...text: ``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...
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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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...The Importance of Being Earnest—Oscar Wilde Plot Summary: 1. Mr. Earnest Worthing (Jack) enters Algernon Moncrieff’s flat in the Mayfair section of London’s Went End claiming to be visiting in town for “pleasure”. When Algernon informs him that Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen will be coming by, Jack, delighted, confides in Algernon of his intentions to propose to Gwendolen. 2. Jack and Algernon have a debate over whether the subject of marriage is of “business” or “pleasure” which eventually leads to Algernon confronting Jack about the “cigarette case Mr. Worthing left.” 3. Algernon forces Jack to explain the inscription on the inside of the case: from “little Cecily” to “her dear Uncle Jack”. Jack admits that his name is not Earnest but rather Jack, claiming that he is “Earnest in town and Jack in the country.” 4. Jack tells Algernon about the false brother he created as an excuse to get out of the country. Algernon tells Jack that he has invented a friend call Bunbury whose sudden illnesses give him Algernon a chance to get away to the country. 5. Jack tells Algernon that if Gwendolen consents to marry him then he will “kill off” his imaginary brother Earnest, as “little Cecily” is getting too interested in Earnest. Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive. 6. Algernon tells Lady Bracknell that due to the illness of his friend Bunbury he will be able to keep their dinner appointment. Lady Bracknell replies by voicing her irritation about Bunbury’s...
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...The Importance of Being Earnest Draft The opening scene of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ establishes the play as a Comedy of Manners as Wilde as immediately introduces some of the key ideas behind his satire of the middle classes, for example triviality and a lack of moral values. The setting of a flat on Half Moon Street immediately gives a sense of affluence. The description of the furniture with the adverbs ‘luxuriously and artistically’ deliberately focuses on aesthetic and makes no reference to substance or function, which reflects the superficiality of the upper classes whom Wilde will be satirising throughout the play. This introduces a sense of decorous pretence, which creates the perfect mood for Wilde’s comedy of manners. Algernon’s initial dialogue is a conglomerate of puns which immediately establishes him as a comical character and the archetype of the upper class bachelor. This is essential as Algernon is central to Wilde’s comedy of manners as he exemplifies the frivolity and hypocrisy of the upper classes, which Wilde will be satirising throughout the play. ‘…I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte.’ The use of the word ‘forte’ here is punning and ironical, as it can mean both a speciality, and a technique used by musicians in which the volume is increased to emphasise emotion. While Algernon did indeed play loudly, he claims ‘sentiment is my forte’, which is a reversal of the purpose of the musical...
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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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...People tell white lies so they don’t hurt other people. Oscar Wilde uses satire in many different forms in the play called The Importance of Being Earnest. The one that is going to be explained in this essay is lies. Lying can become a second nature for some people. Oscar wilde makes fun of people for telling the truth and saying that they should lie. Lying is being untruthful to make yourself to look better. The two main people that lie in this play are Jack and Algernon and they lie over little things. They both lie to the girls they like and say that their names were Ernest “I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name Ernest , who lives in Albany and gets into the most dreadful scrapes” (Jack Act 1). This...
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...Time Period and Literary Movement: The importance of being earnest was written in the 19thcentury, which was the Victorian era. The Victorian era was a period that brought England to its highest point of development as a world power. During this time, the English aristocracy was dominant, snobbish and rich. Numerous authors, writers, artists, and dramatists of that era expounded on social issues, especially those concerning the impacts of the industrial revolution and political and social reform.Although, many say Wilde’s importance of being earnest is a “shallow, universal farce” because it has nothing in relation to the historical background in which it was written. Nonetheless, Oscar Wilde’s references to the historical events of his time were rather surpassed...
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...How Oscar Wilde uses Intelligence, morality and marriage throughout the play to satirise the Victorian society. Firstly, Wilde presents Algernon with a modern mindset towards marriage because he is sceptical about the happiness of couple in marriage, 'the very essence of marriage in uncertainty' (page 3). This quote is what I have picked out from the beginning of Act 1; when Algernon is expressing his opinions to Jack on how he feels about the whole situation of him wanting to declare his love to Gwendolen. It conveys that Algernon is not romantic at all and possesses a negative, sarcastic view on marriage- the use of 'uncertainty' suggests this to the reader. Also, the use of 'You behave as if you were married to her already' shows that Algernon often criticises the way that married couples behave towards one another by using sharp wit. His views contrast with the Victorian society, as they believed that marriage was necessary and was a way in which couples maintained or bettered their social position (was seen more as a business arrangement). Whereas, Jack's views follow the Victorian societies concept of marriage. He obtains a totally contrasting approach to Algernon as he romanticises his proposal as much as possible, despite how the surrounding characters respond: 'I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her'. Likewise, Lady Bracknell presents her perspective on whether marriage is "business" or "pleasure" when she states, 'An engagement...
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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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...born in San Franciso as the forth son of two Dentists. He grew up and went to school in the city. He studied Dentistry in New York for seven years, before he returned once again to San Francisco. Before the Embrace he worked for a year and a half as a practicing dentist in a small Dental Surgery in San Francisco. What kind of person are you? On first appearance MacCloy is reserved and cool. Intelligent and choosing his words with a careful economy, he says what he means and tries to give away as little of himself as possible. He is a little more forthcoming with his Coterie-mates, but they can still find themselves held at arms length regards his goals and motivations. Intensely private about his past, MacCloy learned the lesson of being tight-lipped early in his Requiem. Underneath his armour MacCloy is a man of strong passions and deep emotions. He has a powerful love of (un)life, and a desire to experience all the night has to offer him. He resents his embrace as a Nosferatu over the more glamourous and accepted of Kindred-kind, and he desires the strength and prestige to forcefully carve himself a place of power at their games of intrigue and politics Who Embraced you and why? Did the Embrace change you and if so, how? MacCloy was embraced by a Nosferatu Gethsemani member of the Lancea Sanctum. His Sire siezed on the opportuinity to bring a true Stigmatic into the unlife, gaining all the prestige that offered him. He spent almost a decade researching whether or not...
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