Hello, i am Himanshi Parmar. Here i write a blog on The importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. Which was given to us as a thinking activity task for paper number - 4, Literature of the Victorians. Unit number - 2. Here i discussed about few of the questions and summary of the play.
The importance of being Earnest, A trivial comedy for serious people, was written by Oscar Wild. Was first published in 1898. The play was first performed on 14 February 1895. At the st. James's theatre in London. It is a farcical comedy in which the protagonist maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. The play set in London, and an estate in Hertfordshire. It is a comedy of identity and self-invention. It is a satire on the hollowness of Victorian society and has the themes of homosexual relationships. It was thought to be Wilde’s most original work, however, it has been borrowed from most of the other plays. Let me briefly discuss about the summary of the play.
Summary of the play :-
Act 1 -
Algernon Moncrieff (Algy) is seen waiting for his aunt Lady Bracknell and cousin Gwendolen Fairfax (her daughter). His servant comes and both talk about marriage and drink. Meanwhile, his friend ‘Ernest’ arrives.
Algy comes to know that Jack has come from the country to propose Gwendolen whom he is in love with. Algy doesn’t like this idea. He doubts Jack’s identity and inquires about the inscription on his cigarette case that calls him ‘Uncle Jack’ which was given to him by Cecily (who is no other but Ernest’s ward).Ernest finally confesses that his real name is Jack and he is the guardian of Cecily. He visits London to meet his pretend brother Ernest and while in London he assumes the name of Ernest (a high-class name) as Gwendolen desires that the name of his lover should be ‘Ernest’.
Hearing this, Algy confesses that he also has created pretend friend in the countryside namely Mr. Bunbury (it refers to homosexuality) whom he often visits. He does this in order to search for Cecily whose love letters he often got (as well as the cigarette pack).
Jack at once recognizes that the girl sending him letters is no other but his ward and Algy has fallen in love with him. Thus he tries to hide his address from Algy. Algy’s aunt and cousin arrive. Jack introduces himself as Ernest before Gwendolen and the latter exclaims, ‘my idea has always been to love someone of the name of Ernest’ and agrees to marry him. Lady Bracknell seeing her daughter and Ernest together orders Gwendolen to go-outs and starts asking questions to Jack. Upon knowing that he was adopted by Mr. Thomas Cardew (Cecily’s grand-father) after being found in a handbag at Victoria Station, she rejects his proposal and advice him to rather adopt some parents of high class.
In spite of knowing the fact, Gwendolen loves Jack. Jack gives her his address. Algy who has been secretly listening to them notes down his address.
Act 2 -
Act II opens in the countryside. Cecily is seen watering plants. Miss Prism forces her to read books but Cecily tells that she hates reading books. Dr. Chusable, a local Vicar who is in love with Miss Prism enters. Both exchange love glances and then leave. While Cecily is alone, Algy arrives and introduces himself as Ernest, Jack’s wicked brother. As Cecily always longed for Ernest, she falls in love with him.
Jack who was supposed to return by Monday comes back the same day with fake news that his brother Ernest died. He is shocked to know that Algy has come to meet Cecily assuming himself as Ernest. He tries to get rid of Algy but the latter refuses to go back.While both are engaged in an argument, Gwendolen arrives and befriends Cecily. However both the ladies start quarrelling as both of them love Ernest, each claiming that Ernest belongs to her. Meanwhile, Algy and Jack arrive and get exposed. Both justify their relation and abuse other’s affair. An argument begins as who will be Christened as Ernest.
Act 3 -
Gwendolen and Cecily remain emotionless before Jack and Algy. After a short argument, both couples lock in an embrace. Lady Bracknell enters. She doesn’t approve the marriage proposal of Jack and prepares to leave.
Jack tells her about the status and fortune of Cecily. Lady Bracknell at once expresses her desire to marry Cecily to Algy. However, Jack as the legal guardian rejects her proposal and declares that he will give his consent only when she approves his proposal. While Lady Bracknell is preparing to leave, she happens to hear the name of Miss Prism. On seeing her she at once recognizes her as the maid of her sister who lost a child (of Lady Bracknell’s sister) in a bag and a novel book at Victoria Station because of her absent-mindedness. Jack brings the same bag and Prism recognizes it. Thus Jack turns out to be the son of Lady Bracknell’s sister and brother of Algy. It is also revealed that their father’s name was Ernest. Hence lovers are united at last.
To understand the play more clearly. Let me share here full video of movie based on this play.
The play repeatedly mocks Victorian traditions and social customs, marriage and the pursuits of love in particular. Through which situations and characters is this happening in the play :-
It is no exaggeration to say that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire. Oscar Wilde has targeted the Victorian Society of England in his own language. A lot of symbols are there in this play, which in hidden meanings, are referring something to the audience. Every word, each dialogue and all characters of the play satirize the Victorian society. Oscar Wilde, through this play, tries to cover each and every aspect and manner of life, spent by people of his own era. Notwithstanding, he primarily focuses on elite class and shows us that if a society has no morality then it would not survive. Oscar Wilde is aware of the general principle that it is prime duty of every artist to satirize the society in case it is crossing its limits. As a result, he has written this play to give some morality to the audience. From “Importance of Being Earnest”, it seems that Oscar Wilde has fulfilled his duty. It is undeniable fact that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire.
Oscar Wilde, like other dramatists, has considered that it is his responsibility to aware the people of their snobbish attitude. Doing so, he tries to correct the absurd behavior of people. The second reason is that the Victorian Society used to flee away from its responsibilities. It used to focus only on appearances. Showing off was their prime purpose. Not only Oscar Wilde but also many other writers tried their best to speak against it. In a usual manner, “Importance of Being Earnest” is a direct attack on Victorian Society.
To exemplify, Earnest flees from his house and enjoys luxuries of life. Similarly, a person can have children besides wedlock and no one is going to question him if his apparent image is maintained. Thus, that society was far away from morality. These reasons force Oscar Wilde to do social satire in form of “Importance of Being Earnest”.
There are a lot of examples in the play which prove that the play is a mockery of Victorian Society. Lady Bracknell’s character is important in this context. She being representative of upper class/Victorian Society performs a negative role. She is a greedy and fashion conscious lady. In that age, when people become wise, Lady Bracknell has become foolish. However, she knows the importance of money. She has prepared a list of people, who are wealthy and is going to interview them to select a rich husband for Gwendoline. She rejects Jack because his parentage is unknown. In her eyes, if her daughter solemnizes marriage with Jack, it would disrespect her. She is a narrow-minded, conservative, and ruthless woman.It seems that Oscar Wilde has presented her in the play to create humor but it is also true that the primary purpose of her is to tell people about the foolishness of Victorian Society.
The character of Algernon Moncrieff is also of the same kind. He also belongs to the same class. Life of Algernon Moncrieff is comfortable but his bills are overdue. He has nothing to eat but his dresses are up-to-date. For a living, he does nothing. Even in poor condition, he shows off. He has created a fictional character named “Bunbury” to save himself from obligations and duties. Lady Bracknell utters an important dialogue, which is worth referring here. She says, “Algernon has nothing but his debts to depend upon”. He has no worries. He has nothing to do with responsibility. His attitude is evident from his actions. For instance, he tears his letters, which are actually bills, because he cannot pay them. This character satirise such kind of people of Victorian age. Who showcase more than their ability.
Title of the play “Importance of Being Earnest” itself is a social satire. The word earnest is loveable. Both the girls of this play are in love with the person having name “Earnest” instead of his moralistic qualities. In Miss Gwendolen Fairfax eyes, this word has music of its own. It is not the person who is charming but the name itself. It is the case with Miss Cecily Cardew; she writes letters to Earnest and imagine him in her dreams without knowing him. Oscar Wild through this character wants to prove that the typical girls of Victorian society have created their ideals and they live with them in imaginary worlds. Moreover, they focus on self-improvement.
Tea ceremony scene in Act-II is fully satirical. Gwendoline and Miss Cecily start a foolish war while serving tea. Servants become just spectators of it. Both these ladies are representative of young girls of Wilde’s era. The audience can watch and laugh at their unwise behaviors. It also moralizes the audience and compels them to think twice on their attitude in case the audience belongs to the upper class. Thus, these incidents also prove that “Importance of Being Earnest” is a social satire.
Canon Chasuble maybe is the minor character of this play but his role is important. He belongs to the religious class and is supposed to be a serious person but he surprises us through his dialogues. Indeed, his dialogues directly come from the mouth of Oscar Wilde and he has deliberately written them to prove that not only the elite class is corrupt but also the religious class. Religious people like Dr. Chasuble also take part in corrupting the society. Both moral and physical corruptions have been shown in the play. Remarks of Canon Chasuble about Miss Prism are full of sexuality. He always praises her physical body. Somewhere he talks about her lips and somewhere about her hairs. For instance, in a dialogue, he says:
“Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang upon her lips.”
Although he, in the next dialogue, tries to cover his wish by declaring his statement as a metaphor yet the audience knows that he is morally and physical corrupt.
Also Whide is satirizing the institution of marriage, as it is not based on love, but on more vain superficial criteria. Although in this case there is exaggeration used to satirize the vanity of the aristocrats, Wilde still brings across the point that both Gwendolen and Cecily may have refused to marry the ‘men of their dreams’ if their names weren’t ‘Ernest.’ Cecily clearly states to Algernon,
“There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.”
Apart from it, many other incidents are there in “Importance of Being Earnest” which demonstrate that the play was written for the purpose of social satire. The dramatist has presented the upper class and has shown their snobbery. Through farcical comedy, he has exposed the reality of so-called upper-class Victorian society. Perhaps, the only purpose of “Importance of Being Earnest” was to uncover the stupidity of society. In order to achieve his goal, Oscar Wilde freely uses artistically techniques like epigrams, humor, and paradoxes. In an interesting manner, he, in hidden words, says those things which can never be said directly to the people.
Which of the female character is the most attractive to you among Lady Augusta Bracknell, Gwendolen fairfex, Cecily Cardew, and miss prism. Give your reason for she being most attractive among all :-
Lady Bracknell is first and foremost a symbol of Victorian earnestness and the unhappiness it brings as a result. She is powerful, arrogant, ruthless to the extreme, conservative, and proper. In many ways, she represents Wilde's opinion of Victorian upper-class negativity, conservative and repressive values, and power.
She is portrait as a strong woman among all other women of the play, but in negative way. She constantly interrupting between jack and Gwendolen's marriage. First she denied their marriage because she found jack orphan or the person who knows nothing about his parentage. And in the scene where she come to know about affair of Jack and Gwendolen, she told jack that she wants to ask him few questions, and then only she decide that he is perfect mach for Gwendolen or not. This show that she has certain kind of authority. And no one dare to move against her.
Even Gwendolen and Jack waited long to her approval for marriage. His nephew Algernon and Cecily also ask her many times for approval. This thing prove that she is one of the strong women. Who held authority, which make her more attractive and strong among other women in drama.
Another is, she is very practical woman, more than other females of play. Gwendolen and Cecily seems unpractical and the girls who are living in their imaginative world. Miss prism is also shown as a practical woman but at some point we found her unpractical like when she forgotten the child at railway station, put the child is in bag.
Where at another point Lady Bracknell is far practical than them. Her dialogue in last part, that for marriage, one person among to is needs to be wealthy. So that both can leave happily. Shows her practial natur. Even she asked Cecily that how much fortune she has. Which is needed to live happily and she know that well. She also married to a wealthy man, just because of to live happy, rich life. Which show that she is a practical women. Who not just think about present, but also think for future.
Thats why i found her so strong, most influencial, and attractive character among all other female character of play.
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References :-
1)Englishsummary.com
2)maenglishselfstudy. Wordpress.com
3) askliterature.com
4) cliffnotes.com
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