Satire In The Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde Satire/comedy play First performance: February 14, 1895. The initial portion of the performance takes place near the city during the 1890s in London. The following half of the play occurs at Jack’s country house located in Hertfordshire. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff Jack appear to be a noble gentleman, but he is entirely two-faced. He answers to the pseudonym “Ernest” in the city and “Jack” in the countryside. He also lies about having a sibling also called “Ernest” whose shenanigans regularly request him back into the city. Jack is also the trustee of Cecily Cardew.

Algernon is Jack’s closest confidant, and he is a cousin of Gwendolen. He is a handsome bachelor, who concentrates on delivering humorous comments and obtaining quick methods of avoiding his polished responsibilities. He disguises as Jack’s relative “Ernest” so he could meet Cecily Cardew.

Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew, and Lady Bracknell Gwendolen is cultured, fashionable, and refined, she holds stubborn outlooks on interests of bias, honesty, and appearance. She is likewise extremely arrogant and ornate, as expressed by her unwillingness to get married to any man, but one named “Ernest.”

Cecily is an imaginative youthful lady that favors scribbling in her journal to finishing her homework. She daydreams about meeting Jack’s cousin, “Ernest,” and assembles an intricate match connecting herself and the obscure figure.

Lady Bracknell is Gwendolen’s old-fashioned mother. Her beliefs are rooted in social status and wealth, so she will not enable Jack to couple with Gwendolen until he discovers proper relatives.

Dishonesty, Identity, and Hypocritical Standards The principal characters partake in the delicate craft of untruthfulness to fool their loved ones and conceive a reality that is exceedingly like a fantasy. The boundary connecting truth and deceit clouds when that fictional pseudonym of “Ernest” is Jack’s authentic birth name.

The play exposes the carelessness of partnering with someone solely for his or her title. It remained a familiar custom for women to profit upon a favorable name in matrimony. In this play, it is better to be named ‘Ernest’ than to actually be earnest.

The play reveals the hollowness of stern cultural norms using jokes, inconsistencies, witticisms, and contradictions in the characters’ reactions and remarks. For example, the characters frequently remark and give the contrary to whatever they intend, or expect.

Food and Diaries Food represents gluttony or overeating. For example, Algernon can’t help but devour the cucumber sandwiches and muffins that are served as snacks for other guests, insinuating that his cravings are as extravagant as his unconventional, flashy, and overpriced appearances. Usually, diaries have records of true events, but diaries in The Importance of Being Earnest have records of fantasy. Cecily documents events regarding her imaginary commitment to “Ernest” in her journal, revealing it to be a blending of fabrication and fantasy, instead of a report of facts. Gwendolen also moves with her journal, in which she notes her wedding promise to “Ernest,” a fabricated personage, instead of a genuine people. Because diaries signify fictions, they highlight the friction among reality and fantasy. Puns and Epigrams Oscar Wilde uses puns to build a comical mood throughout the play. A pun, also known as wordplay, is an expression where a particular term can have various implications, puns expose characters’ wit and also propose judgments on specific subjects. An epigram is a concise, witty comment disclosing a revelation regarding aristocracy, epigrams and satire sharply expose critique of the higher levels of society. The Importance of Being Ernest is very significant because it is actually the last line in the play and also it is a direct refrence to what the author is trying to convey, which is the importance of being earnest or honest.