Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a satire of the stifling conventions of Victorian England‚ a time when a serpentine code of behaviour governed everything from communication to sexuality‚ and when class was the sole dictator of relationships. With a witty‚ humorous delivery‚ the play explores the central themes of materialism‚ gender roles‚ marriage and the ignorance of the upper class. Passage one opens with a series of hyperbolic questions posed with Jack‚ building in rhythm
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– The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde used comedy as the primary means of communicating the key themes of his play. In particular he used satire to ridicule the hypocrisy of the strict code of behaviors that characterized the late Victorian era. His use of satire is intended to spotlight the shortcomings of the Victorian era and highlight social issues at play that he personally condemned. Of particular importance in the play are the strict rules of behaviour concerning marriage and this
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Literary Analysis Essay PICKERING: [rising and standing over him gravely] Come‚ Higgins! You know what I mean. If I’m to be in this business I shall feel responsible for that girl. I hope it’s understood that no advantage is to be taken of her position. HIGGINS. What! That thing! Sacred‚ I assure you. [Rising to explain] You see‚ she’ll be a pupil; and teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred. I’ve taught scores of American millionairesses how to speak English: the best looking
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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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Hypocrisy of Being Earnest The Victorian era was a time of smugness and pomposity for the newly rich generation who quickly rose in class during and after the industrial revolution. Nothing was as it seemed in this day when earnestness was allegedly the most prized attribute a man could possess. In Oscar Wilde’s classical satire‚ “The Importance of Being Earnest‚” every character embodies the ideas and values of this “earnest” age. Oscar Wilde’s primary character in “The Importance of Being Earnest
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The Importance of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde uses word play in reference to the word “earnest.” Throughout his play‚ Wilde focuses on the matter of who is the most sincere or “earnest” and who is actually the person whose name is Ernest. The two main characters‚ Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing‚ both claim to be Ernest for deceptive reasons. Wilde develops his characters Algernon and Jack in order to portray them as hypocritical to the definition
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Importance of Being Earnest Act 1 Characters immediately establish the tone and social context of the play. References to “Lady Bracknell”‚ “Mr Moncrieff’s manservant” and the “governess” indicate that play involves wealthy upper class. The characters are of course constructs – Wilde uses them merely as mouth pieces to express/parody value judgements about morality and Victorian ideals of duty and virtue. Premise of the play is creation of a paradox – explores inability/impossibility of being
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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 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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Clearly “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde is a superb piece of satire. In the act‚ Wilde manages to humorize the daily lives of those in the victorian era‚ as well as the format in which they made vital decisions and how they were decided. Wilde most likely decided to focus on this topic to make people realize how ridiculous the system was‚ and why they should change it to realistic beliefs. Such as those of following love and how money and titles do not really make people any different
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