...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, as Gwendolen’s first cousin he will refuse to offer his consent unless Jack settles a question for him. He has found a cigarette case that Jack had forgotten upon his last visit. There is an inscription, which states: "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." Jack tries to pretend it is from an aunt. Eventually, he must admit that Cecily is his ward. To escape the...
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...“The real importance of Earnest is the thrill of brilliant repartee. And as we laugh, an amazing thing happens: Oscar Wilde comes alive.” The Washington Post commends the 2002 comedic motion picture version of Oscar Wilde’s well-known play The Importance of Being Earnest. The director, Oliver Parker, maintained the farcical humor of the original play while integrating cinematic staging elements such as elaborate costumes and deft acting to seamlessly create a new depiction of Wilde’s notorious play. The cast seamlessly portrays the originality of Wilde’s infamous characters: Jack played by Colin Firth, Algernon played by Rupert Everett, Gwedolen played by Frances O’Connor, and Cecily played by Reese Witherspoon. The amusing acting merged with...
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...he wrote. In “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Wilde expresses this form of cleverness through each of the characters that he created in the short play which only consists of three acts. Humor and irony are used throughout the play to assist, enhance, hurt or help the characters that are portrayed throughout each act in the play. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a play based around a man named Jack, whom as an infant, was abandoned by his mother and left in a basket. He was adopted by a man named Thoman Cardew shortly after being found abandoned.Now as an adult, Jack is at the pinnicle of his class and one of the most important people within his community. However, at the beginning of the first act, Jack is introduced as “Ernest”. Even through the continuation of the act, he i referred to as Jack on script, but is Ernest while in character. Oscar wilde used irony and humor to help introduce, enhance, hurt and develop the characters throughout the play....
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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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...Techniques of a Well Made Play in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest End of Term Project Ivy Koranteng Saint Peter’s Insurance Page 1 Techniques of a Well Made Play in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest A well-made play usually opens with a discussion where the actors reveal essential information to the audience. This is set up in way where information logical to the plot is brought up in a conversation. The techniques of a well-made play include revelation of a secret, suspense, conflicts, mistaken identity and a climatic scene resolving all the problems in end. Majority of well-made plays are comedies, however Ibsen’s A Doll house, although it is a drama, it has most of the characteristics of a well-made play. In the beginning of the play, Ibsen uses conversation between Nora and Mrs. Linde to set up the plot of the play. Mrs. Linde, an old school mate of Nora, pays her a visit to see if her husband Torvald could help her secure employment at the bank where he works. During the visit, the two of them catch up on what has been going on in each other’s life, which is perfectly logically for two old friends to do. It is through their conversation that Nora’s secret that she took out a loan to go on a trip to help save her husband’s life without his knowledge is revealed to the audience. She had to keep the secret from her husband because he does not believe in taking out loans...
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...Satire Within The Importance of Being Earnest Comedy is normally intentioned to be engaged in theatrical plays to develop a significant message. In witty, comical plays like “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the author, Oscar Wilde’s key objective is to create comedy in a number of situations creating ridiculous occurrences and absurd characters. Wilde presents the character(s) in the comedy play to obtain weaknesses, conceits, and lack of insight so that their acts can be easily compared between real life and form a sense of humor within the audience. Comedy of matters is a category of play suitable to uncover the superficial values of the dominant class in society written in a satirical but natural way. Wilde satirizes the values of the Victorian higher class using the characters Jack, Gwendolen, Algernon, Cecily, and Lady Bracknell. There are many examples from “The Importance of Being Earnest” that depict comedic and satire elements through themes like marriage and triviality. The nature of marriage, critique of marriage as a social tool, is a theme that is portrayed throughout Wilde’s play. It is also the most valuable during the Victorian era and to most of the characters especially to Lady Bracknell. She represents the predictable fascinations of the Victorian name such as social class, income, and an acceptable character. She views marriage as a financial business and does not approve of Jack to marry her daughter, Gwendolen, and simply because he is an orphan....
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...The play, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a comedy of manners because it mocks and ridicules the wealthy Victorian society of the mid 1800’s. Wilde uses witty dialouge and twists to create the ridiculous and outlandish plot. Although the play may be light hearted and often funny there is some depth and social commentary about marriage, education, and society. Act I begins in modern day London (1895) the play opens with the lighthearted and well-to-do bachelor Algernon Moncrieff awaiting the arrival of his aunt, Lady Bracknell and cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax for a meal at his flat. Unexpectedly, his good friend, Ernest Worthing drops by to visit. Ernest announces to Algernon that he is going to ask for Gwendolen’s hand in marriage but before Algernon gives him his approval he mentions a mysterious inscription on Ernest’s cigarette case that says “From little Cecily with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack”(1601). Algernon demands to know who “Jack” and “Cecily” are. Ernest admits his real name is Jack and Ernest is the name of his fictional troublesome brother who he uses as an excuse to visit the city and Cecily is Jack’s ward that lives with him in the country. Algernon then confesses he is also a “Bunburyist”, (a name he has given to someone that leads a double life) and he often uses his invalid friend Bunbury as an excuse to leave his social obligations in the city. After a brief conversation between Jack and Algernon Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive...
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...The Importance of being Earnest - THEMES # Lies and Deceit: The most prevalent reason characters in The Importance of Being Earnest lie is to get out of social or familial duties and, instead, to do something more enjoyable. Not surprisingly, few characters hold honesty in high regard. However, we see how hard it is for characters to set things straight once they’ve lied about them. As the situation gets increasingly complicated, characters must weave more complex lies to get out of the tangles of their previous lies. Eventually they reach the point where lies will no longer work and the truth is revealed. Perhaps the most striking thing is that none of the characters ever shows true remorse or guilt about lying. 1. Algernon: Yes. But why does your aunt call you her uncle? 'From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack.' There is no objection, I admit, to an aunt being a small aunt, but why an aunt, no matter what her size may be, should call her own nephew her uncle, I can't quite make out. Besides, your name isn't Jack at all; it is Ernest. Jack: It isn't Ernest; it's Jack Jack lies to cover up his double life. A simple white lie that he doesn’t know anyone named "Cecily" gets him into an incredibly messy situation. When he’s forced to admit he does know a "Cecily," he tries to pass her off as his aunt. But Algy, a fellow Bunburyist, eventually sniffs it all out and forces Jack to confess. What is most surprising is that Jack seems to have no shame...
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...The Importance of Not Being Earnest In a society where intricately developed double lives and irrevocable obsessions with ideals and fantasies are the norm, there is bound to be mass confusion and colliding paths. As a result, two significant questions arise: What is truth and who verifies its legitimacy? Oscar Wilde states in regards to his play, “We should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality” (1829), which perfectly exemplifies the overall mindset of the characters in The Importance of Being Earnest and provides a broad template for reinterpretation. A focus on the seriousness behind the irony and epigrams within the play could be followed, or contrastingly...
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...“Wilde empowers his female characters but also undermines them”. To what extent do you agree with this view? Wilde’s comedy of manners play, The Importance of Being Earnest, holds a satirical outlook on Victorian life. Wilde uses both satire and farce in his play written and set in 1895 to depict a slightly exaggerated version of society as it was, with all its forms of hypocrisy, double standards and repression of women. Wilde chose to invert the usual gender roles in Victorian literature by portraying the women with a position of power and influence in their relationships and the men as fairly passive. However, as Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff “Bunbury” about the women they love, they appear to dominate not only their facades but the women’s own lives and relationships. In addition, Wilde uses comedic effects throughout the play when presenting Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew, allowing them to be seen collectively as foolish and incredibly naïve. Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness. Initially, we see that she is powerful, arrogant, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's negative opinion of the Victorian upper-class, their power and conservative and repressive values. Lady Bracknell's authority and power are extended over each and every character in the play. Her decision about the suitability of both marriages in the play provides the conflict of the story. She tells her daughter quite...
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...LASMI LAILA FADHILLA A2B009137 Konflik dalam the Importance being Earnest adalah ketika Jack dan Algy sama-sama melakukan kebohongan dalam menciptakan sosok khayalan. Ketika mereka bersama sama di pertemukan dalam satu tempat, akhinya terungkap bahwa Jack adalah saudara kandung algy. Tipe konflik yang terjadi adalah konflik moral dan emosional. Tidak ada konflik fisik dalam drama ini. Konflik moral dan emosional ketika Jack mengatakan bahwa Ernest sudah meninggal, sedangkan pada saat itu Algy datang dengan mengaku sebagai Ernest. Algernon dan Jack sama sama mempunyai sifat tidak jujur. Mereka berdua sama sama melakukan kebohongan dengan membuat sosok khayalan untuk alasan mereka melakukan sesuatu atau pergi ke suatu tempat lain. Setting cerita ini berada di London dan di desa. Perbedaan nya dimanaJack tinggal di pedesaan yang penuh dengan pemandangn alam sedangkan Algy tinggal di kota yang penuh dengan kehidupan modern sperti fashion, bisnis, dsb. The characterization - Algernon Sosok pria yang ingin melamar adik asuh Jack bernama Cecily. Dia menciptakan sosok khayalan bernama Bunbury dan pada akhirnya dia mengaku sebagai Ernest untuk bisa mendapatkan hati Cecily. - Jack Sosok pria yang mengaku sebagai Ernest di kota. Dia bertujuan agar dia bisa pergi sesuka nya ke kota dengan alasan menjenguk adiknya yang sakit. -Lady Bracknell Ibu dari Gwendolen, sosok wanita yang di sukai Jack/Ernest. Tipe orang yang pemilih dan menginkan seorang lelaki yang berlatar belakang...
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...Howard Florey, Ernest Chain and Norman Heatly helped make Penicillin the anti-biotic that it is to this day. World War II had a great effect on the development of the anti-biotic. World War II caused Penicillin development to speed up and caused the anti-biotic to become produced more rapidly because of the large number of soldiers who needed the anti-biotic. Penicillin helped keep soldiers alive in World War II, unlike in World War I. This was a big difference between the two wars, and helped save soldiers lives. Without Penicillin in World War II millions of soldiers would have lost their lives to infections and bacteria, but since Penicillin was discovered by Dr. Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, Ernest Chain and Norman Heatly the lives of the people were able to be...
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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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...Ernest Hemingway – Cat in the Rain Ernest Hemingway was a very famous American author who managed to publish seven novels, six short story collections, two non-fiction works; Win the Nobel Prize in literature, survive two successive plane crashes and be a part of three wars, before committing suicide at the age of 61 in 1961. “When less is more”- Ernest Hemingway’s career as an author was based on that phrase. Many, if not all, of his short stories have been written in a minimalistic writing style and Cat in the Rain is no exception. Throughout the short story, it’s easy to see that the Cat in the Rain is a minimalistic short story. We see a lack of details regarding the characters. We don’t get to hear the name of the wife, we only know her as the American wife, or the American girl. We don’t get a lot of details either about the American wife or George, the husband. But in the end we do get some details about the American wife but only because she talks loudly about her appearance and desires in front of her husband. Unimportant things do in some cases have a decent description in a minimalistic story, and that’s also the case in Cat in the Rain; the settings outside the hotel and the war monument have been described pretty well. The sentences are short and the language is simple, which confirms that this is a minimalistic short story. The American wife and her husband don’t have a healthy relationship. George doesn’t really pay attention to his wife, and it is only...
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