Theme Of Comedy In The Importance Of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde, conforms to a traditional comedy of manners including its use of verbal wit spoken by stock characters that hardly have any depth to them. This allows Wilde to poke fun at the Victorian upper classes by exposing their ridiculous and hypocritical views on society.
A typical trait in a comedy of manners is exploring the theme of love and marriage which inevitably leads to conflict between the characters2. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the otherwise slow moving plot is accelerated by various scenes of conflict, for example Lady Bracknell’s consistent disapproval of Jack. During her interview with Jack held in the first act, Lady Bracknell is quick to ridicule herself as a result of her obvious hypocrisy in not
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Accordingly, in Wilde’s play, the characters hardly have erratic physical movements, not even in scenes of conflict where tension is highest, for example during the interview and catfight scenes respectively, these heated conversations are held sitting down often whilst eating. In the play, the dialogue is dominated by light hearted witty remarks. For example, Algernon and Lane’s conversation in the opening scene of act 1.
Algernon: Why is I that at a bachelor’s establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.
Lane: I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.
Algernon: Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that? (Wilde. 1)
In this exchange Algernon and Lane both link the quality of the wine as being related life after marriage, which Algernon sees as restraining his freedom. In addition to this Cecily and Gwendolen engage in repartee3 during their quarrel over the imaginary
Theme Of Conflict In A Raisin In The Sun And Fences
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Use Of Thoughtful Laughter In Jane Austen's 'Pride And Prejudice'
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Religion In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray
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Animals In Streetcar Named Desire
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Marxism In The Importance Of Being Earnest
919 Words | 4 PagesHow and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In his play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895, London St. James’ theater), Oscar Wilde portrays the attitudes and society of Victorian upper class through character interactions within the ‘Bunburyist’ adventures of Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing. The play’s comedic elements, in addition to the portrayal of power structures, are used as an effective medium to challenge the viewer to reflect upon Wilde’s criticism on institutions and values of the aristocracy. In conjunction to this, deeper analysis can be conducteds about marriage in Victorian aristocracy and their attitudes to members of other social groups.
Classism In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
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Hills Like White Elephant Symbolism Analysis
1012 Words | 5 PagesThe symbolic part of the alcohol is that it is the only functioning part of their relationship. It gives the couple a short-term relief from their real life problems and realities. A quote that really stands out to me is when the women
The Importance Of Being Earnest Rhetorical Analysis
920 Words | 4 PagesIn act III, Lady Bracknell admitted to knowing Jack is Algernon's cousin:”Yes, I remember now that the general was called Ernest. I knew I had some particular reason for disliking the name” (108). Lady Bracknell had a sense
Love And Love In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
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Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde's Criticism On The Upper Class
1059 Words | 5 PagesDescribing how the play differs from the Irishman’s other writings, Ellmann assesses, “What seems clear is that Wilde has turned here from direct onslaughts upon conventional morality to a more olympian amusement” (xviii). Wilde utilizes
Gender Roles In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
928 Words | 4 PagesOscar Wilde’s satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest, set in the late Victorian era, London, is a portrayal of British upper class society and its conventions surrounded by a strict code of conduct. In 1890’s class society, earnestness was desired; to follow the moral code and social obligations in order to keep up one’s appearance. Besides, there was a huge gender disparity between men and women. In the play, Wilde criticizes the social inequality and Victorian upper class standards. He characterizes Victorian personae making fun of their qualities; hypocrisy, arrogance and absurdism, ultimately the very vital state and lifeline of not being earnest at all in Victorian society.
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 PagesShe is being a hypocrite because her marriage to Lord Bracknell was mainly because of his money. In addition, Lady Bracknell encouraged Cecily to marry Algernon because of money alone, but that wasn’t enough for Jack to marry Gwendolen (Litcharts, Hypocrisy). However, after she discovered Jack was in fact well-born she no longer questioned his sincerity. Also, the issue on who was really “Ernest” was another form of hypocrisy. “Neither Jack nor Algernon is ‘really’ earnest or Ernest, and the fact that they can both become Ernest, one by a late baptism and one by reverting to an identity lost in infancy, suggests that their being seen as or deemed earnest is as much a matter of appearance and acceptance as their being deemed Ernest, that is, a matter of hypocrisy (Byrne
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.
The Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Analysis
1876 Words | 8 PagesThis essay illustrates how Wilde reinforce his criticism of the upper class at a satirical tone with his writing style at three levels: inter-scene, intra-scene, and within a word. Satire at the inter-scene level The use of fake identities is one of the motifs of the play. The use of motif is important to
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