To what extent does the homosexual subtext add to the comedic value in The Importance of being Earnest ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is an accomplished parody of the conventions of comedy‚ containing the main attributes of a comedy of manners. It is easy to view simply as a frivolous farce‚ laced with witty dialogue‚ contrived situations and sarcasm. However‚ upon closer look‚ Wilde uses his protagonists and the situations caused in the play to target many of the hypocrisies that Victorian society
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Wilde portrays each of the characters in a way that reflects his views of the English aristocracy. Algernon Moncrieff is used by Wilde to portray an upperclass character that can be easily identified by readers. Throughout the play‚ Wilde gives Algy witty lines and epigrams that displays his humour and disrespect towards the society. “Of course the music is a great difficulty. You see‚ if one plays good music‚ people don’t listen‚ and if one plays bad music‚ people don’t talk.” here is Algy’s wit
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Explore the use of Duplicity and Deception in the Importance of Being Earnest The themes in Oscar Wilde´s “Importance of Being Earnest” such as hypocrisy‚ manners‚ dual identity‚ duplicity and deception are all closely linked throughout the play. One can see that the use of witticisms and hyperbole‚ combined with the themes Wilde commonly associates with Victorian lifestyle subtly‚ lightheartedly deride the audience. The effect of the theme duplicity and deception is essentially the criticism
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in The Importance of Being Earnest “Ignorance is like an exotic fruit…” writes Oscar Wilde as he sets the literary table with a rich display of Victorian satire (Wilde). Born in Dublin to affluent parents‚ Wilde experienced a social advantage that gave him more than a taste of indulgent upper class life to ridicule. He attended Oxford on a scholarship and was considered a genius. Wilde was characterized as humorous‚ frank‚ and showy. Writing novels‚ poems‚ and essays as well‚ The Importance of Being
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1. What is satirised by Wilde in ‘The Importance of being Earnest’? The Victorian way of life. The customs of the middle and upper class and the strict social conventions concerning social events‚ the church‚ marriage and love. 2. Why ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is considered a comedy of manners? Because it makes fun of the mannerisms of the upper class people and their strict code of conduct. 3. What aspects of ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ are farcical? “A farce is a
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Susanna Huth Gender Roles In The importance of Being Earnest In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ the question of each gender’s role in society often centers on power. In the Victorian world men had greater influence than women. Men made the decisions for their families‚ while women worked around the house. Wilde raises interesting questions about gender roles in The Importance of Being Earnest‚ by putting women (like Lady Bracknell) in positions of power and by showing that men can be irresponsible
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An earnest person is someone who practices diligence‚ seriousness‚ and above all sincerity. That being said‚ it is difficult to find a male character in the play who possesses all three qualities of earnestness. Despite this‚ the lead characters of The Importance of Being Earnest entertained and endeared audiences for over one hundred years. Jack Worthing’s Childhood: During Act One‚ protagonist Jack Worthing reveals a most unusual and amusing backstory: As a baby‚ he was accidentally abandoned
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According to the Bible‚ “The love of money is the root of all evil.” There is fine line between loving the money or character of a person. The root of all evil starts when one doesn’t notice the difference. Lady Bracknell‚ an antagonist in The Importance of being Earnest‚ is a powerful‚ pompous and pontifical person who values money more than love and comprehends marriage like business deals in terms of allusions‚ connections and irony. Lady Bracknell’s character is revealed by allusions throughout the
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In researching the ideas and themes behind Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest‚ I stumbled upon numerous questions and underlying themes which I plan to dissect thoroughly in the following body of this paper treating each question individually and in an abstract manner. The questions I encountered ranged from the incestual tendencies of Lady Bracknell in relation to the gothic genre to Wilde’s use of food as a weapon and a means of demonstrating one’s power. Before diving into the
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How does Wilde establish atmosphere‚ characters and the concerns of the text in the first chapter? The opening chapters introduce us to the novel’s major protagonists. Wilde characterises Lord Henry‚ Basil‚ and Dorian‚ and provides information that will inform the development of the story. Wilde establishes a sinister atmosphere in chapter one. Walter Payter said that “To burn always with this hard gemlike flame‚ to maintain this ecstasy‚ is success in life” – Wilde was a hedonist and reflected this
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