Can You summarize The Importance of Being Earnest?
· Why was the importance of being earnest written? The 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 personae to escape burdensome social obligations.
What is the significance of The Importance of Being Earnest?
By Kelli Frost-Allred. The Importance of Being Earnest has proven to be Oscar Wilde’s most enduring—and endearing—play. Filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom, The Importance of Being Earnest tells the story of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff who use clever deception and truth-bending to accommodate their social pursuits.
Why is Being Earnest important?
This entire idea of needing to be earnest was at the very top of the Victorian’s code of conduct even though many people lead corrupt lives. The Victorians saw earnestness as the overall sublime virtue that one must achieve in their life in order to gain the acceptance of the aristocratic society. The way many revered it is almost trivial.
Is 'The Importance of Being Earnest' A well made play?
During the initial run of The Importance of Being Earnest, Lord Alfred’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry, accused Wilde of being a “somdomite” (sic). Under his lover’s influence, Wilde countered by suing the Marquess for libel. Queensberry was acquitted, but enough evidence of Wilde’s homosexuality surfaced during the first trial ...
What was the purpose of writing The Importance of Being Earnest?
The Importance of Being Earnest uses satire to mock the social norms of marriage, love, and mindset in the Victorian Age. It is comedic play dealing with manners and ironically portrays social conventions to make the audience laugh. Triviality is one the themes in the play.
What is the Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde about?
Synopsis: In 1890s London, two bachelors, John 'Jack' Worthing and Algernon 'Algy' Moncrieff, create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. The pair attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest.
What is the moral of The Importance of Being Earnest?
In 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' the characters have a distorted sense of morality as they typically hold others to a much higher standard than they follow. Algernon judges Lane because of his lax sense of moral responsibility regarding marriage while Algernon holds views against monogamy in marriage.
What message is portrayed in the play The Importance of Being Earnest?
The Constraints of Morality Morality and the constraints it imposes on society is a favorite topic of conversation in The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon thinks the servant class has a responsibility to set a moral standard for the upper classes.
What is the main theme of the play The Importance of Being Earnest Brainly?
Answer. Answer: The Importance of Being Earnest is a comic play by Oscar Wilde that engages themes such as marriage, class, social expectations, and the lifestyles of the English upper class. The play focuses on two men, Algernon and Jack, who are both leading double lives.
How does Oscar Wilde use irony in The Importance of Being Earnest?
In Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest, dramatic irony is heavily used. The first is when both Gwendolyn and Cecily are having lunch when they start to talk and they realize that they are both marrying Ernest, and in their mind he is the same person.
What is being satirized in The Importance of Being Earnest?
The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners, whereby Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule marriage, love and the mentality of the Victorian aristocratic society. It can also be referred to as a satiric comedy.
What is Wilde criticizing in The Importance of Being Earnest?
Wilde's Main Criticism in the Play Is with the Institution of Marriage: The Importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule the cultural norms of marriage love and mind-set which were very rigid during the Victorian Age.
When was the importance of being earnest opened?
The Importance of Being Earnest opened in the West End of London in February 1894 during an era when many of the religious, social, political, and economic structures were experiencing change — The Victorian Age (the last 25-30 years of the 1800s).
Who is the author of Earnest?
Wilde was quite familiar with these genres, and borrowed from them freely. A play by W. Lestocq and E.M. Robson, The Foundling, is thought to be a source of Earnest, and it was playing in London at the time Wilde was writing Earnest. The Foundling has an orphan-hero, like Jack Worthing in Wilde's play.
What did Wilde do in 1890?
In doing so, he maneuvered his play for greater commercial and literary response. Marriage plots and social comedy were also typical of 1890s literature.
What did Wilde's plays encourage people to think about?
In an age of change, their work, as well as Wilde's plays, encouraged people to think about the artificial barriers that defined society and enabled a privileged life for the rich at the expense of the working class. American writer, Edith Wharton, was also writing about the lifestyles of the rich during the same period.
What did the aristocracy know about Wilde's play?
The aristocracy attending Wilde's play knew and understood the private lives of characters like Jack and Algernon. They were aware of the culture and atmosphere of the West End. It had clubs, hotels, cafes, restaurants, casinos, and most of the 50 theatres in London.
How many acts did Wilde make in Earnest?
The theatre manager of the St. James where Earnest opened, George Alexander, asked Wilde to reduce his original four-act play to three acts, like more conventional farces. Wilde accomplished this by omitting the Gribsby episode and merging two acts into one. In doing so, he maneuvered his play for greater commercial and literary response.
What is the ending of Earnest?
It often contains surprises where the unexpected is disclosed. The ending of Earnest, in which Jack misidentifies Prism as his unmarried mother, is typical of the endings of farces.
What is the importance of being earnest?
Filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom, The Importance of Being Earnest tells the story of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff who use clever deception and truth-bending to accommodate their social pursuits. Jack bends the truth to include an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from the country to party among urban socialites, while urbane Algernon uses a similar technique (Bunburying) that provides him opportunities for taking adventures in the country. Of course, courting and liaisons ensue, but not without complications. Oscar Wilde builds a farcical—albeit realistic—world of Victorian social mores by using double entendre, aphorisms, and witty repartee.
What does the title of the play Ernest mean?
Rather than a form of the name Ernest, the title implies earnestness as a quality one should seek to acquire, as in being honest, sincere, sober, and serious. Throughout the play, Ernest is a name ...
What did Wilde use in his play?
One way he did this was through double entendre; however, his use of aphorisms went further in exposing the widespread use of deception among the gentry. Wilde peppered the play with aphorisms, those pithy witticisms that purportedly derive from exalted thought.
Is Ernest a description or a name?
But audiences are left to wonder if Wilde meant to use “Earnest” and “Ernest” interchangeably. After all, one is a description and the other is a man’s name. No, Wilde reminds viewers that to be earnest is more important that to be named Ernest.
Is Ernest a safe name?
The only really safe name is Ernest.”. That both Gwendolyn and Cecily dream of marrying a man named Ernest seems more than a coincidence. Cecily admits, “It had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest. There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence.”.
Is there something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence?
There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence.”. Indeed, there is almost a worship of the name more than what it represents. “It is a divine name. It has a music of its own,” explains Gwendolyn. “It produces vibrations.”.
What is the importance of being earnest?
Wilde displays this natural wittiness in his well-known play “The Importance of Being Earnest” which is a hilariously satirized caricature of the Victorian age and the hypocritical values that the people of that time held. In his work, Wilde exposes the scandalous social beliefs and ideals of the aristocratic society by derisively mocking their contemporary voguish ways.
What does it mean to be earnest?
Being earnest or having earnestness can be most adequately defined as showing sincerity of feeling or being serious in intention, purpose, or effort. Simply put, it is the serious and determined desire to do the right thing. This entire idea of needing to be earnest was at the very top of the Victorian’s code of conduct even though many people lead corrupt lives.
Why does Jack create a fictitious brother?
Jack creates a fictitious brother whom he calls Ernest so that he can leave his duty as guardian and his home in the country under the false pretenses that his “brother” is sick so that he may venture to town without suspicion.
Why did people live double lives?
By living double lives, people were able to sustain their respectable image in society but then be their selves elsewhere.
What did the Victorians see as earnestness?
The Victorians saw earnestness as the overall sublime virtue that one must achieve in their life in order to gain the acceptance of the aristocratic society . The way many revered it is almost trivial. They held it up on such a high pedestal that they nearly anthropomorphized earnestness into more than just a manner of being.
What is Oscar Wilde's play about?
By mocking and satirizing Victorian’s views of having to live an earnest life, the reality that many live double lives, and their hypocritical societal mores, Oscar Wilde exposes the breakdown of Victorian values. The way he does so is his play is conceptually witty and entertaining.
Is sincerity higher than style?
Sincerity is typically held higher than style, especially in “matters of grave importance”, but this is what Wilde wanted us to see. Another notable case is when Lady Bracknell changes her mind about Algernon and Cecily’s engagement when she learns that Cecily is the heiress to a great fortune.
What was the significance of being earnest?
During the initial run of The Importance of Being Earnest, Lord Alfred’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry, accused Wilde of being a “somdomite” (sic). Under his lover’s influence, Wilde countered by suing the Marquess for libel. Queensberry was acquitted, ...
Where is the setting of the novel Ernest?
Setting: The 1890s in London, England (Act I), and then Hertfordshire, a rural country outside of London (Acts II and III). Climax: Gwendolen and Cecily discover that neither Jack, nor Algernon holds the name of “Ernest.”. Antagonist: Lady Bracknell.
What did Wilde believe about art?
While the Victorians believed that art should have a positive moral influence, aesthetes like Wilde believed that art could be valued for its beauty alone.
What philosophy did Wilde use?
At Oxford, Wilde came under the influence of tutor Walter Pater’s Aesthetic philosophy —“art for arts sake”—and developed a reputation as an eccentric, flamboyant, and foppish young man. Moving from Oxford to London upon graduation, Wilde then published his first volume of poems to some critical acclaim.
Who created the LitCharts study guide?
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Who was Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde led a cosmopolitan lifestyle as a writer, playwright, journalist, intellectual, and aesthete. An exceptionally gifted student, Wilde studied at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford, on scholarship. At Oxford, Wilde came under the influence of tutor Walter Pater’s Aesthetic philosophy—“art for arts sake”—and developed a reputation as an eccentric, flamboyant, and foppish young man. Moving from Oxford to London upon graduation, Wilde then published his first volume of poems to some critical acclaim. Though a fledgling writer, Wilde’s fame as a proponent of Aestheticism grew during his yearlong lecture tour of the United States, England, and Ireland. Wilde married Dublin heiress Constance Lloyd in 1884. In the years following the couple had two sons, while Wilde published his serialized novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and made his way as writer and editor in London’s publishing scene. Wilde met his lover Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, an undergraduate at Oxford, in 1891. Wilde’s career as a playwright flourished in the coming years as he wrote a number of successful plays for the Paris and London stages including Lady Windemere’s Fan, Salomé, An Ideal Husband, and finally The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895. But Wilde’s success was short-lived as he became embroiled in scandal. A series of trials that pitted Wilde against Lord Alfred’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry, exposed Wilde’s homosexuality, causing him to be charged and sentenced for “gross indecency.” After serving two years in prison, Wilde retired to the European continent, where he wrote occasionally under an assumed name, briefly rekindled his romance with Lord Alfred, and converted to Catholicism. Shrouded in infamy, Wilde died of cerebral meningitis in Paris at the turn of the 20th century.
Why is being earnest important?
Ultimately, The Importance of Being Earnest was a powerful tool in sparking a change in society during the time he lived in; which is still relevant today in societies that still struggle with wealth/status divides.
What was Oscar Wilde's main goal in his play The Importance of Being Earnest?
The main goal Wilde had for his work was to criticise the society he lived in.
What is the importance of being earnest?
In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest is the hilarious satire on the Victorian age and on the hypocritical practices and values of Victorian people. In the play, Wilde parades his natural wittiness and exposes the contradictory social beliefs of the common people. He also highlights the ideals of the victorian aristocratic society of his time by mocking their trendy ways.
What is the meaning of "earnest" in the play?
The term Earnestness refers to sincerity and seriousness. In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Earnestness is a great enemy of morality. In the play, Earnestness is taken in many forms. It often takes the form of boringness, self-importance, smugness, self-righteousness, smugness, sense of duty, solemnity. According to Wilde, all these things are the hallmarks of the Victorian characters. For example, in the play, whenever the characters use the word “serious,” they mean it as “trivial” and likewise.
Who is Jack Worthing?
Jack Worthing is the protagonist of the play. Before the play opens, he is found by Mr. Thomas Cardew (who is now dead) in the cloakroom at the London’s railway station. Jack is the foundation of the community of Hertfordshire. He is the landowner and Justice of Peace. Though he was assumed to be born as an illegitimate child, he has grown up as an apparently respectable and responsible young man.
What is the central metaphor in the play Bunbury?
The central metaphor in the play is the double life. This symbol highlights the idea of “Bunbury.” The very notion of “Bunburying” is defined by Algernon as the exercise of creating an alter-ego or deception that permits an individual to do irresponsible acts that appear to be at the heights of the social standard of responsibility and duty.
What are abstract ideas and concepts in a literary text?
Abstract ideas and concepts in a literary text are represented by objects, characters, and figures. The following are the symbols in the Play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.
What is the theme of marriage in The Importance of Being Earnest?
The theme of marriage carries supreme importance in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. Marriage is the primary force that develops the plot of the. It is also a subject of philosophical debate and speculations. The theme of marriage appears in the opening dialogues of the play between Lane and Algernon. Since then, the theme of marriage is carried to the end of the play.
Is Jack's brother Earnest fictional?
When the play opens, Algernon starts doubting that the life of Jack is somewhat fictional. By creating a supposed brother Earnest, Jack creates a fictional character and, more importantly, makes his life fictional. Similarly, the Bunbury created by Algernon is also fictional.
Summary
Read our full plot summary and analysis of The Importance of Being Earnest, scene by scene break-downs, and more.
Characters
See a complete list of the characters in The Importance of Being Earnest and in-depth analyses of Jack Worthing, Algernon Moncrieff, Gwendolen Fairfax, and Cecily Cardew .
Literary Devices
Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in The Importance of Being Earnest, from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more.
Quotes
Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the book by reading these key quotes.
Quick Quizzes
Test your knowledge of The Importance of Being Earnest with quizzes about every section, major characters, themes, symbols, and more.
Essays
Get ready to ace your The Importance of Being Earnest paper with our suggested essay topics, helpful essays about historical and literary context, a sample A+ student essay, and more.
Further Study
Test your knowledge of The Importance of Being Earnest with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations, plus links to the best resources around the web.
When was the importance of being earnest written?
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest was written in 1894 and first performed in 1895.
How long is the free trial for eNotes?
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
What do Jack and Algernon tell Gwendolen and Cecily about Ernest?
However, when Jack and Algernon tell Gwendolen and Cecily that they have both made arrangements to be christened Ernest that afternoon , all is forgiven and the two pairs of lovers embrace. At this moment, Lady Bracknell’s arrival is announced.
What does Jack learn about Gwendolen?
Jack is delighted to discover that Gwendolen returns his affections, but he is alarmed to learn that Gwendolen is fixated on the name Ernest , which she says “inspires absolute confidence.”. Gwendolen makes clear that she would not consider marrying a man who was not named Ernest.
Why did Algernon tell Gwendolen he did it?
Algernon tells her he did it in order to meet her. Gwendolen asks Jack whether he pretended to have a brother in order to come into London to see her as often as possible, and she interprets his evasive reply as an affirmation. The women are somewhat appeased but still concerned over the issue of the name.
Why does Lady Bracknell interview Jack?
Lady Bracknell interviews Jack to determine his eligibility as a possible son-in-law, and during this interview she asks about his family background. When Jack explains that he has no idea who his parents were and that he was found, by the man who adopted him, in a handbag in the cloakroom at Victoria Station, Lady Bracknell is scandalized. She forbids the match between Jack and Gwendolen and sweeps out of the house.
What happens at the beginning of Act I?
At the beginning of Act I, Jack drops in unexpectedly on Algernon and announces that he intends to propose to Gwendolen. Algernon confronts him with the cigarette case and forces him to come clean, demanding to know who “Jack” and “Cecily” are.
Who is Jack Worthing?
Jack Worthing, the play’s protagonist, is a pillar of the community in Hertfordshire, where he is guardian to Cecily Cardew, the pretty, eighteen-year-old granddaughter of the late Thomas Cardew, who found and adopted Jack when he was a baby. In Hertfordshire, Jack has responsibilities: he is a major landowner and justice of the peace, with tenants, farmers, and a number of servants and other employees all dependent on him. For years, he has also pretended to have an irresponsible black-sheep brother named Ernest who leads a scandalous life in pursuit of pleasure and is always getting into trouble of a sort that requires Jack to rush grimly off to his assistance. In fact, Ernest is merely Jack’s alibi, a phantom that allows him to disappear for days at a time and do as he likes. No one but Jack knows that he himself is Ernest. Ernest is the name Jack goes by in London, which is where he really goes on these occasions—probably to pursue the very sort of behavior he pretends to disapprove of in his imaginary brother.
What does Jack describe Cecily in terms of?
Without meaning to, Jack describes Cecily in terms that catch Algernon’s attention and make him even more interested in her than he is already. Gwendolen and her mother, Lady Bracknell, arrive, which gives Jack an opportunity to propose to Gwendolen.
