Small details are all too often overlooked, called either insignificant or irrelevant, they are rarely given the attention they deserve. In Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” we see cleverly hidden details within the drama that, while serve significant roles, people may see as inhibitors to understanding the play. Cigarette cases and tea parties are two of the many details within the story that have background meanings; their most prominent purpose being to emphasize the importance of propriety within their era, however they also play substitute roles in accentuating character themes and building dramatic irony. The link between these two particulars can be stated as turning points within the novel that increase both tension, and…
Jack Worthing and Algernon are perfect examples of how Wilde uses the aristocracy in a humorous manner in order to reveal the outrageous hypocrisy going on in the victorian era. Both Jack and Algernon use fictitious people in order to escape some of the less interesting aspects of their…
‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is considered to be Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece written in 1895. His work here involves mistaken identity, satire (social/class rankings), incredible wit and much more. It is theorised that this script was written in slight reflection of Wilde’s own life; he himself led a double life due to his sexuality.…
Everyone including the play’s protagonists are concerned with themselves. Significance of the ending/closing scene The ending of the play satirizes the Victorian Society and the behaviors and values of the upper class. It ends with a complex paradox of Jack, finding out he had been Ernest the whole time when he was deceiving his friends and family. It also shows the hypocrisy of Victorian society and their values have little meaning, being more interested on surface than interior feelings.…
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest provides a satirical view of the Victorian era, primarily focusing on Victorian standards of marriage and social expectations. Wilde builds his critique of Victorian morality through his humor and wit between the character’s banter, the hypocritical Victorian view of honesty.…
There are many possible endings for the play, but if I were to write the ending, I would have changed it so that, Romeo comes back and fights Paris and kills him. The fight takes so long that by the time Romeo reaches Juliet, she is about to wake up. When Romeo sees Juliet, he runs and goes hug her. Then Romeo looks at Juliet shockingly and sees the vile in her hand and asks her what had happened. Then Juliet looks at Romeo in a strange way and asks him if he had gotten the letter he had been sent. Then Romeo says that he hadn’t received any letter. Juliet then explains the plan that she had made with Friar and then they hug and kiss each other and cry in joy that they are both well and fine. Romeo then tells Juliet about killing Paris and they both agree that there’s no possible way that the Montegues and the Capulets will ever become friends and that there is no way that Romeo will be allowed to stay in the city anymore. So they decide to run away together. They both flee to Mantua and live there happily ever after. They get four kids, two boys and two girls.…
Arguably the most remarkable quotation of Wilde's writing comes from here, when Gwendolen casually states that "in matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing". The tone of this saying would have been amusing, being brushed off casually as it came from a deluded character. However, the undertone remains important- that in life nothing is important but "style", as long as the presentation is correctly executed then sincerity and meaning is useless. This perfectly reflects Gwendolen's actions- she rejects Jack and consequently leads to Cecily's rejection of Algernon because she was mislead about something as unimportant as a name. In turn, she refuses to speak with either male in a stereotypically indignant fashion- yet welcomes Jack back with open arms.…
Jack describes that fact that he discovered his name was really Ernest as a “terrible thing.” This shows his disappointment at the fact that he is really named Ernest, because he felt very clever in creating the identity of a sinful brother who lived in the city. This is the first and only time that Jack accepts his nominal name of Ernest. Just a few lines later, he says “On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest” (54). An audience would not be able to tell what homonym Jack is using, earnest or Ernest. By playing on the words, Wilde is stating that both being Ernest, and being sincere about Jack’s identity both are shadowed by the importance of creating an identity and living life in accordance with…
Oscar Wilde wrote a play called “The Importance of Being Earnest” and it was first performed in 1895. The play is about the characters that have different identities and do not always tell the truth. Since, the play has been released there have been many film remakes of Oscar Wilde’s play. The one that I decided to compare it to was the 2002 version that was directed by Oliver Parker. Parker keeps the meaning, tone, structure, text, and theme the same compared to the play. Parker expands, energizes, and stages scenes in the play to make modern audiences engage and have tension towards the film more.…
Thus, it can be argued that in The Importance of Being Earnest, the double life led by the protagonists [Jack and Algernon] corresponds to Wilde 's personal life of a fake marriage disguising his…
“Much of the comedy arises from the fact that Wilde creates female characters who refuse to conform to stereotypes” to what extent do you agree with this statement on “The Importance of being Earnest”?…
PICKERING: [rising and standing over him gravely] Come, Higgins! You know what I mean. If I’m to be in this business I shall feel responsible for that girl. I hope it’s understood that no advantage is to be taken of her position.…
Wilde uses tragic comedy in his satire. The main plot of the story is that Jack needs to find his parents in order to marry Gwendolyn. Jack however has been living another life in the country as Uncle Jack to his adopted father's granddaughter (Cecily). Jacks plans are interrupted when he tells his friend Algernon about his city and country lives. The story begins with a serious tone, Jack wanting to marry Gwendolyn and searching for his parents. This play is a tragic comedy because there is a great chance that it will end in a catastrophe. Algernon has taken interest in…
The Importance of Being Socially Acceptable. Often times we find ourselves living a double life at the very least and sometimes we even share multiple variations of ourselves with the world. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of being Earnest there is a strong central theme of living a dual life and then doing what is socially acceptable even when mocking the idea as the ridiculous concept that it is. From the beginning of the play Algernon Moncrieff is showcased as an irresponsible dandy who is not fit for what Society would call the civilized and respectable world.…
Being a play and a comedy of manners, all of Oscar Wilde's criticisms and judgments made in his play The Importance of Being Earnest must be done through the dialogue and actions of the characters. Wilde employs dramatic irony in their dialogue because being downright rude would be a violation of British social conventions. Situational irony also manifests itself as a result of the burlesque behaviors of the characters. Characters will also react in humorously exaggerated ways when presented with news or argument. The inclusion of irony and burlesque allows Wilde to comment on and criticize the behavior of the British social elite during the Victorian time period. The use of burlesque and irony also helps build on several themes throughout…