4) How Does Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest Challenge Constructions of Sexuality? Oscar Wilde; the renowned Irish writer is most commonly known for his famed social comedies‚ including: Lady Windermere’s Fan‚ A Women of No Importance and of course The Importance of Being Earnest. Regrettably this period of fame was followed by his fall into public disgrace and time spent in Reading Gaol after the critical libel suit from the father of his lover; Lord Alfred Douglas. While Wilde is now known
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Throughout act 1‚ Wilde tells the audience of his intentions by subtly dropping hints at his views on both his past and Victorian society. Wilde’s social background indicates many thing concerning his social beliefs and values. These values and attitude to society can be found throughout the play. One of the first things Wilde makes clear is his distaste for the views the upper classes hold on education. Lady Bracknell states when discussing education for the lower classes‚ “It would prove a serious
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how Oscar Wilde Opens Act 2: Upon the opening of Act 2 in The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde sets out a rather peaceful looking scene‚ transporting his audience to Jack’s country estate in Hertfordshire. The act takes off in the Garden at the Manor House‚ described in the stage directions as ‘an old fashion one‚ full of roses’ with baskets and chairs set under a large yew tree. With the time of year being July‚ this all makes up for a somewhat simple Victorian summer setting‚ enabling
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The importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners‚ as it explores codes of upper and middle class society. For example‚"I don’t play accurately - any one can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression.". However‚ The Importance of Being Earnest has other types of comedy‚ such as‚ comedy of humours and farce. Comedy of humours focuses on a character of range of characters‚ who have an over riding trait or humour that dominates their personality. For example‚ Algernon’s greed. Farce
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Act III offers happy resolution to the problems of identity and marriage that drive much of the humor in the previous acts. Wilde continues to mock the social customs and attitudes of the aristocratic class. He relentlessly attacks their values‚ views on marriage and respectability‚ sexual attitudes‚ and concern for stability in the social structure. Wilde attacks social behavior with the continuation of speeches by his characters that are the opposite of their actions. While Cecily and Gwendolen
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13. How do Victorian attitudes to marriage and respectability underpin the comic elements of the importance of being Earnest? Plan: Jack and Algernons alter egos‚ Wilde and his social rebellion through his characters. Marriage is loveless‚ wealth and background takes priority over most things‚ Algernon supports this with a quote (once again hes the rebel) Marriage is the end of freedom‚ Cecily wants to break free‚ very curious woman who looks at society differently. takes a liking to
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Explore the opening of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ paying particular attention to the range of attitudes towards marriage. In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ various attitudes are explored by the main characters‚ which range in support of marriage to attacking the idea of marriage. The play starts with Algernon playing the piano. He enters the scene‚ and asks lane what he thought of his playing. In response to Lane’s compliment‚ Algernon replies with ‘I don’t play accurately’. This shows
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The concept of marriage up until the twentieth century was considered to be prestigious and was the central aim of the English novel. Wilde uses the concept of marriage in The Importance of Being Earnest as a paradox. The characters are disinterested‚ some repulsed‚ by the concept of marriage yet it is the final goal and motivation of the play. The concept of marriage is presented in many ways. Each character presents their opinion on marriage‚ and has had an experience with it. The characters call
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only way of being free in the world is being free from the They-World‚ and thus being an authentic being-towards-death is ultimately the only way of becoming an authentic being. To understand this‚ we must first look at what existence is for Heidegger in Being and Time. Any human being that exists in the world is Dasein (being there/here) as they are a meaning-generating conscious entity that is aware of their own existence. Dasein does not refer to the entity’s “what”‚ but rather it’s Being‚ and every
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"The Importance of Being Earnest" has been playing to packed audiences for over a hundred years. Why do you think it has remained so popular? "The Importance of Being Earnest" was first performed in 1895. The year marked the beginning of Oscar Wilde’s "disgrace". Lord Alfred Douglas’s father‚ the Marquis of Queensbury‚ began his campaign against Wilde. He was to die in 1900. One of the main reasons that the play has been so popular for over 100 years is because of the plot. This situation comedy
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