The influence of society and ideas in The Importance of Being Earnest had effects on decisions, and conflicts characters dealt with. Lady Brackenell decides to interview Jack to confirm whether he would be an appropriate suitor for her daughter. She tells him she believes that a man who wants to marry should know either everything or nothing. She later says “To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable” (Wilde 135). Frequently, Lady Bracknell interferes providing her standards of marriage and it influences Jack and Gwendolyn’s thoughts. Events of history at the time of the play also influenced Wilde’s writing, “Above all, Wilde’s play satirizes “earnestness,” a peculiarly Victorian quality usually associated with sober behavior and a serious turn of mind. …show more content…
In the above statement, Pamela Loy relates Victorian ideals, which correlated with ideas presented in the play. Wilde places women in position of authority, when it comes to selecting their men. Cecily and Gwendolyn have tight control and influence over their suitors’ behaviors. When Gwendolen and Cecily fantasize about marrying a man named “Ernest”, they threaten to suppress their love from any man who does not hold the name. Both women remark, “Your Christian names are an insuperable barrier. That is all!” (Wilde
...Lady Bracknell was excited to hear that Cecily has wealth; she almost instantaneously consented to her marriage to Algernon. Wilde uncovers the frivolousness of their proclaimed love by displaying how Lady Bracknell would only consent for
Gwendolen and Cecily act like air-heads and are easily won over by the men they plan to marry. Gwendolen simply wants to marry a man named Earnest. She tells Jack “my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest” (I.381-82). The mere idea of marrying a man for his name shows how easily Gwendolen can attach herself to a man. Marriage is the most serious of all relationships and Gwendolen is foolish to deter...
Wilde does this in order to portray Lady Bracknell with very strong Victorian views that are illogical and humorous to the reader thus satirising the values which are prominent in Victorian standards. Consequently it can be seen that Lady Bracknell is corrupt beyond reason, sacrificing the happiness of her daughter for her Victorian values and ridiculing Jack for his less than exemplary past. Some critics believe Lady Bracknell to be a ‘living parody of upper class values’ which can be
Crawford, Jamie. (2008). Point, Counterpoint, Thrust: Wilde's Pun Burying in The Importance of Being Earnest. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http://www.crawfordsworld.com/jaimie/professional/oscar.htm
In this passage from the play it is very clear that Wilde likes to give
In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the aristocrats who place emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of "Ernest" yet ironically, they both are beginning their marital lives based on deception and lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat who forces the concept of a marriage based on wealth or status rather than love. Through farce and exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper class society looks upon as being important. As said earlier, a satiric piece usually has a didactic side to it. In this case, Lady Bracknell learns that the same person she was criticising is actually her own flesh and blood.
Foster, Richard. “Wilde as Parodist: A Second Look at The Importance of Being Earnest” In College English, Vol. 18, no. 1, October, 1956: pp. 18-23.
Capitalism in the new world developed at a rapid rate. Of course, it did not evolve on its own. Capitalism involved sugar, tobacco, cotton, etc. The Indians, however, could not further improve capitalism. “In addition, the supply of Indians was insufficient” (Capitalism and Slavery, 1944, page 9). There were not enough Indians available. The future of the “new world, sugar and cotton, required strength” (Capitalism and Slavery, 1944, page 9). The Indians were not strong enough either. On the other hand, the negros were capable of handling the relevant tasks. Negros did not tire out easily like the other groups. They were able to work long periods of time without fatigue. Economically, the colonies could also afford them. They were cheaper
In essence, this comedy of manners does have traces of movement from distress to happiness as all the characters within the play were either involved in ‘good’ or ‘bad’ affairs. But despite this, in the resolution Jack learnt from his mistakes which resulted in happiness for him and Gwendolyn as she got married to a person named Earnest. Similarly, Cecily also got married which resulted in celebration, but as Algernon didn’t tell her the truth about his name he hadn’t reformed in the process which indicates that he did stay ‘bad’. Likewise, Lady Bracknell also stayed distressed when she was not part of any comic resolution. As this is the case, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ does conform to this model, but this movement from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ is dependent on the different characters that Wilde has constructed and the situations that they went through.
Throughout the late nineteenth century, Oscar Wilde wrote plays such as Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest- his most famous play. Earnest is a comedic work that focuses on a pair of wealthy men. They have been leading double lives so that they can go off for periods of time and enjoy living without responsibility while still maintaining their aristocratic reputation. Because of Wilde’s invlovement in the aesthetic movement, it is not uncommon (or unfair) to believe that his work, Earnest included, is nothing more than fluff. That being said, it is also fair to argue that this particular play does have meaning in it. Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest as a commentary on the hypocrisy of the ideal Victorian character. Earnestness is sincerity- which most Victorians believed themselves to be- and so Wilde uses the word ironically. In his eyes, people who considered themselves sincere were actually smug, self-righteous, and pompous. He expresses these opinions clearly through the play’s over-the-top and frustrating characters.
Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of "Ernest" yet ironically, they both plan on starting their married life with a lie. Lady Bracknell represents the typical aristocrat who focuses the idea of marriage on social and economic status. She believes that if the men trying to marry these girls are not of proper background, there is to be no engagement. Through this major exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the irrational and insignificant matters that the upper class society uses to view
Wilde’s criticism on high society and manners are shown by creating absurd situations and characters whose lack of insight causes them to respond in an inappropriate manner. An example is shown in Lady Bracknell’s preoccupation with her own parties and that the lack of sympathy for invalids makes her react to the news of Bunbury’s illness in an exaggeratedly cold manner. “I think it is high time that Mr Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die. I should be much obliged if you would ask Mr Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me”. This quote conveys the audiences that Lady Bracknell is more concerned with the propriety of her music arrangements over the life and death struggles of Bunbury. As mentioned earlier, Lady Bracknell displays a great deal of pride and pretense through her sense of entitlement and by...
In the play, Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde ridicules and identifies the negative aspects of Victorian society through comedic dialogue. He uses characters with ridiculous personalities to demonstrate his idea of Victorian life. By making absurd scenes with foolish characters, it is his way of mocking the Victorian lifestyle passive aggressively.
To what extent is the importance of Earnest an attack on Victorian society or a vehicle to showcase Wildes literacy prowess? Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a beautifully constructed depiction of nineteenth century Victorian life. The quirky and often irreverent situations presented were often witty and amusing but in many instances revealed a biting critique of traditional expectations and behaviour. Wilde arguably would have used the play to showcase his literary prowess and it is to what extent that Wilde used the play as a platform or used the play to expose hypocritical values that would be questioned by both contemporary and modern audiences. Wilde presents marriage as a state that is accepted for its superficiality.
The Importance of Being earnest is a comedy with depth, style and intelligence. It is because of these aspects that the play was enjoyed so much by audiences of its time and still enjoyed by modern day audiences. Comedy has remained a centre point of our culture throughout the years, we owe it to playwrights like Oscar Wilde for keeping comedy fresh and setting an example of pushing the boundaries. As comedy has evolved and adapted we have been able to define what eactly a comedy is. On the surface it appears that comedies are plays that make us laugh.