Comparing Gilbert And Sullivan And The Mikado By Oscar Wilde

Gilbert and Sullivan and Oscar Wilde share the same interest, as both their texts focus on the theme of love. Both plays take on the idea of love in the form of a triangle, where two people share the same feelings towards one person and this normally results in a negative outcome for one person in the triangle. Through the plays representation of the love triangle, dramatization of romantic rivalry and purpose to this romantic structure, Oscar Wilde’s play, “The Importance of Being Earnest” challenges the typical beliefs of the love triangle and presents it as something that brings people closer together and strengthens relationships. While Gilbert and Sullivan’s play, “The Mikado” argues that the love triangle is merely an illusion and an

Though Cecily and Gwendolen both love two different men, they show a deep obsession over the name “Ernest.” The first relationship introduced in the play is of Jack and Gwendolen, as he asks “Gwendolen, will you marry me?” (Wilde 307). At first the play seems straight forward and simple, as Jack gets the women he desires and only needs to change his name to Ernest to cover up his lies. However, things begin to get complicated and the love triangle begins to form when Algernon involves himself in Jack’s “game.” Algernon pretends to be Ernest to get close to Cecily and ends up confessing his love for her without realizing that she has imagined them together and “engaged for the last three months” (Wilde 330). Consequently, the play creates this imaginary love triangle, where even though both Cecily and Gwendolen believe that they

The main love triangle is of Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko. The play follows the traditional structure of a love triangle, where Yum-Yum sits at the top, while Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko compete for her love. In the play, Yum-Yum is “bethrothed to her guardian Ko-Ko” (1.1.78), while Nanki-Poo suddenly appears declaring his love for her. The play initially sets up the love triangle as an uneven structure, where Ko-Ko does not truly love Yum-Yum the way Nanki-Poo does, but because he has the law to defend him, he is put at an advantage. This shows that one side of the triangle can be stronger than the other, making the whole structure imbalanced and suggesting that anything can happen. Though Ko-Ko is engaged to Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo portrays a stronger emotional bond and love for her as he says, that he is going to “terminate an unendurable existence” (1.1.618). As a result, Nanki-Poo’s love for Yum-Yum surpasses Ko-Ko’s, where he is willing to commit suicide because he cannot be with her. Ko-Ko’s personality and motivation is the exact opposite, where he worries only about himself. When Nanki-Poo insists Ko-Ko on letting him marry Yum-Yum for a month, he is hesitant at first, but then agrees and says, “But dear me! my position during the next month will be most unpleasant” (1.1.672-673). Though, Ko-Ko is engaged to Yum-Yum, he never shows