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?"
There were many lines that I found to be very uncanny and funny, but this one in particular made think about how some thoughts get into people’s heads: [Lady Bracknell] “To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution.”
ReplyDeleteI also think it is funny how Algy ironically mocks Jack for his dual personality by accusing him of bunburying. Not only is it a funny word, but I can really visualize the honesty in Jack’s philosophies as well as the mockery in Algy’s reaction. This relationship between the two shows how Wilde is able to express the theme of secrecy and how it relates to one’s moral duty along with his satirical way of thinking. Ernest refers to himself as Jack in the country to ensure his capabilities of being a guardian which is shown when he says “when one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects.” The paradox behind this philosophy is that he is earnest because of decision to ensure morality in what he believes to be the part of his personality that will someday care for another person, but he is not earnest because he is keeping the matter a secret. This tacks onto Wilde’s belief that true art, or in this case morality, lies to the viewer. It is if Wilde is making fun of what he truly believes by expressing his deep ideas through Earnest and then roasting them with Algy. This way of playwriting also shows how there are multiple perspectives to be had of an idea, and the way we look at an issue can tell us about the way we look at life.
Then going into Act II, it was very surprising and funny to see that Algy secretly pretended to be Earnest just to see Cecily. His spontaneousness allowed for intense dramatic irony, creating awkwardness and excitement in the plot. This play is almost the opposite of Mrs. Dalloway because it involves almost no inner thoughts (except for what can be inferred from the dialogue) and relies almost entirely on what the characters do and say.
Jack. Well, yes, I must admit I smoke.
ReplyDeleteLady Bracknell. I am glad to hear it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it is. How old are you?
This exchange has been so far my favorite as I find it so funny as its the opposite of what a reaction would be to admitting to smoking. Especially the reasoning behind why Lady Bracknell finds smoking to be good news is so wild because it is an occupation which is very opposite of what we would think today.
7) How does Wilde comment on marriage? What are his views?
The exchanges between Algernon and Jack about marriage pokes fun at the idea of marriage. Algernon believes marriage is unnecessary as romance is based on uncertainty and once married, “three is company and two is none.” He believes that bunburying is required in order to keep married life from becoming tedious. Especially the debate whether proposing is “pleasure” or “business” is the core argument Wilde is making. The ways Mrs. Bracknell holds social class to be the standard of engagement, and Gwendolyn only looking for a man named “Ernest”, and Cecily’s obsession with being married all create a joke out of the idea of marriage.
8) How are the characters used to present stereotypical and symbolic representations in the play?
The characters are very stereotypical of their role which while may not identify a specific person, it shows the idea of the role they are playing. For example, Mrs. Bracknell is a very upper class woman and in the novel and movie she is played up to be very serious about social class and cold. In regards to the marriage proposal by Jack, she refuses him as he does not have adequate parents. In addition, she felt no sympathy to Algernon’s invalid “friend” Bunbury whom she believes should “made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die.” It very much fits the Victorian era stereotypes of being self centered and obsessed with class and Mrs. Bracknell represents this stereotype to the max.
Oscar Wilde is just as funny as I hoped. He displays perfectly planned out jokes that are call backs to other absurd things said, in addition to a satirical commentary on the time period. I immediately can see when a moment is about to turn for the comedic worse, an "oh no..." moment if you will. For instance, when Gwendolen surprise visits the country house, the girls immediately meet and Gwendolen claims "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." The girls get along immediately, but then when they find out they are engaged to the "same" man, there is a huge passive aggressive fight and Gwendolen 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." This completely contradicts what she first said, that being that she liked her and her first impression is correct, and yet her impression was correct but instead she is deceitful. And Wilde has the girls both take out their diaries and read the time and date to see who was really engaged first, as if that will make one back down. And then when both learn of the deceit of the men, they suddenly become friends again. Wilde definitely found female friendships to be funny and illogical with the way he portrays them in the play. Overall, what a great read. I am very excited to keep on reading.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this play even before I started reading due to all the Parks and Rec comparisons made in class! That show is one of my favorites and I definitely see how they both use extremes to emphasise the contradictions in society. This is what struck me most about “The Importance Of Being Earnest”: it examines what would happen if these societal truths were taken to extremes. This was especially comical when Jack and Algernon are discussing marriage. Algeron is shocked at the idea of marrying the same person you flirt with because: “I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . . I call that business.” Although it is funny, it makes a real point about what the institution of what marriage had become in British society (and I feel in America up until recently. Today I think because marriage isn't so much of a societal pressure, people are marrying for love more than they did in the last generation.) Anyways, I think many would be pleasantly surprised to find this play set in 19th century England is a mockery of the culture rather than a product of it. As a result of this type of comedy, I have a hard time accepting it as aestheticism as goes my understanding of aestheticism. The thing is I don’t exactly think that something can be purely aesthetic, like most things I believe it to be a spectrum. Contrary to the purpose of aestheticism: art for the sake of art, not for larger social commentary, I find many instances of social critique in this play. One example is Lady Bracknell’s treatment of the subject of her daughter’s marriage. She is extremely, comically overbearing, not at all fond of the belief that Gwendolin is competent of choosing her own lover. While yes, this is one of the first act’s biggest jokes, I do not think it holds no mockery of society. It is undoubtedly exposing this old fashioned ineffective treatment of marriage by exaggerating it with Lady Bracknell. Although this is a comedy, it is not without its jabs at the habits of the people at the time. And how about that jab at the education system! In fact, I would claim comedy and social commentary have a mutualistic relationship: some of the best humor is social commentary, and humor is an immensely effective method for critiquing an unjust (at least frivolous) society. Maybe that’s me reading too much into the play, but isn’t that what this class is for?! This play also reminds me of Hamilton because of it's shock value due to it's time period. When I first listened to Hamilton I was shocked by the not at all “dignified” discussion of affairs and sex. The same is true for this play: “The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else, if she is plain.” The feminist in me isn’t a fan, but this is humorous in the candid way sex is dealt with in prestigous British culture. I can’t wait to keep reading!
ReplyDeleteAlgernon. [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.]
ReplyDeleteThis exchange in itself is quite funny, especially when you consider that these are two grown men slapping each other over sandwiches. The hypocrisy and imagery makes me laugh. Algernon then continues to eat the sandwiches and blames their disappearance on a shortage of cucumbers in the market. He does this by making Lane take the blame for the whole incident, and although it is unfair that Lane should take the fall, the way he handles it by playing along with Algernon can be interpreted as a statement by Wilde about social classes: regardless of right or wrong, servants at the time were required to do their employers bidding no matter how ridiculous. Lane taking the fall for the lack of cucumber sandwiches (which Alergnon ate) is an outrageous exaggeration of this making it both comedic and a statement.
Wilde also offers some very critical views about literature in Act II of this play, specifically through the use of Miss Prism. She claims to have written a novel herself after Cecily says all novels spring from memory. When asked how it ended, she replies, “Miss Prism. The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.” Of course we know this to be utterly untrue- the purpose of fiction is to explore ideas and concepts to serious to fully comprehend in the context of nonfiction. The ending to these stories matters less than the lessons that can be taught in the process, despite Miss Prisms belief that the ending is what defines fiction. This absurd claim is amusing when glanced at on a surface level, but taking into account the number of bad authors at the time who would come out with new books that explored no new themes or ideas but rather existed for the sake of being books, Wilde’s criticism is more easily understood.
Its pretty clear that Wilde would rather joke about marriage then take it seriously. In multiple cases he has his characters rag on each other for how they act in a relationship, especially Algernon. There are many times Algy jokes around with Jack about his relationship with Gwendolen and how it is ridiculous that he wants to propose to her, that its not romantic when you know whats expected in the relationship. He also talks about how "disgraceful" it is for the two of them to flirt with each other. We see him again be against flirting when he talks about sitting near Mary Farquhar, who he is also disgusted when she flirts with her own husband. It is also ironic that he has this character propose to Cecily, who in her mind they have been engaged about twice now, also she is a woman whom he has just met. Talk about romance. But him "falling in love" and proposing to Cecily within the short amount of time of them meeting, also shows how ridiculous marriage is. That is Wilde's way of saying "Yes you can be attached to someone that you love for life, but also you can be attached to a random stranger that you have given a ring to." I also love the little comments that Algernon makes about relationships in general, like how he says, “The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain.” Now, im not sure If this directly reflects on Wilde, but it definitely shows some kind of view on woman to have one of his characters say such a thing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line in Acts 1 and 2 was when Algernon says “It is awfully hard work doing nothing. However, I don’t mind hard work where there is no definite object of any kind.” I like how he takes a jab at Jack, when Jack keeps turning down his ideas about what to do after dinner.
ReplyDeleteWhen regarding marriage, I believe that Oscar Wilde is opposed to the current state. People are just marrying because their parents want them to remain in the same social class and be viewed positively in society. He comments on this through of Algernon, when he says “My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you” to give a reason as to why Gwendolen will not take his hand. Through these lines, Wilde is looking down on society. He shows what true love should look like and not love due to the sake of society.
In regard to the social classes, I believe that Wilde looks down upon them. For example, both Algernon and Jack have pseudo names in the country and in town. When regarding Algernon, both Lady Bracknell and Jack suggest to Algernon to lose his name in the country as it will only create more problems later on.
My favorite exchange from the first two acts of The Importance of Being Earnest is when Algernon asks Jack if he told Gwendolen the truth about his name and Jack replies by saying, “My dear fellow, the truth isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl. What extraordinary ideas you have about the way to behave to a woman!”
ReplyDelete3.) I was reminded of Aestheticism in the very first exchange of the play between Algernon and Lane in which Algernon states “I don’t play accurately—any one can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression.” Reading this, I was immediately reminded of the themes of expression and art that aestheticism relies on. Algernon playing the piano with “wonderful expression” shows a sense of originality in his expression and personality, as though he is his own work of art.
4.) There are many allusions to social class throughout The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde uses Lady Bracknell frequently to make these allusions to social class. Lady Bracknell seems to be the stereotypical upper class woman in the way that she behaves. When finding out that “Ernest” and Gwendolen are engaged, Lady Bracknell proceeds to interrogate her sons suitor. Wilde exaggerates this scene a lot, with Lady Bracknell asking questions such as where he lives, who his family is, and how he makes his money. At one point she even tells Ernest that him not having parents “looks like carreless.” This exchange between Lady Bracknell and Ernest is meant to make fun of the upper class people of the time who were concerned with ridiculous things such as this. Wilde exaggerates Lady Bracknell’s character in order to show people how absurd these worries are.
I like this play because it doesn’t seem to have any meaning, but it does. The meaning is just hidden behind all of the comedy. I really enjoy ready this play because every scene is like its own play in a way that it keeps you interested and actually makes you want to keep reading. I also find it interesting how the characters interact with each other because I can actually visualize how everything plays out in my head, even before we watched the movie I had my own version of the play going on in my head while reading. This is sometimes hard for a reader to do but Oscar Wilde makes it very easy. I also feel like the comedy that he uses is so timeless and everything that happens could very well have happened today, even though it was written so many years ago. The whole idea of Bunburying is so funny to me because of how relatable it is. I know so many people, including myself, who make up excuses to get out of plans that they don’t want to do.
ReplyDeleteI have really loved reading The Importance of Being Earnest so far, I think it is so entertaining and so fun to get to know each character. The way Oscar Wilde has pieced this play together, stringing together all of the characters, is so interesting and is even funnier than I thought he would. The sarcasm and jokes from all of the characters are usually about more serious topics like marriage, whereas if these jokes were in a more serious novel or play, they could be interpreted by the reader worse. Some of my favorite lines from this play so far have been starting with when Jack admitted that he calls himself both Ernest and Jack:
ReplyDeleteAlgernon: You have always told me it was Ernest. I have introduced you to every one as Ernest. You answer to the name of Ernest. You look as if your name was Ernest. You are the most earnest-looking person I ever saw in my life. It is perfectly absurd your saying that your name isn’t Ernest. It’s on your cards. Here is one of them. [Taking it from case.] ‘Mr. Ernest Worthing, B. 4, The Albany.’ I’ll keep this as a proof that your name is Ernest if ever you attempt to deny it to me, or to Gwendolen, or to any one else. [Puts the card in his pocket.]
Jack: Well, my name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country, and the cigarette case was given to me in the country.
I love this conversation between Algernon and Jack because it really allows the reader to see who these two characters, in particular, Jack, is. He is pretending to be two different individuals, calling them brothers, and playing as each of them to two separate groups of people. As the play goes on, his lie is revealed to other characters as well, making it so much more entertaining to read! Another line that stood out to me was when Algernon was pretending to be Ernest, even though Jack claimed that “his brother”, Ernest, had just died:
Cecily: “...Who do you think is in the dining-room? Your brother!
Jack: “Who”
Cecily: ‘Your brother Ernest. He arrived about half an hour ago”
…
Algernon: “Brother John, I have come down from town to tell you that I am very sorry for all the trouble I have given you, and that I intend to lead a better life in the future”
I loved this scene too because I found it hilarious that Jack had no idea Algernon was going to ruin his plan of “Ernest” dying, especially since Algernon was the one who was confused that Jack was pretending to be him in the first place. I also love how this led Cecily and Gwendolyn to being confused about who they were both engaged to and thought this was very entertaining to read about. I’m really excited to keep reading this play to find out what Wilde has in store for us next.
This exchange between Lady Bracknell and Algernon demonstrates how Jack believes that how one behaves might not necessarily fit social norms despite it being pleasing to the person committing the behaviors. The name of Earnest is a play on words because someone who is Earnest is someone who shows sincere and intense conviction - and if you look at the people of the play they show a lack of conviction to everything - including what they want their names to be! However, in other ways it can also be interpreted in a manner that suggests that they have the utmost sincerity. This sincerity is present in Jack and Algernon when upholding the name Earnest to keep their lovers image of them with that name intact. They are sincere and committed to marrying the women they love regardless of the means, even if it means getting christened at the age of 35.
ReplyDeleteWilde divulges the secret quiet comedically by having both Cecily and Gwendolen become friends instantaneously just for them to then come to the conclusion that they are both marrying the sam man of the name Earnest (when in reality neither of them are marrying someone named Earnest). Then the situation turns to who gets to change their name to Earnest which in of itself is absurd as if a name changes the actual person that Gwendolyn or Cecily is marrying.
They are numerous elements of Aestheticism in the play. This is primarily present in the way Algernon presents himself. He takes pride in his elusive schemes and tricks and likes to do things in his own way pleasing his own aesthetic taste. One example is when he is playing the piano and states how he doesn't like to play the notes exactly as they are written - rather he likes to play it in his own “artistic” way.
Wildes comment on social class is present in almost all parts of the play. This is evident when Lady Bucknell puts such importance on the lineage of which Jack comes from in the interview for him to be eligible to find his daughter. She also states in rebuttal to Algernon stating how he doesnt care for wealth and money with the ideology that people who aren't rich speak like that. In my opinion Wilde does idealize the social classes and sees them as very present but likes to poke fun at them
How does Wilde comment on literature and education? What are his views?
In regards to education I feel like Wilde believes it pointless with him having Lady BUcknell poke fun of London's school system by making her say that it doesn't teach or do much. It makes me see very evidently how someone and their views can completely alter a work of literature and how many movies could possibly be altered by the directors biased and ideals.
I feel as though he might think of religion as tedious or something to poke fun at. Evident when he makes Algernon question Jack if he really wants to go through with a christening again because he might not be ready for it or ready for the church - which is pretty funny lol.
“I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die. This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd. 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.”
ReplyDeleteSuch a sentence proves itself ridiculous in any context, and is an obvious ploy at comedy. To request someone not to be sick so that one may be able to throw some party is absurdly snobbish and nonsensical, thus making it funny to any reader. Yet, what makes this work unique beyond its comedic value, is Oscar Wilde’s expertise in employing comedy to relay deeper messages. In the aforementioned quote, the narrator Lady Bracknell asks genuinely of Algy to demand of his friend Mr.Bunbury to remain in good health so that Algy may help her with preparations for her party next saturday. In the context, Lady Bracknell, a woman of large wealth, asks in ignorance created from her reliance on her money for such because she believes such can be done. Such works to show an example of the conceited, self centered, and clueless nature of the bougeriouse class in England. Furthermore, Lady Bracknell serves to show the immorality behind the wealthy class as she asks of Mr. Bunbury to make up “his mind whether he was going to live or to die.”
Oscar Wilde, a proponent of aestheticism, used humor to make his views known in a disguised manner so as not to upset the wealthy class, while also staying true to his values and out right stating his views through the representations of his characters. It was brilliant as it was seemingly simple, but what one must understand is the risk Wilde took in his position among the wealthier class. Although he adored the fineries of life and the company he kept with the bougeriouse, if they suspected him of seriously propagating negative views of them he would quickly lose his place among them. Therefore, by using comedic value to make his plays seem over exaggerated, he was able to spread his message while simultaneously making his plays border fantasy that his friends among the wealthier class could make a comedy out of.
As mentioned before, he spread his views of the conceited, self-centred values shared among wealthier class through the exaggerated character of Lady Bracknell. Similarly, he was able to share his view on marriage with Algernon.
Algernon in the beginning is seen as labeling marriage as ‘demoralising’ because in “married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.” His views continue to be expressed as he confronts Jack about his ideas of proposing to Gwendolen, urging his friend to see the loss of romanticism once married since “the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty … there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal.” Yet what makes the play so brilliant is that Algy is soon transformed in his views of marriage shortly after meeting Cecily. For what he once labeled as demoralizing soon transforms him into a man ready to change his name for the girl he loves. And as the frantic fight for Cecily continues, the audience sees more and more of the man who was once immoral and flighty, become a man ready to sacrifice anything for a girl whom he wishes to marry.
I think that the way Wilde describes using the idea of secrecy in order to keep up appearances is something that happens all of the time in our modern day lives. On social media, people post the highlights of their lives. All other people see are those highlights, thinking everyone else lives these amazing lives while you’re sitting in your bed scrolling can be a terrible feeling. But once you open up your eyes and realize that this happens to everyone and that everyone is living fake lives it makes everything feel a little less sad. This reminds me of the exchange
ReplyDelete“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.”
Because its all about how there is such a disconnect between people and people are always so weary to share how they actually are. This starts out as a pure interaction, a question and an answer, but there is some tension and it loses the original point. I feel like Jack needs his dual identity because he doesn’t feel 100% being who he truly is, he needs this extra persona - just like social media is for people today.
In addition, when we first began this I was kind of dreading it, I don’t really like reading plays and oftentimes I find them hard to understand. So far, I have really enjoyed it! I like when we make connections to Parks and Rec because I love that show and it makes this feel less like school work and more like entertainment. I like the humor and I think it is still really applicable to our lives too. That is so cool, how something that was funny so long ago can still be funny now - that must show something about human nature and how the environments around us can change so drastically but the root of our emotions remain the same
After reading acts one and two the sense of humor that Oscar Wilde is shown through. It seems that he heightens ordinary events that could happen everyday, but throughs in a twist and does a complete 180 on the storyline. These twists are so unexpected and ridiculous that all you can do is laugh. In both acts there are great scenes of humor, but a small remark taken between Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism is my favorite line of the acts. It’s such a quick witty retort that I think adds to the mood and atmosphere of the setting and time, adding the type of humor appreciated not only then but now.
ReplyDelete“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.”
I also think that Wilde’s overall comment on social class is particularly entertaining. With characters such as Lane, Lady Bracknell, and Gwendolyn Wilde brings different elements of social class and highlights the extravagant and ridiculous mindsets of both the working class and the rich. Together these characters add to the whole atmosphere and comedic value on Victorian London. What makes Wilde’s plays most entertaining is his satirical remarks and humor based around the high class of Victorian Londoners. With this he seemingly made is possible to poke fun at the rich and powerful without consequences because it was all just good fun.
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ReplyDeleteMy favorite lines came when Gwendolyn said, “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.”, before saying “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.” less than two pages later.
ReplyDeleteThere are many elements of aestheticism in the play. They can be seen in the concept of “Bunburying”, as well as Lady Bracknell and here list of suitors. Aestheticism is the emphasis on art and beauty for the sake of art and beauty, instead of some deeper meaning. Bunburying as a concept is the notion of a fake character, created as a means of escape. Algy says that “if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely problematic, you will be very glad to know Bunbury. A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it.” Clearly the idea of Bunburying is one of pleasure, free of consequences. They lie freely, and live how they choose - a very aesthetic lifestyle. It is about the fun that they have, for the sake of fun. Lady Bracknell is similarly aesthetic in that what she cares about most when questioning Jack is where he was born and who his parents are. It is the surface that matters, not the depths of him as a person. This is quite visible when she says “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?”. Who he is comes far after what he is, and what he has.
Wilde is a Catholic. However, in the play he makes fun of religion through the characters of Dr. Chasuble, and through the idea of christening. Jack and Algy wish to become christened under the new names of Ernest. Christenings are described as self sacrifice, with many characters calling the two boys brave for volunteering to go through it. Thus, Wilde is saying that joining the Christian church is not a fun thing to do, and one must be courageous in order to try. Also, Dr. Chasuble is shown to be a goofy individual, hardly a proper and respectable minister. Thus, Wilde is making fun of the devotion of the people during victorian times, saying they are not true to their beliefs.
My favorite lines are as follows
ReplyDeleteJack: 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 think it is so funny how Jack is talking about the clever people and the fools and Algernon so easily calls him a fool without him realizing. It is such a subtle remark and I love the way it is presented. The first two acts were a lot of fun to read because of how well Mr. Wilde uses humor. The whole play is 'over the top' in a way like most comedy isn't. We keep comparing it to The Office because it is a ridiculous piece with that type of humor. The simple scene of Gwendolyn and Cecily saying they're going to be best friends then immediately hating each other is dramatically hilarious. I bet that everyone felt like rolling their eyes at how ridiculous that scene was, but at the same time, they couldn't help but snicker. Just imagine having this unroll on stage in front of your very eyes. The audience was probably shaking with laughter, especially with it being so unique in it's time. It's criticism of everything traditional - strict religion, education, marriage - might've upset an uptight crowd, but overall it made for an incredible production. You can tell Wilde's views are drastic for the time period but must've been somewhat okay because he did write plays like that. Anyways, it was a hilarious first two acts.
It is hard to choose just one favorite line, but one of the ones I liked the most was when Lady Bracknell is discussing marriage with Jack. She says, “I have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing.” Jack then replies, “I know nothing, Lady Bracknell.” She responds with, “I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance.” I found this line to be very funny, as the whole concept of getting married while knowing nothing about the other person just seems like a terrible idea.
ReplyDeleteWilde uses this story to be able to comment on several things. I got the impression that he saw the idea of marriage for the wealthy to be sort of ridiculous. Because many marriages used to be more for social status rather than love, his exaggeration of this is very humorous and revealing in the play. Several times, Lady Bracknell mentions that one needs to know either nothing or everything about a person in order to marry them, except that if they know nothing and marry them then clearly they will eventually discover everything and possibly not like it all.
Wilde also uses selective truth to allow the different appearances by the character. By leaving out parts of the truth, or altering the truth, the characters are able to get away with acting like an entirely different person. This also creates opportunities for humor, as the audience knows the truth, while, up until the second act, most of the characters in the play do not know. In situations like the one set up in the first writing prompt, Jack completely avoids answering the question, yet in the process of doing that ends up saying something clearly vague. Because his answer could mean the opposite of the question that was asked of him, the audience finds this amusing. At the same time, the characters in the play are also aware of the ridiculousness of his response, and have a humorous response as well. This all allows for even more secrecy in Jack’s life, as the humor distracts from the reality. It was also clever of him to choose to be called “Earnest”, as all of the women are under the belief that a man with such a name could obviously never be anything but suiting of the name. Had he chosen any other name, he would have had a more normal outcome, and maybe characters would have picked up on his lies.
I actually thought the whole play was absolutely hysterical and one of my favorite exchanges was definitely between Lady Bracknell and Jack. “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” This is one of my favorite lines in the play. The use of play on words that is displayed by Oscar Wilde is very clever and portrays how snobbish the upper class could be. There is some elements of aestheticism incorporated in the play for instance when Jack wants to get married to Gwendolen and is basically interrogated by her mother, Lady Bracknell. She gives Jack a hard time because she believes that appearance is the most important part of a husband and everything about him has to be absolutely extravagant. By this Oscar Wilde shows how everyone cared so much about their appearance and their status in life too much, especially in that particular era. I think we could all agree how over the top “The Importance of being Ernest” was but not necessarily in a bad way. I loved how dramatic the different interactions were between the characters and the punny jokes that were included. I actually understood the humor and loved this play a lot more than I thought I would. I hope we get to read more of his writing !
ReplyDeleteThis unit is my first time studying Oscar Wilde and reading his works. This is the first piece of his that I can clearly see his iconic witty humor and I have really enjoyed reading “The Importance of Being Earnest” because of it. The absurdity of the characters responses to ridiculously events is truly entertaining, allowing school prescribed reading to morph into reading for pleasure, something that I rarely get to do anymore. I find Lady Bracknell’s character particularly funny in her extreme lack of empathy. In the first act she says “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 die. This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd… I would 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.” I find this dark humor particularly amusing and found it again later in the play when Jack explains that his brother died of a “severe chill.” Carrying an urn and dressed in all black, his act is shut down by Cecily’s explanation that his brother “Ernest” is is the dining room. Jack responds saying, “What nonsense! I haven’t got a brother.” He is soon angered to find Algernon posing as his brother “Ernest.” The exaggeration of Jack’s lie is extremely comical and can be interpreted as simple a vehicle or humor or possibly read more deeply to reveal a commentary on life and death. I prefer to see this scene for comedic purposes but coming off of the unit on Virginia Woolf, it's hard not to think about a deeper meaning.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Oscar Wilde himself was seen as an extremely extravagant men in his time, the characters he chooses to portray in his play seem to ridicule high society norms and expectations. The characters convey the superficiality of privileged life and the the excessive moral conduct those at the top attempted to live by.
ReplyDeleteWith exaggerated features and extreme ideas, the most ludicrous exchanges come from Lady Bracknell, who believes that “to lose one parent, (...) may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness”. These caricatures created by Wilde make for a comic satire on Victorian costumes and values, which struck me as ironic, since the men himself was part of that culture, and proudly so.
The main conflict of the play, which names the piece, is “The Importance of Being Earnest”. The irony arises from the fact that it does to refer to the trait of being earnest, but rather the name Earnest. The importance of such name comes from the superficial request made by Cecily and Gwendolen, they do not wish for the moral trait but rather the name’s aesthetic value.
Wilde’s vision on marriage is very clear throughout the play, Algy states that “the very essence of romance is uncertainty”, and although he later contradicts himself by proposing to Cecily, it demonstrates how the author himself had a failed marriage,and thus he does not think of it as necessary for love.
Education is another big theme in the play, alongside literature in general. Lady Bracknell makes fun of education stating that it incites violence and uprising against the social hierarchy she so proudly stands on top of, it comes with no surprise that she does not in fact dislike education, but rather fears the consequences of giving the power to ‘communers’, who could easily turn on her once realizing the frivolousness of the social hierarchy.
Wilde spent most of his career being ridiculed by the media, he was thought to be a failed writer who would never amount to anything. It is clear that although he attempted to hide it, the author held some grudges against those who undermined him, he does so through Miss Prims, who had written pieces of her own, and stated that “the good had good endings and the bad had bad ending as fiction should”. Cecily’s reaction to her makes fun of the predictability of literature and how it is often based on a preconceived concept rather than an original, intricate plot, thus accentuating the courage in creating out-of-the-ordinary literature.
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ReplyDeleteIn the play, some of the characters are used to present stereotypical and symbolic representations. Lady Bracknell is used to represent the upper class. She comes off very narcissistic and cold. She views herself as better than others and doesn't seem to have any empathy or feelings. Throughout the play, Wilde uses comedy to uncover certain ideas he found absurd.
ReplyDeleteWilde also pokes fun at the idea of marriage. When Ms. Bracknell’s daughter wants to marry Jack, she doesn’t want this to happen because she doesn’t see Jack as good enough. Reason being the uncertainty surrounding his parents. This shows how money and origin focused the upper class was. Love wasn’t seen for a valid reason for marriage, family and wealth was. Wilde shows that people would marry to uphold society's expectations instead of following their heart and marrying someone they really love.
Comedy is used to show female relationships. When Cecily and Gwendolen meet, Gwendolen tells Cecily they will be good friends stating, “My first impressions of people are never wrong." This goes down hill when they think they are engaged to the same man and Gwendolen remarks she has always distrusted Cecily. This is ironic seeing as Gwendolen claimed her and Cecily would become good friends. In the end, they find out they have both been lied to and become friends again. Wilde plays around with the idea that female friendships are confusing and funny.