How Is the Upper Class Society Satirized by Oscar Wilde in 'the Importance of Being Ernest'? Essay Example
How is the upper class society satirised by Wilde?
In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, a play by Oscar Wilde, Lady Bracknell and Algernon have been described as what Wilde believed to be typical members of upper class from the Victorian Society. There over exaggerated personalities are demonstrated through their Manners and Sincerity. Wilde believed that in an overly sincere and polite way but had a very manipulate and cruel attitudes. Also, the characters of Lady Bracknell and Algernon are shown through the Critique of Marriage as a social tool as marriage was considered to be a financial arrangement rather than one of love in the Victorian Society. Lastly, Wilde exposes the lives of the aristocracy as empty and trivial. In this essay, I’ll be analysing the characters of Lady Bracknell and Algernon and examining how they meet the criteria of a stereotypical upper class member of the Victorian Society.
Lady Bracknell is described as a snobbish, mercenary and domineering character that shows her upper class status openly through her Speech, Attitude and Appearance. Her fluency in her speech and determined attitude tell us that you would have to tolerate with her. Firstly, she doesn’t seem to care of others feelings and her cruel attitude is clearly demonstrated throughout the play in many occasions mainly in the interview between her and Jack. When Jack reveals that he doesn’t know who his parents are, Lady Bracknell responds by saying, ‘To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.’ This clearly shows that she blaming Jack for not knowing his parents. The phrase ‘looks like carelessness’ demonstrates that she thinks of Jack as an irresponsible and an unlucky person. The tone of Lady Bracknell’s voice is not varied too much when saying this which tells the readers that she is showing her natural character. Additionally, the critiques of marriage as a social tool are shown through Lady Bracknell’s
In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, a play by Oscar Wilde, Lady Bracknell and Algernon have been described as what Wilde believed to be typical members of upper class from the Victorian Society. There over exaggerated personalities are demonstrated through their Manners and Sincerity. Wilde believed that in an overly sincere and polite way but had a very manipulate and cruel attitudes. Also, the characters of Lady Bracknell and Algernon are shown through the Critique of Marriage as a social tool as marriage was considered to be a financial arrangement rather than one of love in the Victorian Society. Lastly, Wilde exposes the lives of the aristocracy as empty and trivial. In this essay, I’ll be analysing the characters of Lady Bracknell and Algernon and examining how they meet the criteria of a stereotypical upper class member of the Victorian Society.
Lady Bracknell is described as a snobbish, mercenary and domineering character that shows her upper class status openly through her Speech, Attitude and Appearance. Her fluency in her speech and determined attitude tell us that you would have to tolerate with her. Firstly, she doesn’t seem to care of others feelings and her cruel attitude is clearly demonstrated throughout the play in many occasions mainly in the interview between her and Jack. When Jack reveals that he doesn’t know who his parents are, Lady Bracknell responds by saying, ‘To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.’ This clearly shows that she blaming Jack for not knowing his parents. The phrase ‘looks like carelessness’ demonstrates that she thinks of Jack as an irresponsible and an unlucky person. The tone of Lady Bracknell’s voice is not varied too much when saying this which tells the readers that she is showing her natural character. Additionally, the critiques of marriage as a social tool are shown through Lady Bracknell’s