house in belgrave square adds to the melodrama of the scene. wilde implies that lady bracknell thinks that this could be "easily altered" if he wishes to marry her daughter.
- Analyzes how wilde writes lady bracknell as taking the word "lost" literally adds to the comedic elements of the play.
- Analyzes the ludicrous situation of being found focusing on how jack was found in a handbag. wilde's description "yes...in fact" adds to the comedy of the scene.
- Analyzes how wilde's satirical views are being weaved into the play, showing just how shocking the upper classes could be.
- Analyzes how lady bracknell has a clear misconception of gwendolen which is ironic as the audience knows full well that she is neither of these things.
- Analyzes how wilde uses many features of comedy throughout the play, but during the interview scene, he focuses on the outrageous and ridiculous situation’s his character jack, has managed to get himself into.
1219 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 - Gender Roles In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnestanalytical essayThe reign of Queen Victoria was the reign of social conservatism. There were a lot of social rules and values that needed to be upheld. Each member of the society, whether living in the city or the country, had to live according to the rules. Those rules seemed necessary to most people, but there were a lot of people who did not wish to honor the values imposed by the ruling class. Among those who did not wish to do so, was Oscar Wilde. Consequently, this paper focuses on the critique of the Victorian era upper class society values and the reverse gender roles, as presented in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that queen victoria's reign was a reign of social conservatism. there were social rules and values that needed to be upheld. oscar wilde was among those who did not wish to honor the values imposed by the ruling class.
- Analyzes how wilde mocks the victorian ideal of a man being the head of the house, and where women were an ornament meant for pleasure and nurturing.
- Analyzes how wilde changes the traditional roles of men and women to produce an effect of folly.
- Analyzes how wilde introduces john worthing and algernon moncrieff as the opposites of the great victorian husbands and members of aristocratic society.
857 wordsRead More