Oscar Wilde’s treatment of high society and manners are explored in the play “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Here, members of the upper class display a great deal of pride and pretense, feeling that they are inherently entitled to their wealth and higher social position. An example is Lady Bracknell, who is preoccupied with maintaining the status quo that she quickly squashes any signs of rebellion. Characters from higher societies/classes are mainly concerned about their reputation and respectability

Sommer Wood Mocking Marriage “The Importance of Being Earnest” By Oscar Wilde, is a satirical play that has captured the attention of audiences for over a hundred years. Much of this plays popularity has stemmed from Wilde’s ability to direct viewers attention to the flaws of Victorian society, while maintaining a lighthearted and comical tone throughout. Although the play maintains a humorous nature, Wilde manages to touch on many issues surrounding the moral and social values held by many people

‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is often represented as being a comedy of manners- Wilde defines the text as ‘a trivial comedy for serious people’, which instantly raises questions on the purpose of the play itself. Dr Tracy Sanders states that “the comedy of manners is a style of comedy that reflects the life, ideals and manners of upper class society”, which undoubtedly links to the play. On the surface ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ could be classed as a sophisticated comedy of manners which

Cecily’s Diary of Reality in The Importance of Being Earnest In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses wit to undermine the societal expectations of women. Set in England during the late 19th century, the play shows the shallow and trivial attitude of the upper-class Victorian society. This status-driven society favors men, creating a dissatisfying life for women. The male characters, particularly Algernon Moncreiff, uses wit to show superiority over women. Yet, Cecily Cardew’s wit

The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde, pokes fun at the Victorian earnestness with sarcasm. The first piece of wit shown by Mr. Wilde is in the subtitle when he writes, “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” He continues to make general quips and witty remarks throughout the play, all the while prodding at the Victorian people. Mr. Wilde’s purpose of writing this play is to show how strict society is, how superficial everyone is in society, and how certain individuals do not agree

The Importance of Being Earnest is regarded as one of the most successful plays written by Oscar Wilde, a great 19th century playwright. Oscar Wilde deals with something unique about his contemporary age in this drama. It addresses Victorian social issues, French theatre, farce, social drama and melodrama. All these factors influenced the structure of the play in a large scale. This play is basically a Victorian satirical drama showcasing the social, political, economic and religious structural changes

The Importance of Being Earnest by famous literary provocateur Oscar Wilde was written during the Victorian era. The statement that “A text reflects the dominant ideologies of the time in which it was written” in reference to The Importance of Being Earnest is completely untrue. The play explores the inner workings of the Victorian upper class and challenges the attitudes and ideologies which society at the time was based. In particular Wilde criticised the certain social and financial expectations

The Importance of Being Ernest and Insignificance of Being Earnest According to two female characters in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, Ernest is a name that is typically desirable for a husband and represents high social status and wealth. Earnest, on the contrary, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, means to be “serious, sincere”, or, in other words, honest (“Earnest”). Within the irony of the title of Wilde’s play itself, the hypocrisy of the high social class of the