The Importance Of Being Earnest Data Sheet Analysis
Vanessa Romero
Ap Lit
Data Sheet: The Importance of being Earnest
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Date of Publication: October 4, 2010
Pages: 106
ISBN Number: 9780415043687
Genre: Social Comedy
Biographical Information about the Author:
The famous writer, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, was born October 16, 1854 and died
November 30, 1900, but not before many of his works were published and recognised by many. Oscars father, William Wilde, was a doctor who founded St. Marks Ophthalmic Hospital at his own expense to treat the unfortunate. His mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a poet who did countless things that inspired Oscar to write. But Oscar had to earn his success like many others. He graduated from Enniskillen in 1871, with a …show more content…
Royal School Scholarship to Trinity College in Dublin, where he wrote the poem 'Ravenna' that won the new debate prize for best english verse composed by an Oxford undergraduate. After he finished school, Oscar moved to London with his friend Frank Miles. During this time he focused on writing poetry; publishing, in
1881, a book of his poems setting him up as an upandcoming writer. Oscar then went on a lecture tour where he met scholars and figures who inspired and helped him with his writing. On May 29, 1884 he married a wealthy Englishwoman Constance Lloyd. They had two sons; Cyril (1885), and Vyvyan (1886). He was then hired to run a magazine named 'Lady's World'. His next seven years became the years he went on a writing strike where he published his greatest works: the Happy Prince, And Other Tales, The Importance of being Earnest, Intentions, The Picture of Dorian Grey, and Lady Windermere's Fan. The Importance of being Earnest being his most famous play, and The Picture of Dorian Grey as his most famous Novel ever published. Also during those seven years Oscar had an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, whose father found out and wrote Oscar a rude meaningful note on the subject. Oscar found it very disturbing and ended up suing Alfred's father for libel. The decision to sue his father was a big mistake on Oscars side. The case flipped around on him and he ended up in prison for two years for "gross indecency"; for being gay. After
Oscars release in 1897 he lived very poorly, but still published one last book, 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'. It was a book about his experiences while in prison. He died three years later at the age of forty six in Paris,
France. These days Oscar Wilde is known for his most famous play and novel. His imprisonment was also an important part in history putting him on the timelines. These three things are the things that make Oscar wilde. MLA Citation:
"." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 8 July 2014.
<http://www.biography.com/people/oscarwilde9531078>.
Historical Information about the period of publication: (with MLA citation)
The Importance of Being Earnest was written in 1893 and 1894. It was later first performed
February 14, 1895, and published 1899. During this time France had recovered from the FrancoGerman
War of 18701871. France had a rapid industrial growth of iron, and crude steel. And one last important fact about France was French banks invested abroad, The Trans Siberian Railroad being one of the investments. MLA Citation:
"WHKMLA : History of France, The Economy 18901914." WHKMLA : History of France, The
Economy 18901914. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2014.
<http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/france/france18901914ec.html>.
Characteristics of the Genre:
The social comedy genre is most famous for making its storylines about lies and mistaken identities, leading to an ironic ending that makes you laugh about how it all played out.
Plot Summary: In act I Jack Worthing is a pillar in Hertfordshire who has created a fake brother named
Ernest, who gives him an excuse to leave and do as he pleases every once in a while using Earnest as his name elsewhere. Jack shows up at his best friends house, Algernon, intending to marry Algernon's cousin
Gwendolen Fairfax who Jack is in love with. Algernon knows Jack as Earnest, but starts to suspect things once he finds that Jacks cigarette case is made out to “uncle Jack” from “little Cecily”. Algernon uncovers
Jacks lie and Jack comes clean with him telling him about his fake brother and how he plans to kill Earnest because Cecily has been showing interest in him. Jack explains Cecily to Algernon, not Intending to make him interested in her.Gwendolen and her mother Lady Bracknell arrive. Jack and Gwendolen talk and Jack discovers that she shares his love and that she is fond of his name Earnest and she would not consider marrying a man who was not named Earnest. Lady Bracknell Interviews Jack to determine if he is eligible to marry her daughter. She asks about his family background. He explains he has no idea who his family was and that he was found by a man who adopted him, in a handbag at Victorias Train Station. Lady Bracknell is shocked and forbids the marriage and her and Gwendolen leave the house.
In Act II, Algernon shows up at Jacks house in the country posing as his brother Earnest. Meanwhile
Jack has said that his brother has died suddenly in Paris. He is angered to find Algernon pretending to be
Earnest his supposed to be dead brother, but plays along for his own sake. As Jack changes his clothes,
Algernon has fallen in love with Cecily and purposes. He is surprised when he hears that she already considers them to be engaged. After hearing about Earnest she started a fake romance between them.
Cecily also expressed that the name Earnest is precious and she wouldn't marry another without that name.
Algernon and Jack then search for Dr. Chasuble, the local rector to get christened to the name Earnest without each other knowing so. Meanwhile Gwendolen arrives to pay Jack an unexpected visit. Gwendolen learns about Cecily being “Mr. Worthings ward”. She expresses not knowing of Earnests ward. Cecily expresses that she is not Earnests, but his brother, Jacks, and in fact she is engaged to Earnest. They then become at war with each other trying to convince the other of their wrong doing. Jack and Algernon arrive.
The girls inform the men and Cecily informs Gwendolen that her fiance is named jack, and Gwendolen informs Cecily that her fiance is named Algernon. They demand to know where Earnest is. Jack admits
Earnest is fake. The girls leave the room together.
Act III is in the same room that the girls left to. The girls confront the boys about their reasoning for lying. When both of the boys say it was to see them they are forgiven, but the name is still of concern. They then inform the girls about their christening and all is forgiven. Lady Bracknell arrives and demands to know what is going on. Gwendolen tells her of her engagement and it is still forbidden. Algernon (her nephew) expresses his engagement to Cecily. Lady Bracknell approves once informed of Cecily's inheritance once of age. Jack informs Lady Bracknell that as Cecily's guardian her refuses marriage until she comes of age at thirty five. She asks him to reconsider. Jack says Cecily will have his consent once Lady Bracknell gives hers for him and Gwendolen. She refuses. Dr. Chasuble arrives and mentions Cecily's governess, Miss
Prism. She is sent for and brought in. Miss Prism is recognised as the girl who left Lady Bracknell's sisters house with a baby and never returned. She demands to know where the baby is. Miss Prism confesses she doesn't know, she explains she accidentally placed the baby in a handbag where she meant to place a manuscript of her novel. It is then discovered that Jack was the baby in the handbag. Jack is Lady
Bracknell's sisters son, and Algernon's older brother. He is then informed that his christened name was
Earnest John, after his father. Jack had been telling the truth. His name is Earnest and he did have a younger brother.
Authors style:
The writing of Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest is very knowledgeable. He often uses a twist of words in his characters conversations.
Oscars language is written as one would speak in the 181900's giving the audience a sort of ancient, special, organised feeling. He also used great theories to help demonstrate the situation present.
Example demonstrating the authors style:
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility." (Act l, Scene l, 25)
Memorable Quotations with an explanation of the significance:
1>“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
This Quote is very descriptive of this play. Lying is a very big part throughout the storyline. The main characters maintain a double identity that leads them to get tangled up in a lie with the women they intend on marrying. In the end lying is what uncovered the truth about a character. It turned out that he was not lying, just got his facts wrong. The truth is not always clear, and it is never simple enough. 2>”If one plays good music, people don’t listen, and if one plays bad music, people don't talk.”
This Quote is not exactly connected to the storyline as much as others might be, but it is connected to life in general. When people hear what might come pleasant to the ear they don't exactly listen as …show more content…
closely and don't enjoy it as much as they could. When people hear something unpleasant to the ear, they tend to listen more closely out of curiosity and embarrassment. In the end of the play Jack learns of his Christened name; Earnest. When he listens close enough he finds that the well played lie he has been living so comfortably with has been played truthfully and that is why he felt so comfortable in its presence. 3>“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.”
Lady Bracknell says this when she is interviewing Jack to see if he is worthy of marrying her daughter. This applies to her in every aspect. Lady Bracknell is a very proper lady and she acts very
‘natural’. She seems to be uptight and for her it must be hard to remain the way she is. For Lady Bracknell, being natural is hard to keep up, but with every conversation and expression she very well does it. 4>”Is it a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth.” In the end of the play it is revealed that there has been truth to the indentity that Jack makes up.
Jack was origanally christianed after his biological father as Earnest. Earnest being his second identity. To
Jacks surprise he has been telling part of a lie, and part of the truth. 5>” Well i can’t eat muffins in a agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them.”
Jack is mad at Algernon for the situation he has gotten them into by coming to his house and putting them in a situation where both are decieving the women they intend to marry. They both argue over the muffins that are laid out and it is discovered that they both have gone to Dr.Chasuble to be Christianed to the name Earnest. 6>”To speak frankly. I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which i think is never advisable.”
Back in the days people where engaged sooner than later. The importance of being earnest is a play where people fall in love fast and are engaged even before meeting one another. Engagements are a big symbol in this play. Character Descriptions for all of the major characters and several minor characters:
Character
Role in story
Significance
Adjectives
Jack Worthing
Jack is a respectable man who lives a double life in order to get away sometimes. In london he is known as Earnest and at home he is known as Jack. As a baby he was left at a train station in a handbag that he kept forever. He is a guardian to Cecily Cardew.
He is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax and strives to get her mother to agree to their marriage until he is caught in his life which in the end turns out to be the truth. Jack plays an important part in learning what the importance of being Earnest really is through his journey to find love. Respectable
Liar
Algernon
Moncrieff
Algernon is a man of mystery. He is Jack's best friend, but knows him as Earnest and guilts Jack into telling him the truth about who he really is. And after hearing about Jacks ward, Cecily, he endures a trip to the country where he finds her and claims to be
Jacks brother, Earnest. He falls in love with her and purposes. He only hopes they can get married when she figures out that his name is not Earnest.
Algernon plays a key in uncovering the truth behind
‘Earnest’. He is the one who starts uncovering the truth of Jack.
Irresponsible
Liar
Gwendolen
Fairfax
Gwendolen is the young daughter of Lady Bracknell who accepts the proposal of Jack under his name
Earnest. She feels deceived after finding out that she is not engaged to Earnest and in fact he does not exist, but she is in fact engaged to Mr Jack Worthing, a country man. She later forgives him after finding out that he only used that name to further interest her.
Gwendolen is there in finding the truth behind what happened to
Jack as a young kid. If they wouldn't have fallen in love they wouldn't have met Lady
Bracknell.
Beautiful
Fair
Smart
Cecily Cardew
Cecily is the young ward to Jack after h er grandfather died. Her grandfather was the man who found Jack and adopted him.
She is eighteen years old and has been fascinated with her uncle
Jacks ‘Brother’ Ernest ever since Jack started talking about him. She created a fake romance with him in her diary and is excited when algernon shows up pretending to be him. She accepts his proposal and reacts the same as gwendolen does when she finds out that she is not engaged to Earnest, but Algernon instead. She also forgives him and hopes to marry him. Cecily is there to send confusion to the other character of the story about
Earnest.
Beautiful
Young
Smart
Lady Bracknell
Lady Bracknell is the mother to Gwendolen and the aunt to Algernon. She is a very concerned women about her family and interviews Jack when he wants to marry Gwendolen. She denies them marriage because she wants her daughter to marry a wealthy man who can provide well for her.
Lady Bracknell is the connection between Jacks past and future. Older
Stubborn
Dr. Chasuble
Dr. Chasuble is the local rector who Jack and
Algernon go to so that they can get rechristened under the name Earnest to make sure their girls marry them.
He is the one who mentions
Miss Prism to the people who is connected
to the truth behind Earnest.
Responsible
Respectable
Religious
Miss Prism
Miss Prism is Cecily’s governess who was recognized by Lady Bracknell as the women who took her sisters baby and never returned. She admits to not knowing what happened to the baby. The last she remembers was she misplaced the baby in her handbag where she meant to place her novel, at a train station. It is later discovered that the baby was Jack.
Miss Prism Is responsible for
Uncovering
where Jack comes from, and uncovers the truth behind the name Earnest.
Irresponsible
Forgetting
Setting: This play starts off at Algernon Moncrieff Flat in HalfMoon Street, W.. This is Act 1 where we get the background of the characters, and the reasoning behind why Jack lies about his name. It then moves onto Act 2 in the garden at the Manor House. This is where the plot thickens and gets into more details about the emotions connected in this play. Gwendolen and Cecily are hurt because they have been lied to and deceived. The last scene in Act 3 would be at the DrawingRoom at the Manor House, where the girls have retired to after they left the guys alone. This concludes the play and settles the misconceptions leading to solutions and the end of the play showing the importance of being Earnest.
Significance of the opening scene: In the opening scene we discover the background of the name
Earnest. It is held at Algernons house where he discovers Jacks lie. This scene is particularly important in the play because we get a feel for the characters. They live in a rich part of the community and are blessed to have servants and more. Algernons house is where Jack comes sometimes when he feels like getting away from his life for a while. He comes under the name Earnest. Algernon is where Jack fully lives his double life. This House is a getaway for Jack. This is why opening the play where ‘Earnest’ is at play is important for the audiences understanding.
Significance of the ending/closing scene: The play ends on the countryside in Jacks Manor house. This is where we find out the truth behind everything. Cecily is responsible for the truth coming out in the first place. This is the place that everyone gathers together and where the confusion ends. You could call it the house of truth if you will. Jack is the one who started the identity of Earnest and it seems fit that in Jacks house only that the Identity should be revealed. Symbols:
Symbol
Significance
Love
Truth
The Handbag
Themes:
The Nature of Marriage
The Constraints of Morality
The Importance of Not Being ‘Earnest’
Years this text was represented on the AP exam:
2002, 2006
The name Earnest began as an alibi for Jack to get out of town and turned into a name both Jack and
Algernon used to get the interest of two ladies.
Both these ladies expressed that they wouldn't dream about marrying a guy without the name of
Earnest. Love caused these guys to lie further and further until they had to tell the truth in order to save that same love.
Truth has been another underlying significance in this play. Truth is something that the men in this play do not understand. When Jack was lying about his brother named Earnest, the lie was not a huge deal. It became a huge deal once they decided to use the name more often. It then went further once they found out that their finances wouldn't marry them if their name wasn't Earnest.
In the end it all turned out fine, and they found that the truth is sometimes a good thing to speak.
The handbag became very important in Jack's life.
Jack was abandoned in a handbag at a train station where he was found and adopted. This same handbag was kept in his closet as he grew up. At the end of this play, that handbag is proof that he was the same baby that Miss Prism left at a train station on accident. This handbag identified
Jack as Algernon's older brother and Lady
Bracknell's nephew.
Ap Lit
Data Sheet: The Importance of being Earnest
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Date of Publication: October 4, 2010
Pages: 106
ISBN Number: 9780415043687
Genre: Social Comedy
Biographical Information about the Author:
The famous writer, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, was born October 16, 1854 and died
November 30, 1900, but not before many of his works were published and recognised by many. Oscars father, William Wilde, was a doctor who founded St. Marks Ophthalmic Hospital at his own expense to treat the unfortunate. His mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a poet who did countless things that inspired Oscar to write. But Oscar had to earn his success like many others. He graduated from Enniskillen in 1871, with a …show more content…
Royal School Scholarship to Trinity College in Dublin, where he wrote the poem 'Ravenna' that won the new debate prize for best english verse composed by an Oxford undergraduate. After he finished school, Oscar moved to London with his friend Frank Miles. During this time he focused on writing poetry; publishing, in
1881, a book of his poems setting him up as an upandcoming writer. Oscar then went on a lecture tour where he met scholars and figures who inspired and helped him with his writing. On May 29, 1884 he married a wealthy Englishwoman Constance Lloyd. They had two sons; Cyril (1885), and Vyvyan (1886). He was then hired to run a magazine named 'Lady's World'. His next seven years became the years he went on a writing strike where he published his greatest works: the Happy Prince, And Other Tales, The Importance of being Earnest, Intentions, The Picture of Dorian Grey, and Lady Windermere's Fan. The Importance of being Earnest being his most famous play, and The Picture of Dorian Grey as his most famous Novel ever published. Also during those seven years Oscar had an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, whose father found out and wrote Oscar a rude meaningful note on the subject. Oscar found it very disturbing and ended up suing Alfred's father for libel. The decision to sue his father was a big mistake on Oscars side. The case flipped around on him and he ended up in prison for two years for "gross indecency"; for being gay. After
Oscars release in 1897 he lived very poorly, but still published one last book, 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'. It was a book about his experiences while in prison. He died three years later at the age of forty six in Paris,
France. These days Oscar Wilde is known for his most famous play and novel. His imprisonment was also an important part in history putting him on the timelines. These three things are the things that make Oscar wilde. MLA Citation:
"." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 8 July 2014.
<http://www.biography.com/people/oscarwilde9531078>.
Historical Information about the period of publication: (with MLA citation)
The Importance of Being Earnest was written in 1893 and 1894. It was later first performed
February 14, 1895, and published 1899. During this time France had recovered from the FrancoGerman
War of 18701871. France had a rapid industrial growth of iron, and crude steel. And one last important fact about France was French banks invested abroad, The Trans Siberian Railroad being one of the investments. MLA Citation:
"WHKMLA : History of France, The Economy 18901914." WHKMLA : History of France, The
Economy 18901914. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2014.
<http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/france/france18901914ec.html>.
Characteristics of the Genre:
The social comedy genre is most famous for making its storylines about lies and mistaken identities, leading to an ironic ending that makes you laugh about how it all played out.
Plot Summary: In act I Jack Worthing is a pillar in Hertfordshire who has created a fake brother named
Ernest, who gives him an excuse to leave and do as he pleases every once in a while using Earnest as his name elsewhere. Jack shows up at his best friends house, Algernon, intending to marry Algernon's cousin
Gwendolen Fairfax who Jack is in love with. Algernon knows Jack as Earnest, but starts to suspect things once he finds that Jacks cigarette case is made out to “uncle Jack” from “little Cecily”. Algernon uncovers
Jacks lie and Jack comes clean with him telling him about his fake brother and how he plans to kill Earnest because Cecily has been showing interest in him. Jack explains Cecily to Algernon, not Intending to make him interested in her.Gwendolen and her mother Lady Bracknell arrive. Jack and Gwendolen talk and Jack discovers that she shares his love and that she is fond of his name Earnest and she would not consider marrying a man who was not named Earnest. Lady Bracknell Interviews Jack to determine if he is eligible to marry her daughter. She asks about his family background. He explains he has no idea who his family was and that he was found by a man who adopted him, in a handbag at Victorias Train Station. Lady Bracknell is shocked and forbids the marriage and her and Gwendolen leave the house.
In Act II, Algernon shows up at Jacks house in the country posing as his brother Earnest. Meanwhile
Jack has said that his brother has died suddenly in Paris. He is angered to find Algernon pretending to be
Earnest his supposed to be dead brother, but plays along for his own sake. As Jack changes his clothes,
Algernon has fallen in love with Cecily and purposes. He is surprised when he hears that she already considers them to be engaged. After hearing about Earnest she started a fake romance between them.
Cecily also expressed that the name Earnest is precious and she wouldn't marry another without that name.
Algernon and Jack then search for Dr. Chasuble, the local rector to get christened to the name Earnest without each other knowing so. Meanwhile Gwendolen arrives to pay Jack an unexpected visit. Gwendolen learns about Cecily being “Mr. Worthings ward”. She expresses not knowing of Earnests ward. Cecily expresses that she is not Earnests, but his brother, Jacks, and in fact she is engaged to Earnest. They then become at war with each other trying to convince the other of their wrong doing. Jack and Algernon arrive.
The girls inform the men and Cecily informs Gwendolen that her fiance is named jack, and Gwendolen informs Cecily that her fiance is named Algernon. They demand to know where Earnest is. Jack admits
Earnest is fake. The girls leave the room together.
Act III is in the same room that the girls left to. The girls confront the boys about their reasoning for lying. When both of the boys say it was to see them they are forgiven, but the name is still of concern. They then inform the girls about their christening and all is forgiven. Lady Bracknell arrives and demands to know what is going on. Gwendolen tells her of her engagement and it is still forbidden. Algernon (her nephew) expresses his engagement to Cecily. Lady Bracknell approves once informed of Cecily's inheritance once of age. Jack informs Lady Bracknell that as Cecily's guardian her refuses marriage until she comes of age at thirty five. She asks him to reconsider. Jack says Cecily will have his consent once Lady Bracknell gives hers for him and Gwendolen. She refuses. Dr. Chasuble arrives and mentions Cecily's governess, Miss
Prism. She is sent for and brought in. Miss Prism is recognised as the girl who left Lady Bracknell's sisters house with a baby and never returned. She demands to know where the baby is. Miss Prism confesses she doesn't know, she explains she accidentally placed the baby in a handbag where she meant to place a manuscript of her novel. It is then discovered that Jack was the baby in the handbag. Jack is Lady
Bracknell's sisters son, and Algernon's older brother. He is then informed that his christened name was
Earnest John, after his father. Jack had been telling the truth. His name is Earnest and he did have a younger brother.
Authors style:
The writing of Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest is very knowledgeable. He often uses a twist of words in his characters conversations.
Oscars language is written as one would speak in the 181900's giving the audience a sort of ancient, special, organised feeling. He also used great theories to help demonstrate the situation present.
Example demonstrating the authors style:
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility." (Act l, Scene l, 25)
Memorable Quotations with an explanation of the significance:
1>“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
This Quote is very descriptive of this play. Lying is a very big part throughout the storyline. The main characters maintain a double identity that leads them to get tangled up in a lie with the women they intend on marrying. In the end lying is what uncovered the truth about a character. It turned out that he was not lying, just got his facts wrong. The truth is not always clear, and it is never simple enough. 2>”If one plays good music, people don’t listen, and if one plays bad music, people don't talk.”
This Quote is not exactly connected to the storyline as much as others might be, but it is connected to life in general. When people hear what might come pleasant to the ear they don't exactly listen as …show more content…
closely and don't enjoy it as much as they could. When people hear something unpleasant to the ear, they tend to listen more closely out of curiosity and embarrassment. In the end of the play Jack learns of his Christened name; Earnest. When he listens close enough he finds that the well played lie he has been living so comfortably with has been played truthfully and that is why he felt so comfortable in its presence. 3>“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.”
Lady Bracknell says this when she is interviewing Jack to see if he is worthy of marrying her daughter. This applies to her in every aspect. Lady Bracknell is a very proper lady and she acts very
‘natural’. She seems to be uptight and for her it must be hard to remain the way she is. For Lady Bracknell, being natural is hard to keep up, but with every conversation and expression she very well does it. 4>”Is it a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth.” In the end of the play it is revealed that there has been truth to the indentity that Jack makes up.
Jack was origanally christianed after his biological father as Earnest. Earnest being his second identity. To
Jacks surprise he has been telling part of a lie, and part of the truth. 5>” Well i can’t eat muffins in a agitated manner. The butter would probably get on my cuffs. One should always eat muffins quite calmly. It is the only way to eat them.”
Jack is mad at Algernon for the situation he has gotten them into by coming to his house and putting them in a situation where both are decieving the women they intend to marry. They both argue over the muffins that are laid out and it is discovered that they both have gone to Dr.Chasuble to be Christianed to the name Earnest. 6>”To speak frankly. I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage, which i think is never advisable.”
Back in the days people where engaged sooner than later. The importance of being earnest is a play where people fall in love fast and are engaged even before meeting one another. Engagements are a big symbol in this play. Character Descriptions for all of the major characters and several minor characters:
Character
Role in story
Significance
Adjectives
Jack Worthing
Jack is a respectable man who lives a double life in order to get away sometimes. In london he is known as Earnest and at home he is known as Jack. As a baby he was left at a train station in a handbag that he kept forever. He is a guardian to Cecily Cardew.
He is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax and strives to get her mother to agree to their marriage until he is caught in his life which in the end turns out to be the truth. Jack plays an important part in learning what the importance of being Earnest really is through his journey to find love. Respectable
Liar
Algernon
Moncrieff
Algernon is a man of mystery. He is Jack's best friend, but knows him as Earnest and guilts Jack into telling him the truth about who he really is. And after hearing about Jacks ward, Cecily, he endures a trip to the country where he finds her and claims to be
Jacks brother, Earnest. He falls in love with her and purposes. He only hopes they can get married when she figures out that his name is not Earnest.
Algernon plays a key in uncovering the truth behind
‘Earnest’. He is the one who starts uncovering the truth of Jack.
Irresponsible
Liar
Gwendolen
Fairfax
Gwendolen is the young daughter of Lady Bracknell who accepts the proposal of Jack under his name
Earnest. She feels deceived after finding out that she is not engaged to Earnest and in fact he does not exist, but she is in fact engaged to Mr Jack Worthing, a country man. She later forgives him after finding out that he only used that name to further interest her.
Gwendolen is there in finding the truth behind what happened to
Jack as a young kid. If they wouldn't have fallen in love they wouldn't have met Lady
Bracknell.
Beautiful
Fair
Smart
Cecily Cardew
Cecily is the young ward to Jack after h er grandfather died. Her grandfather was the man who found Jack and adopted him.
She is eighteen years old and has been fascinated with her uncle
Jacks ‘Brother’ Ernest ever since Jack started talking about him. She created a fake romance with him in her diary and is excited when algernon shows up pretending to be him. She accepts his proposal and reacts the same as gwendolen does when she finds out that she is not engaged to Earnest, but Algernon instead. She also forgives him and hopes to marry him. Cecily is there to send confusion to the other character of the story about
Earnest.
Beautiful
Young
Smart
Lady Bracknell
Lady Bracknell is the mother to Gwendolen and the aunt to Algernon. She is a very concerned women about her family and interviews Jack when he wants to marry Gwendolen. She denies them marriage because she wants her daughter to marry a wealthy man who can provide well for her.
Lady Bracknell is the connection between Jacks past and future. Older
Stubborn
Dr. Chasuble
Dr. Chasuble is the local rector who Jack and
Algernon go to so that they can get rechristened under the name Earnest to make sure their girls marry them.
He is the one who mentions
Miss Prism to the people who is connected
to the truth behind Earnest.
Responsible
Respectable
Religious
Miss Prism
Miss Prism is Cecily’s governess who was recognized by Lady Bracknell as the women who took her sisters baby and never returned. She admits to not knowing what happened to the baby. The last she remembers was she misplaced the baby in her handbag where she meant to place her novel, at a train station. It is later discovered that the baby was Jack.
Miss Prism Is responsible for
Uncovering
where Jack comes from, and uncovers the truth behind the name Earnest.
Irresponsible
Forgetting
Setting: This play starts off at Algernon Moncrieff Flat in HalfMoon Street, W.. This is Act 1 where we get the background of the characters, and the reasoning behind why Jack lies about his name. It then moves onto Act 2 in the garden at the Manor House. This is where the plot thickens and gets into more details about the emotions connected in this play. Gwendolen and Cecily are hurt because they have been lied to and deceived. The last scene in Act 3 would be at the DrawingRoom at the Manor House, where the girls have retired to after they left the guys alone. This concludes the play and settles the misconceptions leading to solutions and the end of the play showing the importance of being Earnest.
Significance of the opening scene: In the opening scene we discover the background of the name
Earnest. It is held at Algernons house where he discovers Jacks lie. This scene is particularly important in the play because we get a feel for the characters. They live in a rich part of the community and are blessed to have servants and more. Algernons house is where Jack comes sometimes when he feels like getting away from his life for a while. He comes under the name Earnest. Algernon is where Jack fully lives his double life. This House is a getaway for Jack. This is why opening the play where ‘Earnest’ is at play is important for the audiences understanding.
Significance of the ending/closing scene: The play ends on the countryside in Jacks Manor house. This is where we find out the truth behind everything. Cecily is responsible for the truth coming out in the first place. This is the place that everyone gathers together and where the confusion ends. You could call it the house of truth if you will. Jack is the one who started the identity of Earnest and it seems fit that in Jacks house only that the Identity should be revealed. Symbols:
Symbol
Significance
Love
Truth
The Handbag
Themes:
The Nature of Marriage
The Constraints of Morality
The Importance of Not Being ‘Earnest’
Years this text was represented on the AP exam:
2002, 2006
The name Earnest began as an alibi for Jack to get out of town and turned into a name both Jack and
Algernon used to get the interest of two ladies.
Both these ladies expressed that they wouldn't dream about marrying a guy without the name of
Earnest. Love caused these guys to lie further and further until they had to tell the truth in order to save that same love.
Truth has been another underlying significance in this play. Truth is something that the men in this play do not understand. When Jack was lying about his brother named Earnest, the lie was not a huge deal. It became a huge deal once they decided to use the name more often. It then went further once they found out that their finances wouldn't marry them if their name wasn't Earnest.
In the end it all turned out fine, and they found that the truth is sometimes a good thing to speak.
The handbag became very important in Jack's life.
Jack was abandoned in a handbag at a train station where he was found and adopted. This same handbag was kept in his closet as he grew up. At the end of this play, that handbag is proof that he was the same baby that Miss Prism left at a train station on accident. This handbag identified
Jack as Algernon's older brother and Lady
Bracknell's nephew.