Humor In The Importance Of Being Earnest

Oliver Parker’s (2002) film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is sadly completely consumed by the romantic comedy style, masking Wilde’s key concerns and detracting from important comic elements of the play. This can be observed through the varying representations of characters, the film’s lack of contextual jokes, the more prominent sub-plot between Dr Chasuble and Miss Prism, the addition of music and the way in which dialogue, while remaining true to the play, has lost meaning in the film.

The dramatic ironies in “The Importance of Being Earnest” add to the humor of the play. At the very start of the play, the readers only have limited information about the characters. When Jack visits Algernon in his house, the readers are taken along not knowing any knowledge of the events beforehand. They learn along with Algernon that Jack has a make believe brother whose name is Ernest, and Jack uses Ernest in order to get out of many situations as well as an excuse to not be a proper gentleman at times. Algernon learns that Jack’s real name is not Ernest, but that it is really Jack. However, the readers are given the privilege of knowing Jack’s true name from the very beginning. Then Algernon confesses to his “bunburying,” which is essentially the fact that he has a made up friend who is ill in order that Algernon can use him as an excuse to free himself from unpleasant social scenes. The action continues when Jack becomes engaged to Gwendolen under the false pretenses of the name Ernest. Skipping forward, Algernon visits Jack’s niece, Cecily, at Jack’s house in the countryside. Here is one of the first instances of dramatic ironies. Algernon introduces himself to Cecily as Ernest, Jack’s younger wild brother. The readers know that he is not, and that Ernest is made up in the first place. This creates humor due to the suspension it builds. The reader anticipates when Cecily will find out the truth, and how it will affect her. The plot thickens when Jack announces to Canon Chasuble that his brother Ernest is dead, while at the same time Algernon is pretending to be Ernest at Jack’s home. Once again this creates suspension because the reader has

The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde was written in the Victorian Age of England. During this time morality was connected with sexual restraint and strict codes of conduct in public. This play hilariously critiques Victorian moral and social values while the characters in the play try to figure out the meaning of “earnestness”. Wilde uses humor and irony to publicly ridicule the self-aggrandizing attitude of the Victorian upper classes, as well as to expose their duplicity and hypocrisy in regards to their social behaviors.

Algernon’s stances on marriage, relationships, and self accurately describe his selfishness. Not only does Algernon destroy his own sense of reality, he destroys everyone else’s concept of the truth. The Importance of Being Earnest is meant to make people laugh; unfortunately, Wilde’s characters are so rude and condescending that the reader can have trouble finding the humor. This play is so full of unhealthy relationships that one has to assume that nothing will work out in the end. Algernon is an egomaniac, and there is no doubt that his attitude will rub off on Cecily, Jack, and

The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde is about two young gentlemen named Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who have taken on imaginative alter egos. Jack Worthing pretended to be his younger brother, Ernest, in order to leave his boring life in the country, and to propose to Gwendolyn Fairfax. Algernon Moncrieff also takes on the name, Ernest, in order to meet Jack Worthing’s young and pretty ward, Cecily Cardew. Things begin to take a turn for the worst when Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff run into each other at Jack Worthing’s estate in the country and their deceptive schemes are discovered.

In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, there is a lot of humor that can be found. Specifically, developed behind the characters in this play that display many instances of irony and how important it was to fit into the “status quo” of this time period. There are specific behaviors from the characters of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen, and Algernon that portray Wilde’s opinion of society during the Victorian Age. The attitude of these characters is snobbish and their manners display double standards and superiority. The play’s use of mockery and irony of these satirical situations is meant to publicly ridicule the self- loving attitude of the upper class while exposing their true absence of intelligence which causes their absurd social behaviors

The Importance of Being Earnest, written by a fascinating Oscar Wilde reveals a story of social class and hierarchy during the roaring Victorian time period (1837-1901). Focusing his writing on the social classes, the play becomes comical when he exposes the flaws held by the upper class during this time. Wilde saw earnestness as being a key ideal in Victorian culture for much of British society struck Wilde as dry, stern, conservative, and so “earnestly” concerned with the maintenance of social norms and the status quo that it had become almost inhuman. This play depicts certain characters that conform so easily to the conventional social status and characteristics of the Victorian culture. Such characters include Algernon, Jack, Cecily, and Gwendolyn. These characters introduce many themes that focus on the Victorian lifestyle, primarily the issues of being “earnest” and one’s own morality.

Instead of getting into a brawl over boys or calling each other rude names, they were passive aggressive and polite. It also demonstrates how there may have been fad diets in the Victorian Era when Gwendolen says that sugar is unfashionable. This quote is effective satire because it is the reality of how anger was expressed in this time. Even though people with wealth are especially mannered today, Cecily adding sugar to the tea instead of confronting Gwendolen shows how well-mannered the upper class used to

First, satire is literary device that exhibits that the marriages in both texts are not based off of trustworthiness and are not cherished. In the Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon pokes fun at dinners with boring people, especially a loving married couple. He likes excitement of affairs and does not believe in romantic love and marriage

The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, was written by Oscar Wilde in the late 1800’s. Wilde wrote the play as a means to satirize the Victorian model and social values. He points out the Victorian Period tendency to value an individual’s status and superficiality over there true personality and nature. In Act II, during Algernon and Cecily’s dialogue, Wilde creates humor by poking fun at their relationship. He achieves this by using ridiculous-diction, “double life” and irony.

Wilde uses satire especially with the idea of marriage. In the society that he lived in, marriage is seen as a business arrangement. When Lady Bracknell questioned Jack to determine if he is suitable for her daughter, she

The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Oscar Wilde’s crowning masterpieces. The acclaimed comedic play tells the tale of Jack Worthing and the mischief he causes when he and his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff, assume double identities. When analyzing the play from various critical perspectives, the reader can divulge into the various historical roots and gender roles that the author uses to promote his message and criticize the Victorian upper class.

In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde demonstrates uses satire through the social, political, and religious ways of the Victorians and used them to make a mockery of their ideals, beliefs, values, and

The Importance of Being Earnest appears to be a conventional 19th century farce. False identities, prohibited engagements, domineering mothers, lost children are typical of almost every farce. However, this is only on the surface in Wilde's play. His parody works at two levels- on the one hand he ridicules the manners of the high society and on the other he satirises the human condition in general. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest assume false identities in order to achieve their goals but do not interfere with the others' lives. The double life led by Algernon, Jack, and Cecily (through her diary) is simply another means by which they liberate

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde uses thoughtful laughter to satirize the Victorian Era. In the Victorian Era, marriage is seen as a way to improve an individual’s social standing rather than a commitment of love. Lady Bracknell interviews Jack to see if his wealth and housing will improve Gwendolen’s social standing. The Victorian Era’s high regard for wealth is satirized as Lady Bracknell’s opinion of Cecily immediately changes as she finds out Cecily is wealthy. Jack and Algernon lie about their identities in order to marry Gwendolen and Cecily.