The Importance Of Being Earnest Analysis
One of Oscar Wilde’s vital goals in The Importance of Being Earnest was to expose the many facades of The Victorian Era. The play set in the 19th century and it is the exact replica of the West End of London. This consequential era began in 1837, year in which Queen Victoria ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom, and lasted until the first few years of the twentieth century. Often, in Victorian England its residents would be perpetrators of the ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ a crime that simply means the residents will be heavily acquainted with all the social graces and no one will truly know anyone’s intentions. His play satirizes the society’s “shallow mask of manner” in its moral customs, hence conceived a society estranged from its …show more content…
Ms Prism, who happens to be Cecily’s educator, teaches her many exceptional qualities. It’s in Cecily’s improving lessons one can see her passion and seriousness towards everything. “Child I don’t know where you get such ideas. They are certainly not in any of the improvement books that I have procured for you.” (Wilde 56) Also, from these positive and angelic attitudes it’s safe to say she’s the pinnacle of true Victorian morals. “Cecily let me entreat you of not to be led away by whatever superficial qualities this man possess.” The name “Ernest” vividly represents a pun on the word “earnest” which mean honest, truthful not deceitful and conniving and it was seldom shown in the “front running” characters. Nevertheless, the most sincere and candid love was depicted between Ms Prism and Dr Chasuble because they don’t observe marriage as a social tool of advancement but more of intellectual company. “Were I fortunate to be Ms Prism pupil I would hang upon her lips” (Wilde 35) Wilde also uses Lady Bracknell to “burst everyone’s bubble” and “to illuminate the cloak that shrouds” Jack’s problematic origin “You are the son of my poor sister, Algernon’s elder brother and your father was General Moncrieff. The eldest son should always be christened by the father.” (Wilde 91) In spite all of Jack’s lies he was earnest and ‘Ernest ‘at the
The Coquette The History Of Eliza Garnette Sparknotes
790 Words | 4 PagesThat insistence upon her own happiness at the cost of the disapproval of her friends is not seen as simply wanting to have a nice time in her life. It is seen as Wharton wanting to flirt and waste her time with parties. Lucy Freeman, Wharton’s best friend, describes her in The Coquette; or, the History of Eliza Wharton as “[meaning] to exhibit a few more girlish airs” before she gets married (Foster 595). Freemen very strongly disapproves of this inclination, particularly when she has her own opinions about who and when Wharton should marry. Wharton only pleases Freeman when she gives in and gets engaged to the man her friend
Analysis Of The Lesson By Miss Moore
752 Words | 4 PagesEveryday, she excels in her job of caring for the children and making a difference in the community. Due to her kindness she would always bring thoughtful gifts for the children. She doesn 't have to do the classes with the children everyday but she continues to do it like Sylvia says “school supposed to let out in the summer I heard, but she dont never let up” (Bambara 96). The lessons learned while earning her degree has lead her to becoming a positive role model in the children 's lives; nonetheless, teaching them lessons that may never learn from others. She shows her passion in the story by saying “she said, it was only her right that she take responsibility for the young ones’ education.
Classism In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
3890 Words | 16 PagesOscar Wilde wrote his plays against the backdrop of the Victorian English society. It therefore helps to discuss the salient aspects of the Victorian society. Victorian England is known for many paradoxes -- glaring contrasts between the rich and the poor, insistence on morality on the one hand and the practice of cynicism on the other, blooming creativity pitted against blatant constriction, imperial grandeur since Britain was then ruling almost one fifth of the total surface of the earth and domestic squalor since the majority of people did not have decent means of livelihood, and finally collectivity dictated by tradition opposed to the rapidly developing individualism. The class system denied the talented members of the lower classes access to social and economic advancement. The upper classes alone had the privilege of working in the government, the armed forces, and the church, while trade was monopolized by the rising middle class.
Literary Analysis Of Oscar Wilde's Impressions Of America
718 Words | 3 PagesThrough this satirical writing, Wilde uses comparison of beauty and industrialism and juxtaposition between compliments and criticism to paint American social values as backwards and unappealing in order to dispel the glamour of a romantic American culture.
Social Commentary In The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde
1121 Words | 5 PagesRelatively all authors are very fond of creating an underlying message to criticize society. Authors do this through social commentary. The book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is no exception. The author, Oscar Wilde, criticizes the upper class through the consistent underlying idea that people are often deceived by one's beauty and are unable to understand the poison that fills the world is corrupting it. From the beginning of this book, the social commentary towards the upper class begins with the structure of the novel.
The Importance Of Being Earnest Rhetorical Analysis
920 Words | 4 PagesWilde exaggerated the thoughts of Algernon to emphasize that they are unable to decide on their own without thinking of what the society would do. Algernon said how girls are “never” attracted to who they marrying, inferencing that even if someone said they were attracted to their spouse, they would be lying since it goes against the societal norms. While Miss Prism and Chasuble were talking, they both agreed marriage isn't really about love because in marriage,“ No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.” Chasuble- “And often, I’ve been told, not even to her” (63).
Men And Women In Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
1285 Words | 6 PagesThe play An Ideal Husband was written by Oscar Wilde in 1895 in England’s Victorian era. This era was characterised by sexual anarchy amongst men and women where the stringent boundaries that delineated the roles of both men and women were continually being challenged by threatening figures such as the New Woman represented by Mrs Cheveley and dandies such as Lord Goring(Showalter, 3). An Ideal Husband ultimately affirms Lord Goring’s notions about the inequality of the sexes because of the evident limitations placed on the mutability of identity for female characters versus their male counterparts (Madden, 5). These limitations will be further elaborated upon in the context of the patriarchal aspects of Victorian society which contributed to the failed attempts of blackmail by Mrs Cheveley, the manner in which women are trapped by their past and their delineated role of an “angel of truth and goodness” (Powell, 89).
Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde's Criticism On The Upper Class
1059 Words | 5 Pagesarch 2018 The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s Criticism on the Upper Class Using humor, cleverness, and style, Oscar Wilde illustrates the lives of the Victorian upper class in The Importance of Being Earnest. More specifically, the “Trivial Comedy for Serious People” reveals in a satirical manner the insignificant concerns of Great Britain’s aristocracy. In the introduction of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings, editor Richard Ellmann creates an overview of Wilde’s best known work.
How Does Elizabeth Bennet Influence Pride And Prejudice
819 Words | 4 PagesAfter the failure of Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth’s had no hope to find herself the perfect partner. As she learned more of Mr. Darcy’s life however, she found him more and more desirable. She learned of his generosity to all: friends, family, subordinates, peers, and especially those who worked for him and his wellbeing. She also saw his wealth on full display with a visit to his estate. At this moment, Elizabeth new she had fallen for the same man she had so strongly hated just weeks before.
Gender Roles In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
928 Words | 4 PagesWilde’s representation of the British upper class, its values and opinions, is presented most notably through Lady Augusta Bracknell. She is a dignified aristocratic residing fashionable London society circles. On the surface, she is very typical Victorian woman. As a mother to Gwendolen Fairfax, she has a great authority over her controlling her life. She has even a list of ”eligible young man” whom she is ready to interview in order to select a suitable partner for her daughter.
Identity In The Importance Of Being Earnest
1172 Words | 5 PagesThe purpose of The Importance of Being Earnest was to satirise the Victorian traditions, false courtesy, and the superficiality of status and the quest for love and marriage. These manifests itself in Jack through his superiority toward his foil, Algy, who doesn't adhere to social protocol, and his deluded hope for a life with Gwendolyn, whom Jack views as a solution to his problems and a way to heighten his status, not as a life partner. Furthermore, putting emphasis on his delusion and hypocrisy. The hyperbolic "we will be the picture of perfection", "That satisfaction will come when, and only when, I have Gwendolyn as my wife" and derisive "the irony of which was evidently, though not shockingly, lost on him" are reflections of this and create cohesion between the character in the play and the
Marriage In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
1653 Words | 7 PagesOscar Wilde’s Victorian melodramatic play The Importance of Being Earnest opened on February 14, 1895. Wilde used this play to criticize Victorian society through clever phrasing and satire. Throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde displayed the themes of the nature of marriage, the constraints of morality, and the importance of not being earnest. One of the themes that Oscar Wilde includes in the play is the nature of marriage.
Aestheticism In The Importance Of Being Earnest
1044 Words | 5 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde is an excellent play which has many underlying themes and suggestions especially with regards to the Victorian era, during which this was written. Many themes within the play are reflective of Wilde and his life, including his secrecy and supposed “double life,” his interest in aestheticism, his life pertaining the mannerisms and social etiquette during his lifetime. Today, Oscar Wilde is often remembered in part due to his well known homosexuality trial of 1895 (Linderd, 1), but his “second life” per se had been speculated on for years prior to it, in fact many of his plays contain subtle yet effective implications towards a possible piece of his life kept hidden from the public eye. The Importance of Being Earnest mirrored this double life through the utilization of Jack and Algernon's “Bunburying,” and their motives for lying to the ones whom they love.
Hedonism In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
1283 Words | 6 PagesWilde is greatly influenced by the societal movements in the Victorian Era, therefore the theme of hedonism is prominent displaying the influence of Aestheticism in The Picture of Dorian Gray and further explaining the consequences of selfishness and self-pleasure. The Aestheticism movement shockingly challenged all past standards of love, pleasure, and sexuality. Specifically this Victorian movement “promotes sexual… experimentation. ”(Burdett)
The Importance Of Being Ernest
712 Words | 3 Pages“The Importance of Being Earnest” is a play by Oscar Wilde, set in the late 1800’s. The actors are upper class citizens who are very self-absorbed. Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing are both smooth and deviant characters, and have “alter egos”. Cecily Cardrew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both upper class young ladies who are looking for love. Working together but separate all the same time, sets off this comical lovers quarrel.
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