Importance of being Ernest

Department of English, M K
Bhavnagar University
The Importance of
being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde
 1854-1990
 Irish poet and playwright
 Popular playwright in London
in 1890s.
 Known for his epigrams and plays
 Spokesman for aestheticism
 Journalism and editorship
 Shorter fiction – essays –
dialogues
 Fairy stories – Political
essays

The Importance
of Being Earnest
 The Importance of Being Earnest, A
Trivial Comedy for Serious People –
1894 (written)- 1895 (premiere) 1899
(published)
 Three act play – each has 2 parts
 Social comedy – Comedy of Manners -
Satire – Intellectual farce
 Setting – 1890s London and
Hertfordshire (a rural county near
London)

Jack + Mr. Ernest
Characters
Gwendolen
Algernon
Cecily Cardew
Lady Bracknell
Miss Prism

 Algernon is playing piano badly – which his Butler Lane
marks as “not polite to listen”
 Mr. Ernest Worthing enters in the house of Algernon
where he is living with his aunt Lady Bracknell and
Gwendolen
 Ernest (Jack) informed Algernon that he is in town so he
can propose Gwendolen
Act I – Part I
 Algernon doubts about the consent of aunt and
himself as he is aware about Cecily
 Jack first denied that he is not aware about any
girl named Cecily, but later Algernon reminded
him about the cigarette case which was gifted
by Cecily to Jack.

 ‘little Cecily’ – ‘Dear uncle Jack’ was written on the case
and then Ernest reveals the truth that he is not Mr.
Ernest but he is Jack.
 Algernon dost not believe but later Jack explains
everything that his name is Ernest in town and Jack in
the country
 He explained – Mr. Thomas Cardew (who adopted him)
made him the guardian of his granddaughter Cecily and
she lives with
Miss Prism her governess.
Act I – Part I
He Told Cecily that he has a younger brother
in town named Ernest – and with this excuse
he is able to visit town whenever he wants.
Jack shared his plan of killing off Ernest if
Gwendolen will say yes.

 Lady Bracknell came and asked Algernon about going in a
wedding party but he made an excuse that his friend
‘BunBury’ is in trouble and he would go there.
 Later she asked him about proposing Gwendolen but he
didn’t give enough importance to that.
 Jack was alone with Gwendolen and trying to propose
her and came to know that she is interested in his name
– Ernest.
Act I – Part II
 Lady entered and found Gwedolen with Jack and
asked about the family background of Jack and he
told the whole truth to her.
 Jack was found in a handbag near Victoria station
and a man adopted him.

 Algernon asked about the meeting with Lady and Jack
told everything – Algernon asked about telling the truth
to Gwendolen but Jack denied that he didn’t – and he
didn’t even tell her about Cecily – and tells that he will
soon kill Ernest
 Gwendolen met Jack and expressed her grief to him and
confessed her love to him and took his address which
Algernon was
listening and planning something.
Act I – Part II
 Jack left the place and Algernon also informed
Lane that he is going to meet Bunbury – and
will not be here for some days.

 In Hertfordshire Miss Prism is teaching German to Cecily
but she is not interested. Cecily started writing diary and
in that she expressed her wish and interest to meet
Ernest.
 Miss Prism and Dr. Canon went on walk and met Jack
where he informed about Ernest’s death, and asks about
changing name.
 Suddenly Me. Ernest (Algernon) arrived
and presented a visiting card to her.
Act II – Part I
 Ernest and Cecily started flirting with each
other and Jack arrived. Cecily went to give
news to Jack about the arrival of Mr. Ernest.

 Jack got shock after seeing Algernon in the disguise of his
dead imaginary brother Ernest.
 Jack wanted him to leave and was in mourning cloths but
he was interested in Cecily and was not ready to leave.
 Algernon proposed Cecily and found that she is already in
love with him. As she loves the name Ernest.
Act II – Part II
 Algernon went to change his name.
Gwendolen arrived and met Cecily, both
started talking about Ernest and started
fighting.
Jack and Algernon arrived – Jack admits that
Ernest is a complete fiction.

 Cecily and Gwendolen talked and ready to forgive Jack and
Algernon because both have done this for getting their love
and affection. Both the men are ready to change their name
for the ladies.
 Lady Bracknell arrived, Algernon tells about the death of
Bunbury and announced his and Cecily’s engagement. Lady
asked about her background and come to know that she is
enough rich.
Act III – Part I
 Jack denied for his consent and first asked about
Lady’s consent for them but lady denied and
prepared to leave.
 Dr Canon arrived and informed that everything is
ready to change name and Miss Prism is waiting
– Lady gets a shock with this name started asking
about Miss Prism.

 Miss Prism got afraid of Lady Bracknell. Lady asked her
about the baby she lost – Prism wrote three volumes of
novel – wanted to throw the book – put boos into carriage
and baby into handbag – she put that bag on Victoria
station – Jack interfered and showed the hand bag, Miss
Prism identified it – Jack got his real identity – he is the son
of Lady Bracknell’s sister and older brother of Algernon.
Act III – Part II
 Jack was not named when he was lost – She
wanted to give his father’s name to him –
from military records they come to know that
his name was Ernest John – Cecily-Algernon –
Gwendolen-Ernest – Dr. Chasuble-Miss Prism

Hypocrisy
Themes
 Jack – affects other’s life
 Algernon and Cecily – affects
their own life
 Jack is reflecting hypocrisy –
Death of Ernest – Mourning
dress – dialogues – acting
 Modifies the life of other’s
and truth with his lie.
 Cecily has many imaginary
stories - shares with
Algernon - not any is
harmful to others or
subverting the truth
Earnest
 Earnestness- a serious desire
to do correct things.
 Earnest – seriousness, but in
play all serious matters are
trivial and trivial matters are
given the tag of ‘serious’
 Earnest represents - False
truth and False morality
 Jack and Algernon reflects
both the things partially

Class
Conflict of upper class and middle
class mentality – Family – wealth –
legitimacy – ignoring the true self
Self-duty - Morality
Social satire Marriage
Themes
Class – marriage – legitimacy –
consent to relationships – Victorian
morality (partial morality) –
Importance of Father’s name
(Earnest)
Morality is in not interfering – play
makes fun of the idea of morality
in Victorian era – Moral paradox in
Jack
Marriage for business or pleasure –
lie –social status and earning –
wealth – what female thinks
👪

 Farce – unlikely situations – exaggerated
characters – upper class – trivial
situations – satire on contemporary
society.
 Play is making fun of Upper class – Family
background – Name of the person –
Wealth – Name is Ernest but they lack
seriousness in life
 Ladies are fighting for marring Ernest
which actually does not exist
 Characters are lacking moral values in
most of situations
 Marriage and love- based on the name of
the person rather than character or
virtue.
Comedy of Manners

 Importance of Name and not the deeds
 Victorian upper class – middle class
mindset of connecting virtue and honor.
 The characters are obsessed with the name
Earnest – especially female characters as
they firmly believe that it gives ‘confidence
and honest to character’ but the characters
holding that name are totally opposite to
that.
 Her judgement is blurred with her upper
class consciousness – image conscious
character
 Reflects the mindset of society towards
name – wealth – Class – status
Ernest Fixation

Importance of being Ernest

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