The Theme Of Identity In The Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde

The importance of being earnest is written by playwright and Irish poet Oscar wilde. Did you ever wonder if the way you turned out was affected and Influenced by your name? The Importance of Being Earnest explores the theme of identity and many perspectives of identity. Throughout the play, the subject of names and personalities is the most prominent. Oscar Wilde’s humorous play which addresses subjects like gender, wealth, social expectations, and the English upper-class lifestyles is one of Wilde’s most famous pieces of work. Identity can be defined as the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and expressions that make a person (self-identity) or group (particular social category or social group).

The play was written with an embodiment of the society structure and social identity in the Victorian era. this play enables the reader to see the characters as an example of all Victorian elite society. The majority of the play centres around the committed and fixation to their fixation and there needs to be seen as prestigious members of high-class Victorian society. As in the play, the most vital part of the Victorian era was the concept and idea of a class system. The Victorian society was divided into Upper Class, Middle Class, and the Working Class. In his play, Wilde made fun of aristocratic ideals whether this was the overuse of being charming, reckless spending, or lack of individuality in the Victorian era. Cased by the high-class preconceived stereotypes ‘ absurdity and hypocrisy, All these ideals incorporate in the text the concept of identity but more specially how names can influence your identity.

Today’s identity and identity in the Victorian era are different things. Identity is the development and expression of the identity of somebody. The qualities, beliefs, personality of the person influence their identity; it is not fixed or premeditated. Swayed by the culture and language that is closely related to a person’s identity which is highly personal and unique. Identity is complex and with the influence of cultural knowledge. Forced identity seemed as though identity had been hereditary and inevitable to act a certain way in the Victorian era. The use of identity helped to build relationships with the text in the Victorian era. Mostly due to the overwhelming use of alter egos and fantasy worlds developed by the audience being High-Class members of Victorian society. In the Importance of Being Earnest, identity -in particular, the concept of how names influence identity – is a key feature to the story