Importancehe Importance of Being Earnest‚ A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James’s Theatre in London‚ it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London‚ the play’s major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage‚ and the resulting satire of Victorian
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest
personality?’ Does the dramatic comedy in ‘Earnest’ seek only to amuse an audience or has the play more of a moral message than might‚ at first‚ be clear? The importance of being Earnest is a satirical comedy‚ which ridicules the social values of the Victorian Era. Despite the farce used within the play‚ the comedy is shown to have deeper meaning. As Freud said‚ “Every joke contains an element of seriousness; a joke is never just a joke.” Related to this quote‚ in ‘Earnest’‚ l think there is a moral
Premium Victorian era Social class Sociology
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
Premium Human sexuality Sexual orientation Gender
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest tells the story of two gentlemen who lead a double life under the name “Earnest” in order to win the hearts of their love interests.The play premiered in London’s St. James’ Theater in 1895 and is now performed in theaters throughout the world because of its timeless humor and whit. In his play The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde employs the use of satire to convey his criticism towards Victorian society’s views on marriage‚ deceit and duality
Premium Marriage Love Jane Austen
Victorian Conventions in “The Importance of Being Earnest” In Victorian society‚ the conventional norms of status‚ gender roles‚ and marriage were closely linked by an institution that men and women were placed with unrealistic demands and expectations from society. Women were brought up by their parents to become the perfect housewife‚ and men were forced into marriages based on status within the society. In Oscar Wilde’s play‚ “The Importance of Being Earnest‚” he mocks the typical Victorian
Premium The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde Gothic fiction
Earnest The tone says that life is fun. The undertone suggests that life is a catastrophe. (How far do you agree with this model of comedy in relation to The Importance of Being Earnest?) With every light hearted joke that Wilde puts across to the audience there is a serious undertone to it‚ which relates to Victorian Society‚ and issues which were seen as taboo. Wilde’s play can be seen as quite a satirical play as it continuously mocks the upper classes and their values. Different characters in
Free The Importance of Being Earnest Samuel Beckett Comedy
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
Free Morality Sociology Social class
The Importance of Being Earnest‚ to be “Earnest” is to be “honest‚ and “truthful”. Which was what the protagonist and main character Jack Worthing used to slip away from responsibilities he had to face. Oscar Wilde used the name earnest but the characters act completely different from it. It’s a pun on the word earnest‚ when the title is the importance of being earnest but
Premium Truth Victorian era Philosophy
Dramatic Textual Analysis The Importance of being Earnest Act 3 Cecily and Gwendolen have just found out that Jack and Algernon had lied to them. They go into the house and make a vow not to be the first to take to them as they enter the house. Jack and Algernon enter the house and they end up begging for forgiveness. The women forgive them and the two couples fall into each other’s arm‚ then enters lady Bracknell. She is opposed to the idea of Gwendolen and Jack being engaged‚ but when she hears
Premium Sociology Management Psychology
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
Premium Comedy Homosexuality Bisexuality