Wilde uses puns throughout this play‚ but the major pun is found within the title. In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ the pun‚ widely considered to be the lowest form of verbal wit‚ is rarely just a play on words. The title‚ - The Importance of Being Earnest‚- insinuates the importance of being honest and truthful‚ while playing on the male name‚ Ernest. The pun in the title is a case in point. The earnest/Ernest joke strikes at the very heart of Victorian notions of respectability and duty. Gwendolen
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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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Oscar Wilde is remembered today for his use of epigrams and his plays. Wilde wrote ‘The Importance of Being Ernest’ in which many people argue that it appears Wilde subverts the typical Victorian gender role. Gender roles are cultural and personal‚ they determine how males and females should think‚ speak‚ dress‚ and interact within the context of society. Masculinity and Femininity refer to the dominant sex role pattern in the vast majority of both traditional and modern societies: that of male assertiveness
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The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde “The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either‚ and modern literature a complete impossibility” (Wilde 14). As a brilliant writer of the 1800’s‚ Oscar Wilde devoted the majority of his works towards unveiling the harsh truths of the Victorian society. Leading a life of deception himself‚ he chose to showcase his distastes for the social injustice he saw around him with unrestrained humor. Being the first
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logic and rational thinking. In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ a play by Oscar Wilde set in Victorian England‚ love is mocked which is evident in Cecily’s lust for Ernest‚ Gwendolen’s love for the name Ernest and Algernon’s ideas of marriage. Wilde’s parodying of love is obvious when Cecily falls in love with Ernest‚ Jack’s fictitious younger brother. Jack uses Ernest as an excuse to leave his obligations in the town and enjoy himself in the city‚ saying that Ernest is in trouble that Jack is required
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be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.” (IOBE P.24). Most people would not create another life in order to obtain happiness as their own should give them enough pleasure. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest‚ not one‚ but two characters end up leading a double life with the same name. Jack Worthing is an upper-class man who lives in the country being Cecily Cardew’s guardian. When not in the country but in the town‚ Jack calls himself Ernest. Algernon‚ “Ernest’s”
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Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest The Novel The Importance of Being Earnest was more enjoyable to me than the film. The reason for this was‚ while my imagination pictured the story and the visuals of the people and the settings quite similar to the on-screen portrayal‚ my mind’s images were more enjoyable. The differences portrayed on film were distinctive in the characters‚ scenery‚ and mostly the soundtrack I had not envisioned while reading the play. While they absolutely worked
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Chiderah Onyeukwu Professor Daniel Galvin English 213 18 April 2013 Role of Marriage in Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde’s last and most famous play‚ debuted in London on February 14‚ 1895. Throughout the play‚ one major theme seems to override the others. That theme is the role of marriage; the question of whether marriage as an institution is “pleasant” or “unpleasant” comes up repeatedly. It seems as if every character has a strong stance on the role of
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What good does always being earnest do you if you are not "Ernest"? Oscar Wilde’s play‚ "The Importance of Being Earnest"‚ explores exactly this notion‚ following two men who readily abandon their namesakes in order to win the affections of their respective fair ladies. The play opens in London with a conversation held between these two men‚ Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. However‚ at the play’s origin‚ Algernon only knows his friend as "Ernest". This rapidly changes with the aid of a cigarette
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"The Importance of Being Earnest" was written by the famous Irish author‚ Oscar Wilde. The play represents Wildes late Victorian view of the aristocracy‚ marriage‚ wit‚ and social life during the early 1900’s. His characters are typical Victorian snobs who are arrogant‚ overly proper‚ formal‚ and concerned with money. Wilde portrays the women on two separate levels‚ Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are young‚ sheltered‚ and without identity‚ while Lady Bracknell is the strong adult authority figure
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