Oscar Wilde in many ways was far ahead of the Victorian society that he found himself in. Wilde’s homosexual lifestyle and focus on sensuality were so frowned upon in the Victorian society that they were actually illegal‚ which led to his eventual imprisonment and downfall (Bastiat 2). It is almost as if Oscar Wilde’s life itself was a satire‚ because these aspects of himself that were illegal and frowned upon were what made his play The Importance of Being Earnest so successful. Wilde’s play was
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In the opening scene of The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde creates a farcical and unrealistic world. Wilde creates a theoretical world during the conversation between Algernon and Lane; the audience would expect Lane to obey Algernon’s every command with ‘yes sir’. However‚ Wilde insinuates that Lane is comfortable around Algernon‚ the audience can also observe that the two men share an informal relationship. Although we can witness the informal side to their relationship‚ the audience
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How serious can we take The Importance of Being Earnest as being a play that criticizes social norms and values? There is nothing earnest about this play‚ at least on the surface. It’s a giant critism of the Victorian era‚ when middle class behavior governed everything from communication to sexuality. The most important rules applied to marriage and were always a popular topic in Victorian plays‚ and one that interested Wilde‚ who was married to a woman but sexually involved with men. During
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The Importance of Being Earnest Satire Essay “There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence.”(Act1part2/Act2part2‚Wilde) The drama The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde‚ is a satire on love‚ relationships and women. Wilde showcases two different types of women that hopelessly fall in love with “Earnest” the name‚ not the man. Gwendolen comes from a high society in which the look of honesty and integrity are highly sought after‚ which is exactly why she
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The comedy of the Importance of Being Earnest uses spoken language to convey comical actions rather than physical actions. The Importance of Being Ernest is a drama because of its origins as a play‚ but also a contextual comedy as the characters follow the general format of falling in love with each other and ending with the idea of marriage. However‚ the play is also very satirical‚ making light of the aristocratic classes‚ exaggerating the upper-class morals and the frivolity of the characters
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In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ author Oscar Wilde criticizes the Victorian society. His characters represent the Victorian era and have twisted views on issues regarding intense emotions such as love and marriage. They do not fully appreciate these concepts and either disregard them or confuse them with emotions that lack depth. Wilde depicts his Victorian society as superficial and incapable of love that is not shallow. In his comedy‚ both women‚ Gwendolyn and Cecily‚ believe to be head over
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during the Victorian era‚ many great things happened in Victorian England. During this time they had their first international hockey match: Wales v. Ireland; also‚ they had the lowest ever temperature of −27.2 F‚ and the premier of Oscar Wilde’s latest play‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ at the St. James’ Theatre‚ in London. During this time‚ social class was very important. Oscar Wilde’s explores the importance of how social class affects the lives of the characters in his play during the Victorian
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The Importance of Being Ernest – Act 1 Task 1 How are the characters of Algernon and Jack/Ernest created for the audience? They are presented to within a high class of society‚ with a lack of consideration or care for the lower classes. Both are bored by their high society lives and “stiff” lunches/meetings that they must attend‚ so have created alter egos which they use to have fun in a different place. Algernon has invented a sick friend called Bunbury‚ who he sometimes must spend long lengths
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the Importance of Being Earnest‚ food plays a very vital role in helping create movement in the plot. The play‚ importance of being earnest by Oscar Wilde uses food as an essential motif /symbol of an act of working out problems. Set in the Victorian era the tea time custom is vastly a part of the play. From the very beginning where Algernon is questioned about the “cucumber sandwiches” he claims “I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o’ clock.”This custom
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“The Importance of Being Earnest”: Text and Film Comparison The most memorable and telling line of Oscar Wilde’s play "The Importance of Being Earnest" is perhaps its last‚ as Jack Worthing gleefully announces‚ "I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest" (Wilde 313). The "vital importance" of this line‚ and its significance‚ constitutes the core difference between the play and Oliver Parker’s film adaptation. As with any film adaptation‚ there are various
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