There are so many possible ways to create humor in written plays. A main practice that tends to seep through quite accurately to the audience has always been through satirical humor. Ridiculing people’s views and acts seem to make the largest impression on the audience. So many artists use satire to create a humor that is easily understood. Oscar Wilde is not any different oh his approach in The Importance of Being Earnest. In The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde uses many witty literary devices, such as puns, epigrams, and inversions, to reveal the absurdity of his Victorian society’s hypocritical mortality.
Puns have very little pull in the literary drama biased world, although they are still often used. Puns can add humor unknowingly. The audience may not even realize it until they study the script on closer detail. This type of humor tends to add more volume to the characters and plot. It can lend to number of meanings the story line can have, and in turn, change the outcomes that are possible of a script. A first look at how this play uses puns to create a laugh factor is when Lady Brackernell is speaking with Jack in regards to Cecily: “Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were families or persons whose origin was a Terminus.” This pun adds depth to the script because they are using “Terminus” to mean railway terminals, but also is commenting on how Jack was found as a baby in a handbag in a terminal. Another main pun used is actually in the title. The Importance of becoming earnest, which has the possible meanings of the importance of changing to the name of Ernest, which both male characters plan to do in the script.