The Importance of Being More Than Earnest

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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...

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