The Importance of Being Earnest

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Recommended: The importance of being earnest as a satire

IOBE What is called good society is usually nothing but a mosaic of polished caricatures.” (Friedrich Schlegel) An upper class society is merely a twisted web of superficial dogma amidst nonsensical wisdoms and outrageously absurd beliefs. Like many satirical plays, The Importance of Being Earnest is deliberately preposterous in nature so as to better ridicule Edwardian social life and cherished ideals. The Importance of Being Earnest is a stinging indictment of upper class British society of the time. The ingenious play mocks the concepts of aristocracy and love in Edwardian society, and addresses the notion of treating all important matters of life with genuine and earnest triviality. Much of the subtle and cleverly attributed criticism found in The Importance of Being Earnest is directed toward the excessively superficial upper class which Lady Bracknell, in particular, distinctly represents. Lady Bracknell is the ideal personification of a typical Edwardian aristocratic woman who is obsessed with high culture and proper manners. Lady Bracknell’s assessment of Jack’s worthiness as a suitor for Gwendolen is based on a ludicrous collection of social beliefs which include senseless wisdoms as “a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing” and “a man should always have an occupation” (i.e. smoking). (p.15, 16) This is a classic example of the extremely whimsical values that consume Lady Bracknell’s nonsensical beliefs. Lady Bracknell’s vanity is made evident when she hastily declares, “You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter to marry into a cloak-room and form an alliance with a parcel?” (p.18) Lady Bracknell is not concerned whet... ... middle of paper ... ... wittily-crafted characters address solemn situations with unfeigned triviality, thus adding humour to the absurd Edwardian way of life. The Importance of Being Earnest, a satirical and hypocritical masterpiece, conveys the role of treasured values such as aristocracy and love, and addresses the concept of treating all serious matters of life with genuine and sincere triviality. Although excessively foolish in their nature, the characters of Oscar Wilde’s skillfully-written play truly represent the preposterous principles embodied by the Edwardian upper class. The ludicrous and incongruous ideals cherished by a noble society reveal the superficiality of the caricatures enclosed within. “Any relations in a social order will endure, if there is infused into them some of that spirit of human sympathy which qualifies life for immortality.” (George W. Russell)

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