Study Questions to Explore
1) Explore the way Wilde uses this idea of secrecy in order to keep up appearances, while living freely under an assumed name. Think about the following exchange from the play:
Lady Bracknell: Algy, I hope you are behaving very well.
Algernon: I am feeling very well, Aunt Augusta.
Lady Bracknell: That is not quite the same thing. In fact, the two rarely go together.
4) How does Wilde comment on social class? What are his views?
Lady Bracknell: Algy, I hope you are behaving very well.
Algernon: I am feeling very well, Aunt Augusta.
Lady Bracknell: That is not quite the same thing. In fact, the two rarely go together.
How does this apply to Jack's philosophy of life, and the need for a dual identity? How does the idea of being "Earnest/earnest" tie back to the idea of secrecy AND the overarching themes?
2) How does Wilde divulge the secret at just the right comedic moment? How does everyone react?
3) Where do you see the elements of Aestheticism in the play?
4) How does Wilde comment on social class? What are his views?
5) How does Wilde comment on literature and education? What are his views?
6) How does Wilde comment on religion? What are his views?
7) How does Wilde comment on marriage? What are his views?
8) How are the characters used to present stereotypical and symbolic representations in the play?
9) How does Wilde use satire and humor to present his views?
10) How is this play a satire on the classic comedy? How are moments "over the top?"
When marriage comes into play between Gwendolyn and Jack you see different perspectives between each character and what they want to accomplish or what their circumstances for marriage would be. "Jack: Gwendolen, will you marry me? [Goes on his knees.]
ReplyDeleteGwendolen: Of course I will, darling."(8) You can see here from this quote that jack and Gwendolyn very much like each other and enjoy spending time together. But, on the other hand it all gets turned down by Gwendolyn's mother who completely shuts down the idea of those two ever getting married because of the situation that Jack is in. "Me, sir! What has it to do with me? You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter—a girl brought up with the utmost care—to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel? Good morning, Mr. Worthing!" (11) She rejects the idea because she is proving that he is incapable of being able to afford and be able to treat her daughter with care because she finds that he has an insufficient amount of money.
Wilde is able to make this comical because of the small humorous moments throughout the story. It starts off by having a kids name being changed from Ernest to Jack and then continues to when Jack explains his life and talks about how he was left in a purse for someone to take him. There are a lot of very small subtle moments of humor sprinkled around the story. Also the way the they make fun of the servants and the help is funny because they show that they have so much power over them yet they treat them poorly.
I found the play hilarious while I was reading it with my group. It reminds me a lot of comedic shows like “Parks and Rec” or “30 Rock” that aren’t afraid to go over the top with their humor. Instantly I fell in love with the characters of Lady Bracknell and Jack, for vastly different reasons. When my group was reading through the script I initially played the part of Jack who, while I recognize is supposed to be the straight man playing off of Algernon, I found hilarious. It seems all the characters in the play are generally pretty well off, so lots of Jack’s comedy comes from his arrogance and obliviousness in regards to other people’s feelings. An example of this is when he is talking to Algernon about his trip to the country and he states, “When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.” I like Lady Bracknell because of how much I hate her. She’s a perfect archetype of upper class older women and their hypocrisy. Pretty much everything she says either makes absolutely no sense or contradicts a point she made earlier. She’s also has lots of trouble understanding other people’s pain, and if she does then clearly she doesn’t care. My favorite passage of hers is: “Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die…Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others. Health is the primary duty of life. I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice . . . as far as any improvement in his ailment goes. 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.” She sucks, and I love her for it. I think my favorite conversation from the play was when Gwendolyn and Jack were expressing their love for one another and Jack was trying to reveal to her his true name. Gwendolyn, for some reason, is obsessed with the fact that her suitor’s name is Ernest, even though it’s really Jack. It seems based on what she says during the scene that she might only love him for his name, which is equal parts sad and amusing. When Jack tries to see how she would react to his real name she says, “Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations . . . I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John. She would probably never be allowed to know the entrancing pleasure of a single moment’s solitude. The only really safe name is Ernest.” This kind of humor is seen a lot in modern musicals and plays, which I assume took lots of inspiration from Wilde’s cynically humorous works.
ReplyDeleteI have so many favorite exchanges, but one that made me laugh out loud was this:
ReplyDeleteAlgernon: Well, I’m hungry.
Jack: I never knew you when you weren’t . . .
I just find it so funny because it sounds like something my best friend and I would say to each other! I love that there is never a dull moment when reading this play because Wilde makes even the most trivial of things so hilarious.
I am very glad that we learned about Oscar Wilde before we started reading The Importance of Being Earnest because it is so much funnier to read knowing the personality of the author. I can hear Wilde’s tone of voice through every character, but especially through Jack and Algernon, who exist to make absurd comments. Now I am understanding more of what the A+E documentary meant when it said that Wilde became so popular in England just through his words. I can imagine that he charmed people by using the kind of witty and absurd humor seen in this play.
Probably the funniest scene is towards the end of Act II, when Gwendolen and Cecily find out (after passive aggressively fighting with each other) that neither of their fiances are, in fact, Earnest. It is amusing to see how quickly the two womens’ feelings towards each other change over a short period of time. When they first meet each other, they immediately become friends, but when they figure out that they are both engaged to Earnest, they quickly turn against each other. Soon after, when they realize that they have both been fooled, they hug and say:
Gwendolen: My poor wounded Cecily!
Cecily: My sweet wronged Gwendolen!
Gwendolen: You will call me sister, will you not?
Ironically, Gwendolen says twice that her “first impressions of people are invariably right.” She is first proved wrong when she learns that her fiance, Jack, of whom she says “is the very soul of truth and honour,” has been deceiving her about his identity. She also claimed that Cecily was “false and deceitful,” but that misunderstanding is later resolved, as well.
I love how in such a heated moment for the two women, Jack hilariously responds to Gwendolen’s question of “Is your name really John?” with “. . . my name certainly is John. It has been John for years.” Wilde makes a joke out of the two engagements to show that he does not really take marriage seriously. Neither Jack nor Algernon feel bad towards Gwendolen and Cecily when they find out the truth. Instead, Algernon says that it was “the most wonderful Bunbury I have ever had in my life.” In Wilde’s own life, he probably saw his marriage as a burden that hindered his relationships with other lovers. His view on marriage is that it is too big of a commitment; he thinks people should be free to follow where their hearts naturally lead them.
I love how this is quite an old play but it’s actually really funny! My favorite part was when Algernon said “When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me… At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins.” This scene was so relatable to me! I feel like I and many others have felt that stress eating is a solution to a problem and I could just imagine Algernon worriedly stuffing his face with muffins as the two men try to conjure up a plan to explain their Bunburying and the whole Ernest Situation.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Wilde is able to emulate a satiristic approach in his writing due to the many silly side conversations, absurd conflicts and childish deceptions. There are moments (like how Algernon was stuffing his face with muffins) that there are side conversations away from the women that Algernon fight like two small children and these childlike fights that they have as two proper, respectable, upperclassmen is amusing and makes fun of the stereotypical conservative European upper class. I feel like you can also notice subtle satiristic notes during the stage directions. For example, Gwendolen: [Slowly and seriously.] You will call me sister, will you not? [They embrace. Jack and Algernon groan and walk up and down.]”. I can definitely imagine the men dramatically groaning as the women have oneuped them in the situation of their petty lies. Wilde also adds many elements of Aestheticism to his play mainly by not making it about anything super important. There’s no deep meaning behind any of the characters relationships and plot development. It’s mainly just about how ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’. It’s the frivolous romances and foiled plans of deception that really make up most of the story and that’s completely okay! It’s just a play that you are supposed to read or watch for the pure enjoyment of it all and I think that’s great.
Far and away my favorite line through acts I and II was between Algernon and Jack. It goes:
ReplyDelete“Jack: I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can’t go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left.
Algernon: We have.
Jack: I should extremely like to meet them. What do they talk about?
Algernon: The fools? Oh! about the clever people, of course.
Jack: What fools!”
I loved this line. This kind of humor is right up my ally. While I was reading these lines I was hoping that Wilde would have taken advantage of this to make a joke, and I’m glad he could. I feel like these lines have many layers as well. On the surface it appears that Algernon makes a joke at the expense of Jack, but further examination shows how Jack does not even realize the joke occurred. This is the genius of Wilde. He does not miss an opportunity for a joke, and his comedy is layered. The style of aestheticism is visible in the context of the play as a whole. There is no real ‘moral’ or ‘lesson’ to be learned from the play. The goal of the play is to entertain, not educate. This is an aesthetic ideal: pleasure over practicality. The characters do not make a dramatic change of character from any lessons they learn. One example of a book that is not at all aesthetic is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The main character, Scrooge, goes through a transformation that is meant to symbolize how society must be more giving to the poor. Wilde provides so message that his audience must take away with. The play is simply entertainment and comedy. This is a satire on a classic comedy because there seems to be no happy ending in sight. Gwendylon does not forgive Jack for lying to her. Gwendylon says “I am afraid it is quite clear, Cecily, that neither of us is engaged to be married to any one.” when she learns that Jack lied to her. While both this play and classical comedy are lighthearted and entertaining, this play does not have a happy ending. If this were a classical comedy, Gwendylon would forgive Jack and they would stay together, but now it appears that will not happen in this play. This is why The Importance of Being Earnest is a play on a classical comedy. It takes aspects of a classical comedy and twists them into a play that has no purpose other than to entertain and no intention of happy endings.
ReplyDeleteThe second act has me laughing out loud because of how absurd and sarcastic it is. Gwendolen and Cecily’s passive-aggressive exchange is quite enjoyable to read. Mostly because I feed off the sarcastic tone, but it’s also relatable. They are miss understanding the situation. Instead of going to Jack and Algernon to clear things up, they decide to act petty towards each other out of spite. I think people nowadays are still guilty of the same “jumping to conclusions” act as a way to avoid confrontation. But I don’t think they’re trying to avoid confrontation here, but they are being passive-aggressive out of spite. I also think it’s funny and irony how Gwendolen says “something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.” to Cecily when she first met her. But after finding out about “Earnest” being engaged to Cecily, she says “From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right.” Gwendolen is contradicting herself during this scene because she’s changing her opinions without admitting they are wrong. It’s hypocritical of her to do say those things, but it’s still pretty funny considering the situation.
I also noticed Oscar Wilde putting in his sayings into the play. I think it’s a common thing for authors to weave their ideas into their work. However, I noticed this specific quote right away because it’s almost word for word. In Act II, when Algernon says “If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.” Oscar Wilde mentioned the same phrase in Phrases and Philosophies for the use of the Young. It’s just phrased a bit differently, but not to the point where people can miss interpret it. Wilde was very obvious about it too. It’s not like he tried to hide his sayings so readers had to analyze the text to figure it out. It speaks to his blunt personality. He’s not afraid to speak his mind.
I have very much enjoyed reading The Importance of Being Earnest so far. My favorite exchange so far has been at the very beginning when Algernon says, “Algernon: I’m sorry for that, for your sake. I don’t play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life”, and lane responds with, ”Lane: Yes, sir.”. I love Lane’s pessimistic approach to everything. He seems like such a stereotypical servant, with all that bottled up contempt for his boss. There is another exchange between Lane and Algernon later in this act that perfectly outlines this relationship. “Algernon: I hope to-morrow will be a fine day, Lane. Lane: It never is, sir”. First of all, I love Lane’s mannerisms and the way he speaks, but second of all, the way this line is delivers shows Lane’s acceptance of his boring life. His job is to do chores and run errands for rich people all day and he seems to have just accepted his place as a servant. Wilde creates Lane making him almost the essence of a stereotypical servant, perfectly complient, with contempt for his boss.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line so far is on page 21 from Cecily:
ReplyDelete“It is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a
very brief space of time. The absence of old friends one can endure
with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to
whom one has just been introduced is almost unbearable”.
I really like this line because of how ironic it is, which makes it funny. Despite just meeting, Cecily and Algernon are so in love with each other that they cannot bare the fact Algernon must leave. Cecily expresses the pain of having to say goodbye to someone she does not know which is ironic because in normal circumstances, it is easy to part with someone you have just met due to the fact there is no emotional attachment. The comedic satire of wishing they had known each other for longer so that it would be easier to leave is just impeccable and I couldn’t help but laugh to myself when I read it. (Side note: my family has been so confused because I randomly just start laughing as a result of reading this play).
Wilde divulges the secret of Algernon and Jack’s true identities at the perfect time. Just after both men have proposed to their respective women, the two women meet and begin to fight over who really gets to marry their true love, Ernest. Just moments before, Gwendolen is telling Cecily that they are “going to be great friends” and she is quite sure of herself because her “first impressions of people are never wrong”. The two women begin to ‘hit it off’ despite not having spoken many words to each other. As soon as they begin speaking, they quickly begin to dislike the other as a result of their equal desire to be married to a man named Ernest. Both Gwendolen and Cecily are described as “politely rising”, Gwendolen “quite politely” while Cecily is “very polit[e]”. This tension between the two even in their stage directions demonstrates the desire for the two to ‘one up’ each other so that they can get the last laugh and ultimately fulfill their dream of marrying a man named Ernest. The satirical qualities of Cecily help to propel the interaction between the two forward, causing the situation to further escalate. Cecily deliberately disobeys what Gwendolen says giving her cake instead of bread and butter as well as putting sugar in her tea despite being specifically asked not to. These actions cause Gwendolen to snap, describing Cecily as “false and deceitful” once again self assuring herself because her “first impressions of people are invariably right”. The irony is that just moments before Gwendolen is calling Cecily her sister just as Algernon and Jack had predicted earlier on in the play. The quick polarizing transformation in their relationship is Wilde making fun of the characteristics of women and their wishy washy personalities that are always changing.
Oscar Wilde makes two of his characters Algernon and Jack lead double lives, similar to how the author defines the philosophy of his own life. One is allowed to “Bunbury” because it frees up one’s schedule, and then they’re allowed to live as they please. Wilde himself led a double life, with his wife and the many men he would have affairs with. Combining his philosophy with his humor, he creates a contrast between Algernon and Jack; Algernon is a wonderfully fluid liar, and Jack doesn’t contain any ounce of spontaneity or suavity. They are complete opposites.
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of the paradoxes that Wilde uses as a classic part of his style to create comedy. Usually, it’s the character that starts the paradox that delivers the punchline later in the sentence or scene. At the beginning of Act 2, Cecily says that “Miss Prism says that all good looks are a snare.” Algernon replies, “they are a snare that every sensible man would like to be caught in.” Even later in the act, Cecily says, “and of course a man who is much talked about is always very attractive.” This chain of events leads up to an intelligent chuckle from readers since the shock and slight confusion from the contradictions he presents. Another, my personal favorite so far, comes from the interaction between Gwendolen and Cecily after arguing about Ernest and to whom he belongs to. Gwendolen asks, “are there many interesting walks in the vicinity, Miss Cardew?” “Oh! yes! a great many. From the top of one of the hills quite close one can see five counties,” Cecily replies. “Five counties! I don’t think I should like that; I hate crowds,” Gwendolen says. Cecily sweetly retorts, “I suppose that is why you live in town?” This clever conversation is a paradox of Gwendolen’s personality and her decisions. In using these paradoxes, it creates comedy that adds to the comedy once it’s been resolved. This satire ties back into the information from the documentary we watched at the beginning of this unit; his mother loved shocking people, and he learned it from her. His smart decisions cause the smart to laugh, and the smarter to consider the social commentary. I especially saw this when Miss Prism comments, “I have often spoken to the poorer classes on the subject. But they don’t seem to know what thrift is.” He means to comment on the stupidity of poorer classes, which comes from his life in the upper class. His ideas come from his privilege of never even experiencing what it’s like to live without advantages. He’s only seen the outside layer to low social classes: beggars, scum, trash, the homeless, the broke, and the desperate. Although understandable in social context within the period he’s writing in, Wilde emphasizes the world around him within the character’s opinions, and the world within him with the characters themselves.
My favorite lines from the play would be “there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations… I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John... The only really safe name is Ernest.” This is my favorite line becuase it made me laugh due to its stupidity. Such idiotic statements are in the entire play as they make up the plays humor and serves as entertainment for the audience. By this statement, Wilde conveys the shallowness of many people in that era and their obsession with marrying into a family with a respectable name. Parallels to Wilde's life can definitely be made such as Algy’s opposal to marriage and Wildes boredom with his wife and the typical Victorian life. Jack’s secret life as Ernest is just as Wilde’s exciting relationship with Bosey. I also love how this play is so over the top and ironic because it truly resembles Wilde's personality and unique way of interacting with those present in his life. Something that I really found interesting was how he addressed education in this play through Lady Bradwell. For instance, when Lady Bradwell says “I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance… England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square” through this Wilde kind of mocks the educational system and conveys that is not effective because if it were, then the lower classes wouldn't settle in the social order established during the time.
ReplyDeleteWilde uses the idea of secrecy that lends itself to Jack’s philosophy of life and the need for a dual identity. Shown in the exchange between Algernon and his Aunt, Lady Bracknell, in which she asks him if he is behaving well and Algy responds that he is “feeling very well.” Aunt Augusta replies by saying that, “That is not quite the same thing. In fact, the two rarely go together.” This relates to Jack’s philosophy of a dual identity because he is taking the statement and changing it so that it seems like the same thing, but Lady Bracknell responds that it is not the same thing, showcasing how the identities are not the same. This relates to the idea of “Earnest/earnest” because it is a double entendre. Although Jack’s dual identity name is earnest, the comedic element is that the definition of “earnest” is about being true to yourself. Wilde uses subtleties such as this to create the humor in his play and tie to the overarching theme about the true meaning of “being earnest,” whether it is Jack’s second life or being true to himself. This idea emerges from Oscar Wilde’s own life and by studying him first, it creates more humor in the play. Wilde presents his views in the play to create humor, such as his dislike of the German language. Small, short lines are what lend to the humor and sarcasm in the play and between the characters.
ReplyDeleteWilde uses satire to prove the marriage of two people holds little purpose and is a social construct based off of shallow desires, like names and family background. Each character in “The Importance of being Earnest” love each other for superficial reasons. Cecily and Gwendolyn only want to marry the men for their name,
ReplyDeleteCecily: You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest.
Algrenon and Jack are willing to get married knowing their wives would not love them for who they are. Wilde saw marriage as a way to advance themselves in society and make themselves look better instead of marrying for love.
Lady Bracknell upholds society’s ideals in that her daughters fiance must come from a good family and does not care about the wellbeing or happiness of her only daughter. This reflects Ocscar Wilde’s own inability to love who he wants, because of Victorian England society’s restraints.
Cecily and Gwendolyn promise to be good friends and they get along very well, until they begin to fight over who they think is the same man but turns out only to be a shared name. As they realize they have both been deceived and they are no longer fighting over a man, “the two girls move towards each other and put their arms round each other’s waists as if for protection.” Wilde over dramatizes the moments of their change of attitude to exaggerate the various emotions played up in classic comedies. He exposes the shallow qualities of the characters as they abandon and rekindle their friendships so quickly with little information before. He portrays Cecily and Gwendolyn as a common stereotype of women fighting over a man and the men in the story deceiving them.
This exchange from the first page is really funny.
ReplyDelete“Algernon: Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?
Lane: I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little experience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person.
Algernon: [Languidly.] I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.
Lane: No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself.
Algernon: Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you.
Lane: Thank you, sir. [Lane goes out.]
Algernon: Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.”
Algernon poses a question, that Lane responds to, his response doesn’t correlate to the fact that he said “it is a very pleasant state,” since he had “a misunderstanding” during his marriage. Then Algernon says that he doesn’t really care about Lane’s life, which is very insulting, and begs the question of why Algernon even asked Lane for his opinion anyways. This exchange ends with Algernon criticizing Lane behind his back, which is even more insulting because Algernon criticizes Lane’s entire social class. However, this comment fits right into to Oscar Wilde’s dislike for of the poor and uninteresting.
This play has so far been really funny, with conversations wandering in circles, like the debate over the cigar case, spatters with comments about Bunburying. However, one of my favorite ‘running jokes’ is this one about the cucumber sandwiches:
“Algernon: Oh! there is no use speculating on that subject. Divorces are made in Heaven—[Jack puts out his hand to take a sandwich. Algernon at once interferes.] Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta. [Takes one and eats it.]
Algernon: [Picking up empty plate in horror.] Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially.
Lane: [Gravely.] There were no cucumbers in the market this morning, sir. I went down twice.”
This is ridiculous, because Algernon ate all the sandwiches, stopped Jack from eating sandwiches that he was supposedly reserving for Aunt Augusta, and then seemed somewhat confused about why all the sandwiches were all gone. However, Lane, the faithful servant, backs the part of Jack, and says that he couldn’t find any cucumbers at the market. This reflects an aspect of humor in the play, in which some characters are in on joke that others are unaware of. This type of comedy is also represented when Lady Bracknell was telling Gwendolyn to get into the carriage, and “Gwendolen goes to the door. She and Jack blow kisses to each other behind Lady Bracknell’s back. Lady Bracknell looks vaguely about as if she could not understand what the noise was.” This type of character interaction is very real, and unfortunately not shown in the movie. Wilde highlights many small confusions and small actions that occur, and would have been omitted by other writers at the time. However, through these actions develop the characters and reflect upon Wilde’s views of life, as when“Lane presents several letters on a salver to Algernon. It is to be surmised that they are bills, as Algernon, after looking at the envelopes, tears them up.” Wilde went into serious debt, but continued spending, and Algernon seems to possess this trait as well. By tearing up the bills, Algernon presents as another rich careless person, and Wilde makes fun of himself for his shameless spending.
Gwendolen: "You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too far." I though this line was funny, because their pettiness is so overly exaggerated and wouldn't happen in real life.
ReplyDeleteWilde uses satire to prove the marriage of two people holds little purpose and is a social construct based off of shallow desires, like names. Each character in “The Importance of being Earnest” love each other for superficial reasons. Cecily and Gwendolyn only want to marry the men for their name,
"Cecily: You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest."
Algrenon and Jack are willing to get married knowing their wives would not love them for who they are. Wilde saw marriage as a way for people to advance themselves in society and make themselves look better instead of marrying for love.
Lady Bracknell upholds society’s ideals in that her daughters fiance must come from a good family and does not care about the wellbeing or happiness of her only daughter. This reflects Ocscar Wilde’s own inability to love who he wants, because of Victorian England society’s restraints.
Cecily and Gwendolyn promise to be good friends and they get along very well, until they begin to fight over who they think is the same man but turns out only to be a shared name. As they realize they have both been deceived and they are no longer fighting over a man, “the two girls move towards each other and put their arms round each other’s waists as if for protection.” Wilde over dramatizes the moments of their change of attitude to exaggerate the various emotions played up in classic comedies. He exposes the shallow qualities of the characters as they abandon and rekindle their friendships so quickly with little information before. He portrays Cecily and Gwendolyn as a common stereotype of women fighting over a man and the men in the story deceiving them.
The play, despite its comedic moments, shows the darkness of social class of its time period. This is especially evident in the scene where Lady Bracknell is interviewing Jack/Earnest on his life, including questions on where he resides, how much money he makes, and who his parents are. Even though they are quite young, Gwendolyn is expected to be around 25 throughout the story and capable of making her own decisions on who she loves- however, she had absolutely no say in this matter. Lady Bracknell states this before interviewing Jack, “I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men… However, I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really affectionate mother requires.” Although the movie sets it up in a very professional interview setting, this isn’t far from the truth of how it was. It was clear that Lady Bracknell had a high social class. People with a high social class at that time were very much in the public eye, so it was important for families to decide who their daughters were marrying because it was important to make a good impression. This also shows how little rights young women had at that time. It is clear to Lady Bracknell that Gwendolyn wants to marry Earnest/Jack, but Lady Bracknell said no, therefore she couldn’t. However, at the end of the novel, Gwendolyn argues that she will marry Jack no matter what, same goes for Cecily and Algernon. If this was set in its time without being a play, these women would not have a say at all, and it would unfortunately be seen as disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite exchange in Acts I and II of the play The Importance Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde would be that of Algernon and Cecily after Algernon proposes. One must remember that during this time, Cecily believes that Algernon’s real name is Earnest. The reason as to why this exchange is my favorite is because according to Cecily, she and Algernon have already been engaged for three months without his knowledge. She even exclaims that during this course of time Algernon had been writing back and forth with her. Algernon with much confusion states that he had never written to her and Cecily’s reply is that she had to write the letters for him. The whole exchange seems very bizarre and, for lack of better words, just silly. Cecily had her own little fantasy concerning “Earnest” and instead of acknowledging that it was simply a fantasy, she continues to speak of it as though it were reality.
ReplyDeleteThrough much analyzation it is easy to see that Oscar Wilde does not take marriage seriously. Throughout the play The Importance Being Earnest, he constantly makes fun of the engagements introduced and downplays the importance of them. In the play it shows how both Cecily and Gwendolen are believed to be in love and engaged to a man by the name Ernest. No, they are not engaged to the same man, but rather two different men who lie to them and make them believe that their real names are Earnest.
Gwendolen: [Catching sight of him.] Ernest! My own Ernest!...A moment! May I ask if you are engaged to be married to this young lady? [Points to Cecily.]
Cecily: [Very sweetly.] I knew there must be some misunderstanding, Miss Fairfax. The gentleman whose arm is at present round your waist is my guardian, Mr. John Worthing.
Cecily: [Drawing back.] A moment, Ernest! May I ask you—are you engaged to be married to this young lady? Algernon: [Looking round.] To what young lady? Good heavens! Gwendolen! Gwendolen: I felt there was some slight error, Miss Cardew. The gentleman who is now embracing you is my cousin, Mr. Algernon Moncrieff. Cecily: [Breaking away from Algernon.] Algernon Moncrieff! Oh! [The two girls move towards each other and put their arms around each other’s waists as if for protection.]
Upon discovery of the real name of these men, both women break off the engagement. In a way, Wilde shows that marriage is simply an image of people want it to be, but once it is truly analyzed it is most likely broken down due to the dedication and commitment it truly requires. It shows that while two people may “believe” they are in love, when they are faced with obstacles it is easy to see how one would run instead of fighting for this “love”.
- Lizaida Paulino
ReplyDeleteThe exchange on behaving and feeling well from the play is quite symbolic of secrecy. Concisely, it highlights the duality of behavior and spirit; to behave well in a society is not always to enjoy oneself; one must take time off for debauchery every now and then, Bunburying as some would call it. I think it ties in wonderfully with Oscar Wilde's philosophies about aestheticism because it implies that not everything you do must be inspiring or helpful, sometimes it's beneficial to oneself to take some time off. Wilde comments on social class in a very clever way. He talks about the absurd superficial validations that accompany social class. Things like if you smoke, are you adopted; these things are supposed to determine someone's worth, which Wilde underlines as absurd through his use of sarcasm. Wilde also has some interesting things to say about marriage. I feel that he was projecting personally through the play and characters like Lady Bracknell, who comments that she isn't fond of engagements because they allow people to get to know each other before marriage, which is not a good thing according to her. There is also the cynical playboy comments of Algy on how the treatment of women should be, such as only making love to pretty ones, and making love to others when it comes to the plain. This could also be seen as a critique on toxic masculinity and it's traits of high society, but it is brilliantly inserted into the dialogue and messages.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love “The Importance of Being Earnest”. Each and every line is an absolute delight to read. The piece drips with Oscar Wilde’s persona at every turn, making it thoroughly enjoyable. Each of his characters seems to be over-dramatized, in a Shakespearean manner in order to emphasize and criticize the social norms of his time. Lady Bracknell is uptight and snooty, wearing only the finest clothes and holding dinner parties in the highest regard. When Jack wants to marry Gwendolen, she barely asks about his character, for she is far more interested in his heritage. Upon learning of his Brighton-Line cloakroom inheritance of sorts, she proclaims that in order to have Gwendolen’s hand he must, “try and acquire some relations as soon as possible, and to make a definite effort to produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over.” Wilde uses this brutally comedic ultimatum to mock the importance of class and family name during his time period. He also clearly expresses his distaste in the education system. He constantly pokes fun at the German language especially, for when Cecily Cardew is instructed to “practice her German”, she protests, claiming that, “I don’t like German. It isn’t at all a becoming language. I know perfectly well that I look quite plain after my German lesson.” By using artful, sly humor, Wilde critiques the facets of his society that he deems ridiculous through the wacky antics of his amazing characters.
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ReplyDelete“Cecily: [Advancing to meet her.] Pray let me introduce myself to you. My name is Cecily Cardew.
ReplyDeleteGwendolen: Cecily Cardew? [Moving to her and shaking hands.] What a very sweet name! Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.
Cecily: How nice of you to like me so much after we have known each other such a comparatively short time. Pray sit down.”
That exchange between Gwendolen and Cecily drips with dramatic irony and delivers a form of satire in the form of Cecily’s reaction. Her reaction reminds me a lot of comedy sketches, that are usually performed by College Humor, about everyday or common scenarios under titles like “Every _________ Ever” or ”If _________ Were Honest.” Wilde uses this form of satire to show how immaterial the small talk between the upper class truly is because they have already formed preconceived notions on the party seconds within meeting them for the first time.
I feel more connected to the play and tend to enjoy it more because of our previous assignment that focused around its author, Oscar Wilde. Studying the whims and quirks of the author rather than diving straight into the play helps me make more connections between the text and Wilde. When reading Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” I caught myself wondering what she was thinking each step of the way and how her mentality at the time affected the words on the page. The same applies here, and I thought about why and the process of how Oscar Wilde was able to write down these phrases and sentences. For some elements, I do not think there was a method to his madness. When he writes about exchanges where the actual dialogue delivered with the perfect timing is the punchline, I feel as though those came to him naturally as part of the way he became used to those colloquialisms and adopted the manner in which jokes were made during that time, lines like,
“Cecily: I don’t think you will require neckties. Uncle Jack is sending you to Australia.
Algernon: Australia! I’d sooner die.
Cecily: Well, he said at dinner on Wednesday night, that you would have to choose between this world, the next world, and Australia,” or when Cecily says, “Oh, yes. Dr. Chasuble is a most learned man. He has never written a single book, so you can imagine how much he knows.”
Those exist purely to exist and add embellishments to the play rather than serve their own purpose and can therefore be considered as elements of Aestheticism.
I did not expect to love reading “The Importance of Being Earnest” as much as I did. In my opinion, Wilde’s commentary on marriage and relationships in general is one of the most entertaining aspects of this piece. I love the discussion between Miss Prism and Chasuble:
ReplyDeleteChasuble: But is a man not equally attractive when married?
Miss Prism: No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.
Chasuble: And often, I've been told, not even to her.
Wilde takes everything about marriage that could potentially be romantic and instead focuses on the pains of settling down, the limitations it installs in a man's life. He waters down the idea of marriage to a simple business agreement:
Jack: I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her. Algernon: I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . . I call that business.
Jack: How utterly unromantic you are!
Algernon: I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted.
Gwendolen, who says this directly to the man who has just proposed to her, also gives the idea that marriage is more of an agreement, separate from emotions or romance.
Gwendolen: 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.
Though these quotations are humorous, I think that they reflect the personal opinions of Wilde himself. Wilde felt trapped in his marriage and cheated on his wife with many people, so marriage feeling like a business agreement or something emotionless would have been very real for him.
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Chasuble: But is a man not equally attractive when married?
Miss Prism: No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.
Chasuble: And often, I’ve been told, not even to her.
A classic escalation of telling someone the only person that loves them is their mother. Not only that but it reminds me of Wilde’s personal attitude to his wife that we learned about in the documentary. If the gender roles are reversed this quote fits his total non-attraction to his wife during and after her pregnancies.
I am really enjoying this play so far. My first impression was a little bored by the slower paced beginning, but once I got into the mindset of comprehending Wilde’s writing style, the story gradually became very captivating. The play itself is very short, and the rapid development of character relationships and plot points reminds me a lot about Shakespearean plays. For example, Jack proposes to Gwendolen and she immediately accepts, and the same case occurs when Algernon proposes to Cecily. Throughout the use of the play Wilde also makes great use of satire for comedic purposes. After proposing, Gwendolen’s obsessive adoration for the name Ernest comes back to bite him for his constant “bunburying”. Algernon hypocritically falls into the same fate while pretending to be Jack’s brother while with Cecily. All of this satire makes the play very entertaining and fun to watch as all of the conflicts and characters converge towards the climax of the plot. At the same time, it also provides a platform for Wilde to criticise social structures of his time. While Jack is being interviewed by Lady Bracknell she equates his habit of smoking to having a profession, possibly highlighting the privilege and laziness of the wealthy class. The interesting thing about this is, as an author of the aesthetic movement, you wouldn’t expect to find social commentary from Wilde. However, whether conscious or not, his work provides analytical judgement of the standards of the time. Another thing that stood out to me was the way that Wilde delivers the humor through dialogue. I am glad Mr. Pellerin pointed out to us the format of each character setting themselves up for their own jokes because I am now noticing it constantly. It is during these jokes that I can almost visualize Wilde himself in the writing. I have high hopes for the rest of the play. I hope we can finish the play by reading it aloud, as I find myself really immersed in the story when I can hear the play acted out.
My favorite quote from Acts I-II was from Algernon when he was complaining about eating dinner with his family. He states “To begin with, I dined there on Monday, and once a week is quite enough to dine with one's own relations. In the second place, whenever I do dine there I am always treated as a member of the family, and sent down with either no woman at all, or two. In the third place, I know perfectly well whom she will place me next to, to-night. She will place me next Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner-table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent... and that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen in public.” I found this amusing because of how relatable it was to me - wanting to avoid family meals because of that one rude relative.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I found reading the first two acts a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. My experiences with reading plays were all mostly negative (Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible) but this play was different. It utilized humor effectively which made it entertaining to read.
Wilde shows that marriage is a very important theme within the play, and one which the characters have very strong opinions about. For example, Lady Bracknell says “When you do become engaged to some one, I, or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact. An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a matter that she could be allowed to arrange for herself.” We know that Wilde has very bold opinions about marriage himself, specifically about homosexuality.
The different classes within society is another evident theme, as usually seems to be the case with a lot of older pieces of literature. And as is usually the case, the lower classes are the ones looked down upon. An example of this is when Algernon says “Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.”
Oscar Wilde is really damn funny. The crazy thing to me is how old his writing is now, how timeless it all is.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the titular concept of earnestness goes, it’s just a play on words with Ernest sounding like earnest, meaning serious, essentially, which contrasts with Jack and Algy’s frivolous usage of his fake name for such a serious act such as marriage. Of course, none of the main characters are earnest in truth. Even the butler isn’t earnest. The only character who approaches a concept of earnestness is Augusta, who is presented as somewhat of a villain. The girls being so crazy over the name earnest in pretty bonkers to me. I’m surprised Jack stays committed after Gwendolyn tells him she’s only into his name. I’d have second thoughts after that. Of course, it seems so far to be as pointless as it is hilarious, in quite an aesthetic fashion. Marriage is presented as quite pointless as well, by the way the characters act about it. Within marriage Wilde also makes fun of classism as done by Aunt Augusta’s lines. He degrades every serious topic involved come to think of it, marriage, baptism, the class system, education. The characters are morally detestable. They are all serial liars, or fixated on the most meaningless things. It makes for quite a fun read.
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedic play that successfully drags me out of the depression emotion of Mrs.Dallowy. In the beginning, the pleasant conversation between the two of the main characters, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, brings me into a relaxed and humorous atmosphere right away. Jack and Algernon have double lives in order to escape from their rigid social expectations temporarily. Jack "is placed in the position of guardian and has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects," wants to get relaxed in the city with a false name Ernest. Algernon, bored by his leisure life, goes by the name of Bunbury in the countryside, looking for excitement. The most exciting and dramatic scene is that Algernon questions Jack about his identity. Using an inscription in Jack's cigarette case, step by step, Algernon forces Jack to confess his false identity and double life, and he admits his double life too. The life of people in the Victorian era is boring and repressed. However, Jack and Algernon invent their new life, double life, like to create artwork. With their artistic creation, they avoid judgment and confinement by conventional ethics and morality, just like what Wilde believes: life should copy art.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find more interesting is their dialogue in this hilarious battle of wits. Wilde, with his excellent language skills and contrast words, entertain and provoke thought with many layers of meaning. For example, "girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don't think it right." "More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read." "Literary ... You should leave that to people who haven't been at a University." The deliberately composed sentences and selected words reveal the absurdity of Victorian morals, values, and traditions.
This play is full of exquisite wit, humor, and puns, which keep us laughing and thinking.