...Theme of death in The Importance of Being Earnest It is obvious from the very first conversation in the play (between Algernon and Jack) that the characters are lackadaisical in their actions and views. This theme continues through the play, evident in the ridiculously comical and odd comments they make, their eccentric and aloof mannerisms and their general air. Many might look at The Importance of Being Earnest and see it as a play wrought with frivolities and meaninglessness, including author Oscar Wilde himself, who described it as "A trivial comedy for serious people." However, the play does contain a few serious undertones which are subtle enough that most readers (serious people or not) fail to notice them. One of the most noticeable of these is the trend of death. Death is mentioned several times throughout the play, in the form of flippant comments and offhand jokes. The initial thought one might have when realising the frequency with which death is mentioned in the play is that this was added to give the play dimension and a bit of dark humour. That may be true, but at the same time it highlights and compliments the lighthearted and flippant theme that is so evident throughout. Since the characters in Being Earnest* do not act in a manner that is appropriate or socially acceptable in modern times, it would make sense that their view on death, as a group, is exceedingly callous. The subject is handled with less gravity than most other issues (such as the consumption...
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...two works, this research study can acknowledge the effect the expectations have on these characters; especially the men. Analyzing the characters in Oscar Wilde’s works, The Importance of Being Earnest and A Woman of No Importance, show how the expectations of society effects the characters’ behaviour and their reaction to society’s ideals. Oscar Wilde examines the impact of Victorian society’s unrealistic expectations on the individual in The Importance of Being Earnest and A Woman of No Importance, showing how rejection, whether from a potential partner or society as a whole, can lead to deceit and engaging in a double life in order to satisfy conventions. As it stands, these comedies are the fullest embodiment of Wilde’s lifelong assault upon commonplace life and commonplace values. It was inevitable that the conventional world should strike back at Wilde, at his character and his ideas, if not specifically at his play, but the speed and cruelty of the world’s retribution surpassed expectation. Four days after the opening of his last and finest comedy, the succession of events began that brought about his disgrace, imprisonment and exile. Wilde felt strongly that men and women should be treated equally when it came to sexual matters. It is a main topic of The Importance of Being Earnest as well as A Woman of No Importance. As several writers have suggested, it is not difficult to see that a concealed sin, especially a sexual one, and a plea for forgiveness might well reflect...
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...Comedic techniques in the importance of being earnest. In the play, Jack, after inventing the name Earnest, and lady Gwendolen falls in love and want to get married. When Jack asks for a hand in marriage from Gwendolen mother, Lady Bracknell, he is turned down because Lady Bracknell knows that Jack was conceived in a handbag at a train depot. Lady Bracknell finds it unnecessary for her daughter to get married to an orphan while there were many noble men around. "You are not down on my list of eligible young men," Lady Bracknell replied to Jack (Wilde). In the play, Lady Bracknell is presented as a snob and overprotective mother. She ironically pocks her nose in other people's business especially when the issues concerns marriage. In this example, comedic element and humor is created through satire and ridicule. This is because there was not way Jack could have changed his life to become noble in the eyes of Lady Bracknell to be granted hand in married for Gwendolen. The comedic elements that have been explained from The Importance of Being Earnest show that that author strives to express real life situation using comedic devices. The development of comedic elements in the play creates humor through the way the audience can relate events in the play to real life situations. There are many instances where the author uses direct humor. For example, that author creates humor through playing on words, reversing sayings, mocking marriages and aristocracy, satirizing women, and others...
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...In the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde it provides humor by differentiating the society in which they say they are, but are acting differently and eventually are being made fun of. It demonstrates this by using imagery and the tone it creates that shows how they take society and think about love. This novel will be consider as a satire as well because it makes fun of the Victorian period. In act 2, Oscar Wilde uses imagery to show how Cecily’s letters are a fantasy that demonstrates how her relationship with Earnest was even though it was just part of her imagination. Before Algernon’s departure to the city, he questioned Cecily what was she talking about, “My letters! But, my own sweet Cecily, I have never written you letters”. Algernon was not aware of the letters in which he thought it never existed. Cecily’s answer was, “I remember only too well that I was forced to write your letters for you.” Even though Algernon (Ernest) never had the intention to write letters, she had the desire to do it herself, so she would not feel lonely and still have the desire to love him and marry him because of his name Ernest. We can see that the letters are just written things that are not even true....
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...‘The tone says life is fun. The undertone suggests life is a catastrophe’. To what extent do you think Eric Bentley’s comment about the dramatic genre of comedy is relevant to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest? The philosopher and literary critic Sigmund Freud agreed with Bentley’s statement on the dramatic genre of comedy, agreeing that ‘every joke contains an element of seriousness; a joke is never just a joke’. Wilde uses many aspects of comedy to back this opinion. The character of Lady Bracknell was created as a comic tool by Wilde to generate fun for the audience; her dialogue is essentially a way of creating humour, despite her domineering nature which is made absurd and ridiculous to mock the upper classes. This creates a light hearted tone. However, Wilde also uses the character of Lady Bracknell to express the undertone of catastrophe through her unwittingly funny comments on serious subjects. As soon as Lady Bracknell enters in Act one Wilde uses her as a tool to mock marriage. She talks about Lady Harbury who has recently lost her husband and, Lady Bracknell comments, ‘she looks quite twenty years younger’. Lady Harbury looking well is certainly due to the restraints of her strict Victorian marriage being broken, so she can now live ‘for pleasure’. In the 21st century if your husband died you would mourn his death, because modern marriages are mainly for love, not to gain status and money. This is part of the tone which Wilde has set of frivolity...
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...``The Importance of Being Earnest´´. ``The Importance of Being Earnest´´ is a comedy written by Oscar Wilde in the year 1894. In the text, Oscar Wilde makes fun of the upper class in the Victorian Age society. The reason why he had written ``The importance of Being Earnest´´ was to irritate the Victorian society. He focused on the term bunburing, which means creating a false person or identity. The creation of a false person and the creation of a false identity take place in the text to masquerade the true intentions of the main characters, Jack and Algernon. There are five characters in this text; Algernon, Lady Braknell, Gwendolyn, Jack and Lane. Algernon, which is the owner of the house the story takes place in, is a bachelor who sometimes leaves London to help a sick friend of his. However, he is bunburying, since he has invented a fictive person, so he could get out off unpleasant situations, especially when it involves his Aunt, Lady Braknell. In this case, Algernon had invented a sick friend by the name of Bunbury, which is funny since the name suggests bunburing. Lady Braknell is the mother of Gwendelyn Fairfax and a perfect example of typical Victorian classism. She doesn’t want her daughter to marry Earnest, because she found out that he was an orphan. Her daughter, Gwendolyn, is in love with Earnest, who also loves her. Although she returns her affection towards Earnest, she is self-centered, since she desires only to marry a man named Earnest: ``Jack!... No, there...
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... This issue defines the very essence of the short story, of which it becomes clear that "romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed." But is that so in the real, contemporary world? Is love only appropriate in the world of the privileged or is it achievable for anyone? This attitude is quite an old fashion way of thinking which is very appropriate of the time period in which the text is written and so the modern man would probably controvert the statement. A controversy claiming that love is a spirit with ability to posses anyone and so the modern expression “Love is for everyone” manifests itself. A second theme in the short story is represented in terms of kindness. It is expressed to its fullest that being kind pays out in the end. Hughie shows his kind side when he generously offers the ‘beggar’ his last money (a sovereign), ignorant to that fact that he is actually a rich baron. This generous gesture turns out to be of huge importance as it forms the basis for the Baron to sponsor the money required. This emphasizes that even in a thoroughly materialistic world, tender qualities and human values are not to be dispensed. This detail comes to be quite important because it reminds the reader of the...
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...The minor and principle characters contribute equally to the form of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. How far do you agree with this statement? A comedy of manners is categorically associated with and elaborate and scandalous plot, a joyous ending and using wit and inversions throughout. Throughout the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the conventions of a comedy of manners are clearly demonstrated by both the principle characters and the minor characters. However due to Oscar Wilde’s ideology of empowering the minorities and the ideas of reform in a Victorian society, it can be argued that the minor characters contribute more significantly. The first convention of a ‘Comedy of Manners’ that the characters contribute to is an elaborate plot. Unexpectedly, due to her insignificance in previous scenes and portrayal as a minor character, Miss Prism makes the most significant contribution to this. As she is the one who concludes the mystery of where Jack came from and in turn leads him to learn his name is Ernest, which therefore resolves the problem he had with Gwendolen over his name. This then also concludes the play as Lady Bracknell eventually grants permission for them to marry as she realises that he is the son of her “poor sister, Mrs Moncreiff, and consequently Algernon’s elder brother”. Nonetheless, the principle characters all make a significant contribution to the elaborative plot. A forewarning of such plot developing is first hinted by the principle characters...
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...Saxton Wilson Miss Sibbach Honors English IV 10 December, 2014 The Importance of Fraudulence In Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest deceit institutes itself as a manipulable entity, used advantageously by the characters to alter the situation favorably. The characters use deceit, and they lie whenever they feel necessary to avoid social responsibility. The incessant lies told by the characters let them live double lives, establish false personas and mask the true meaning and symbolism that each character contains. Deceit becomes a way to conveniently shape the scenario around the characters. Ernest, also known as Jack, uses deceit so that he may partake in pleasurable acts whenever he gets an urge to do so. He lies and travels between the...
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...The Importance of Being Earnest, Act 2 In The Importance of Being Earnest, almost every character is in pursuit of another; Jack is in pursuit of Gwendolen’s love, whom is in pursuit of Jack, who she believes is Ernest. Meanwhile in the country, Dr Chausible is in pursuit of Miss Prism’s love, and Cecily of Algernon’s love; similarly to Gwendolen’s situation, Cecily is fooled into believing Algernon is called Ernest. Wilde has created this situation to mock the upper class of the time and also uses it in various ways to build comedy throughout act 2. Within act 2, the audience witness many entrances and exits, one of the most significant from the Merriman during the dispute between Gwendolen and Cecily. During the dispute, Gwendolen and Cecily are disrupted by the Merriman, ‘followed by the footman’, with ‘the presence of the servants [exercising] a restraining influence, under which both girls chafe’. This builds the comedy within this scene as the Merriman sets the table slowly, with ‘a long pause’, further infuriating Cecily and Gwendolen; this creates anticipation within the audience, as they would be anxiously wait for the dispute to continue. One could interpret the entrance and exit of the Merriman as Wilde placing more importance in the servants than the people they are serving, another way to mock the upper class of the time. Another important exit in the act is when Cecily and Gwendolen ‘retire into the house with scornful looks’, expecting the men to chase after...
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...Summary The play opens in the morning room of Algernon Moncrieff’s flat in London. His servant, Lane, is arranging tea and Algernon is in another room playing the piano. Algernon enters and asks Lane if he has heard him playing. Lane says he did not think it was polite to listen. Algernon tells him that is terrible because while he does not play accurately, he plays with wonderful expression. It becomes apparent that Algernon’s aunt, Lady Bracknell, is coming for tea. The discussion turns to marriage when Algernon asks Lane why servants always drink the champagne during dinner parties. Lane informs him that bachelors always have the best wine. Algernon asks if marriage is so demoralizing. Lane informs us that he was married once but only as the result of a misunderstanding, so he is not sure. Lane exits; Algernon comments that Lane’s views seem lax and the lower orders have no use if they will not set an example. He comments that Lane’s class seems to have a lack of moral responsibility. Unexpectedly, Algernon’s friend Jack Worthing drops in. Jack resides most of the time in the countryside and is visiting town. Lane and Algernon are under the impression that Jack’s name is Ernest and refer to him as so. Jack is happy to learn that Lady Bracknell (Aunt Augusta) and her daughter Gwendolen are coming because he wants to propose marriage to Gwendolen. Algernon says that he will not be able to marry her because he flirts with her, which Aunt Augusta does not like. Furthermore,...
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...The tone says that life is fun. The undertone suggests that life is a catastrophe. (How far do you agree with this model of comedy in relation to The Importance of Being Earnest?) With every light hearted joke that Wilde puts across to the audience there is a serious undertone to it, which relates to Victorian Society, and issues which were seen as taboo. Wilde’s play can be seen as quite a satirical play as it continuously mocks the upper classes and their values. Different characters in Wilde’s play bring forward different types of problems in Victorian society, such as Lady Bracknell, who jokingly talks about idle men in London. If you look into it, although the comment is quite ironic, as smoking is quite an idle thing to do, but rather unemployment issues facing societies in those times. Many times throughout the play Wilde uses ambiguous sentences, which requires a certain amount of knowledge from a viewer to fully understand Wilde’s play. Algernon and Jack on the other hand represent the men that would cheat on their wives, or not take life seriously, rebelling against the norms and customs of their society. Wilde through the presentation of the characters may have been trying to show that Victorian society at that time was dividing in two, you have the old Victorian society, which people like Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism and Chasuble all seem to follow, which is strict, full of rules, and converges very heavily upon status and wealth. The second you could call the product...
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...Elise Rivas The Importance of Being Earnest Timed Write Mrs. O’Connell Prompt: Write a well-crafted essay that agrees with, disagrees with, or qualifies the following statement: Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest is a satirical look at a variety of social ills that Wilde would like to see changed. Saturday Night Live, a show on NBC dedicated entirely to skits mocking pop-culture, never shies away from provoking an audience. Nor does the show hide behind fears of flaunting an opinion. During the 2008 Presidential Election, one would have to be quite oblivious to not see the show’s blatant endorsement for Barack Obama. Each show begins with a political skit. But beyond SNL’s opinionated nature lies a desire to poke fun at the meaningless, trivial features of society. Most of the skits have no depth, like “Debbie Downer” and “Opera Man.” Oscar Wilde, particularly in his play The Importance of Being Earnest, like SNL, is funny for the sake of being funny. There is no implicit message. Wilde merely desires to provoke the audience by broaching laughable features of society. One would be thinking too intensely if one believes Wilde was proposing a societal change. A main focal point of satire in Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is towards the overbearing romanticism of relationships and in life. For example, Cecily, a young, googly-eyed girl, writes letters to herself from her imaginary suitor, Ernest. While explaining to her fiancée, Algernon, she...
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...Comedic techniques in the importance of being earnest. In the play, Jack, after inventing the name Earnest, and lady Gwendolen falls in love and want to get married. When Jack asks for a hand in marriage from Gwendolen mother, Lady Bracknell, he is turned down because Lady Bracknell knows that Jack was conceived in a handbag at a train depot. Lady Bracknell finds it unnecessary for her daughter to get married to an orphan while there were many noble men around. "You are not down on my list of eligible young men," Lady Bracknell replied to Jack (Wilde). In the play, Lady Bracknell is presented as a snob and overprotective mother. She ironically pocks her nose in other people's business especially when the issues concerns marriage. In this example, comedic element and humor is created through satire and ridicule. This is because there was not way Jack could have changed his life to become noble in the eyes of Lady Bracknell to be granted hand in married for Gwendolen. The comedic elements that have been explained from The Importance of Being Earnest show that that author strives to express real life situation using comedic devices. The development of comedic elements in the play creates humor through the way the audience can relate events in the play to real life situations. There are many instances where the author uses direct humor. For example, that author creates humor through playing on words, reversing sayings, mocking marriages and aristocracy, satirizing women, and others...
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...English 202 8 June 2014 Final Paper In “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Oscar Wilde unmasks the societal contradictions of modern Victorian society. In a way this story is a Comedy of Manners because it makes fun of the idea of the upper class and how the people in it went about getting married. I think Wilde was trying to accomplish something when writing this story and that was to show how ridiculous the process of marriage was in the upper class in particular. His main point of this story is to show how shallow and hypocritical Victorian society is. The main two characters in the story are Jack and Algernon. They both have alter ego’s in order to escape the restraints that Victorian society impresses upon them. Jack is expected to take care of the young Cecily but he cannot resist the urge to party and have fun. As a result, he comes up with an alter ego named Ernest. He tells Cecily that Ernest is his younger brother and that he gets in trouble all the time. Being that he is the older brother he expresses that he has to get his Ernest out of trouble all the time when really he is just partying and escaping the life he really doesn’t want to live. Algernon also has an alter ego named Bunbury whose grave health conditions provide him with the excuse to escape to the country as and when he pleases. The fact that the two main characters have created alter egos to escape the life they are currently living shows that Wilde wanted to portray how people would do certain...
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