The Importance of Being Earnest

Satire and Humor

    

"The Importance of Being Earnest" is a play by Oscar Wilde, set in the late 1800's.
His actors are playing upper class citizens who are very self-absorbed. The play is
set amongst upper class, wealthy people. They appear not to work and are concerned
with their own pleasure. Nothing is taken seriously except trivial things.
The importance of being Earnest
    

 

Jack Worthing live with Cecily and her governess in country He decided to go to
London and he introduced himself as Ernest He met his friend Algernon and his
cousin Gwendolen Fairfax He asks to the Lady to marry him Algernon who has
discovered the double identity of Jack went to his house and seduced Cecily
introducing his self as Ernest Jack tells to Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother,
that he is a foundling and she opposed to the marriage Cecily and Gwendolen became
friends and discovered that the two men have lied on their own identity Cecily’s
governess resolved the situation: she reveals that
Characters



 

Jack/Ernest Worthing is a responsible and respectable young man who leads a double
life. Algernon Moncrieff is the cousin of Gwendolen Fairfax and best friend of Jack
Gwendolen Fairfax is in love with Jack whom she knows as Ernest. Cecily Cardew is
Jack’s ward, the granddaughter of the old gentlemen who found and adopted Jack when
he was a baby. Lady Bracknell Gwendolen's mother who opposed to Jack and Gwendolen
marriage.
Themes


 

The Nature of Marriage The Constraints of Morality Hypocrisy vs. Inventiveness The
Importance of Not Being “Earnest”
  

Trivia is given more relevance that it deserves: Examples: 1. Algernon Moncrieff

talks about absurdly trivially nonsense with a complete irrelevance, as when
talking about the importance of science, he asks, "Have you got the cucumber
sandwiches".


2. Algernon and Jack Worthing are worrying about the town and the country. Algernon
asks Jack why he is in the country, when, as Jack would think, town is the 'in' and
elite place to be. Jack, says truthfully responding, "When one is in town one
amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people."
Jack and Algernon have created false characters:  Jack – his “brother” Ernest,
whom he calls “a very useful younger brother.”  Algernon – his “friend” Bunbury –
“a very valuable permanent invalid.”
  

 

Wilde satirizes society mothers through Lady Bracknell She is controlling No

arguing about anything with her – do as you’re told! She is extremely concerned
with social status and appearances – doesn’t want her daughter to be married to a
“parcel” found in a handbag! She is a snob Doesn’t consider Jack/Ernest to be good
enough for her daughter.


Wilde mocks his characters obsession with social status and money. Example: Once
she finds out that Cecily is extremely rich, she is all for her marrying Algernon.
Humor in the play:


His techniques include:


     

Play on words (puns), reversing popular sayings, mocks marriage and Aristocracy,
reverses expectations, satirising women, plots are based on ridiculous, satirising
snobbery co-incidences.
Examples of this humor are:


"Produce your explanation and pray make it improbable." This changes the common
phrase of 'Produce your explanation and pray make it probable'. "The truth is
rarely pure and never simple." This changes the phrase from of 'The truth is pure
and simple'. "It is simple washing one's own clean linen in public." This is
changed from 'It is simple washing one's dirty linen in public'.