Being Earnest Essay Questions

1. What is satirised by Wilde in ‘The Importance of being Earnest’?

The Victorian way of life. The customs of the middle and upper class and the strict social conventions concerning social events, the church, marriage and love.

2. Why ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is considered a comedy of manners?

Because it makes fun of the mannerisms of the upper class people and their strict code of conduct.

3. What aspects of ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ are farcical?

“A farce is a light dramatic work in which highly unbelievable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect.” This pretty much defines the whole play. The main characters are very over-the-top and there is a
However they can’t go out under false names as they are women and it just isn’t the done thing. And so write about their lives in a diary and (In Cecily’s case at least) extend the truth a lot about what is really happening.

4. How do we see the Victorian role of women through these two characters?

Both girls are treated as property. To be used and sold by their guardians and to-be husbands. Mrs Bracknell (Gwendolyn’s mother) is using her daughter to better her own social position. And Mr Worthing uses Cecily (his ward) as a tool to get Lady Bracknell to agree to his marrying Gwendolyn. Neither is particularly concerned with the girl’s own happiness. It therefore appears that women in Victorian Society weren’t really people, they were to be nice decorations and to do as they were told, not that many of them agreed with this.

5. Are these girls all that they appear?

I believe both girls are caught up in the superficial aristocratic life portrayed in the play. But have a hidden depth to them that they try to bring forth but are prevented to do so by the strict code of conduct enforced upon them. On the surface they are shallow, young women concerned with appearances but beneath that they are people who want to have a happy life and to marry for
What representation of the working class is offered by the two characters?
They are treated poorly by their superiors but know everything that goes on in the household. They often cover for their masters/mistresses whenever a lie is told. For example when Algernon claims that he ordered cucumber sandwiches and they didn’t arrive, when in fact he ate them. Lane then goes along with the story and pretends that there weren’t any cucumbers. He could of course have said that he put some out but then he would probably lose his job.

Double Lives:
Describe How ‘double lives’ are explored in the play.

A ‘double life’ is when a person goes about with a false name and lives two lives, so to speak. Often they would use their false name to partake in activities they couldn’t do as themselves as it may be frowned upon by their friends or illegal or just not expected of their status. Jack goes by the name Earnest in the city, so he can do whatever he likes and it won’t be traced back to the real him. This was very common in Victorian times as strict codes of conduct meant that people needed a double life, so that they could have any fun. The playwright – Oscar Wilde, enjoyed this idea as it undermines the very nature of the upper and middle classes. They create these strict rules for themselves and then break them in