The Victorian Era was a time that consisted of mostly finger foods and zealous matches of badminton, however, in the midst of it all lied a strict code of manners that anyone who was anyone was expected to follow. Victorian Era mannerisms were beyond extraordinary and Oscar Wilde, the author of The Importance of Being Earnest, realised this and despised them. Throughout the story, Oscar likes to “poke fun” at the outrageous customs of the Victorian Era. To accomplish this feat, Oscar uses satire to ridicule the appalling customs and opinions of the Victorian Era such as love, wealth, and manners.…
"The tone says life is fun. The undertone suggests life is a catastrophe. " How far do you agree with this model of comedy in relation for The Importance of Being Earnest?- Edward Braddock. The Importance of Being Earnest has been described in many ways, some believing that its dialogue is "wittily allusive and understated rather than downright comic" , whereas others believe it is simply a narrative driven by Wilde's deep roots in the Aestheticism movement. Despite the play being a comedy where the status quo remains when the curtain falls, the jovial and fun tones the play appears to have are paralleled by dark undertones- some more subtle than others.…
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest provides a satirical view of the Victorian era, primarily focusing on Victorian standards of marriage and social expectations. Wilde builds his critique of Victorian morality through his humor and wit between the character’s banter, the hypocritical Victorian view of honesty.…
This satire written in the 1800s revolves around how important it is to be called Earnest even if the characters pretending to be him are ironically not acting as the name suggests. This play about an imaginary man created by Jack and Algernon symbolizes the empty promises or deceit that was upheld in Victorian standards. Oscar Wild’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” focuses on the comparison of what true honesty means and how the Victorian Era upheld honesty.…
‘In dramatic comedy women are typically presented in a less favourable way than men.’ To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’?…
Oscar Wilde's satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, targets society from the Victorian era. Wilde uses his characters and Tragic Comedy to satirize Victorian society. Wilde's Jack and Algernon reveal this idea in his play.…
The Importance of Being Earnest contradicts banausic values in a utilitarian age (Varty 205). The comedy of manners and errors had a philosophy, which Wilde interpreted in an interview for the St James’s Gazette. It was “that we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality” (McKenna…
Often times, authors and playwrights write characters and plots based on life experiences. These ordeals can very much alter one’s life and the perception of it. Author and playwright Oscar Wilde is no exception to this; with the many experiences that his own life holds, such as his double identity and homosexuality in the Victorian Era, Wilde is able to write his autobiography as a novel or play using characters similar to ones in his own life, as he has. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon Moncrieff defies the Victorian upper class society by using his alter egos, Bunbury and Ernest, to appropriate his bad behavior and ultimately obtain what his desires. Algernon is a reflection of the play’s author Oscar Wilde as he learns about the importance of truth while working through his society-shaped id, ego, and superego. Faced with making decisions that align with Sigmund Freud’s psyche model, Wilde successfully breathes himself into Algernon while satirizing the society in which he grew up.…
In the importance of being earnest Oscar Wilde inverts conventional gender assumptions, and accepted norms. He was one of the first writers of the 19th century to move away from melodramatic plays and adopt a sense of realism to his writing. He uses comedy to be able to lightheartedly mock and critique power structures of Victorian England.…
The importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde represents consistent themes throughout the play that relate to problems in everyday life. The play primarily revolves around two men, Jack Worthing and Algernon. Both men treasure the women they have always wanted and finally got, but soon this perfect love becomes complicated when both are found telling little white lies to get what they want. Wilde uses these two men and their stories to show how one little white lie creates more lies and leads to a downfall. Wilde illustrates throughout the play how society is dishonest.…
Oscar Wilde's hilarious play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," is based in Victorian England and follows the story of Mr. Jack Worthing; a lovesick man who lies regarding his identity so he may escape to the city. While his lies start unraveling, chaos breaks out. In the last line of the play, Jack claims that,"he has learned the vital importance of being earnest." This conclusion brings the reader to wonder, does a tiger ever change it's stripes? Does the truth actually set one free? And did Jack really ever tell the truth about himself? It is clear that Jack, Ernest, or whatever you want to call him, never learned the importance of being earnest.…
PICKERING: [rising and standing over him gravely] Come, Higgins! You know what I mean. If I’m to be in this business I shall feel responsible for that girl. I hope it’s understood that no advantage is to be taken of her position.…
Discuss the use of duplicity and subterfuge for comic affect in The importance of being earnest. The importance of being Ernest written in 1899 by Oscar wild is a comedy of manners which was first shown to the Victorian society. Being a comedy of manners, the play includes many features of a Victorian melodrama including confusion, mistaken identity and a final happy ending. However subterfuge and duplicity is inherent in all characters and is the main source of comic value within the plot. We see the comic value of subterfuge and duplicity not only within the main characters and the cameo roles but also heavily embedded within the plot to highlight wild's attack on the hypocrisy of upper class Victorian society. Within the plot of The importance of being earnest nobody is who they appear to be and that is what plants the seed for the humour. All the confusion and farce that is creates right before your very eyes creates a comprehensive amount of dramatic irony for the audience to sit and laugh at, little did they know however that they are laughing at a mirror image of themselves. From the butlers - Lane and Merriman - to the very top predators of the Victorian social society such as Lady Bracknell, they all have a measurement of deceit hidden within them - all rising in amount - to reflect their social status. Other than the characters the whole plot created by wild was intended to exploit the hypocrisy of the Victorian social society. This theme of exposing the upper class you find in all the characters within the play.…
The risks that Wilde took to make people come face to face with societal flaws is what makes The Importance of Being Earnest such an iconic piece in literature history. The play is filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom which show how the satire of an upper-class Victorian is Wilde humorously treating serious issues and conflicts that existed within Victorians to highlight the…
identity. The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a clear example of when individuals find that their identities are being suppressed by society and, therefore, find ways to express who they want to be or who they are in different, more creative ways. Two factors that influence a person’s identity the most are circumstances and society. Circumstances influence a person’s values, morals, and ideals, while societies, specifically strict societies such as the Victorian era, suppress aspects of a person’s identity that would otherwise be shown. While circumstances and strict societies suppress one’s true identity, alternate identities allow for a person to live out their true identity.…