The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction D na The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Characters: John/Jack Worthing (aka Ernest Worthing): Protagonist, seemingly responsible and respectable young man with home in the countryside – friend of Algernon – discovered in a purse as a baby and adopted – guardian of Cecily – Jack’s in love with Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen – when Jack goes into the city he is known as Ernest Algernon Moncrieff: Friend of Jack – lives in the city, and uses his fake friend “Bunbury” who he claims is ill as an excuse to get out of social engagements – smart, sharp-witted, makes many humorous epigrams – takes a liking to Cecily

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction G h The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Characters: Lady Bracknell: Algernon’s aunt and mother of Gwendolen – she is snobby, and she married well and expects her daughter to do the same – she is both cunning and narrow minded Gwendolen Fairfax: Lady Bracknell’s daughter and Algernon’s cousin – she is in love with Jack (who she knows as Ernest) – she is pretentious and cares about superficial issues of high society, like the way she cares about her husband’s name

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Characters: Cecily Cardew: Lives in Jack’s home as his “ward,” after her grandfather (the man who adopted Jack after finding him as a baby in a purse) died and left Jack in charge of Cecily – Cecily loves Ernest, Jack’s fake brother, because Jack makes Ernest sound like a “bad boy” and Cecily is fascinated with wickedness – she is the least stereotypical of all the characters in the play

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Algernon and Jack may look like proper young Victorian gentlemen. But each—unknown to the other— is leading a double life.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Algernon has invented a sickly friend named Bunbury. When Algernon wants to escape his social obligations in London, he “goes Bunburying.” That is, he pretends to visit the ailing Bunbury in the country.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Jack’s situation is even more complicated. A wealthy bachelor, he lives an upright life in the country. He wants to set a proper example for Cecily, his young ward.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction But Jack wants to have some fun too. So he invents a wild brother named Ernest. When Jack wants to go to London, he pretends he has to bail Ernest out of trouble.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction In London, Jack pretends to be the bad boy Ernest. Are you confused yet?

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Imagine how “Ernest’s” fiancée, Gwendolen, feels when she learns he is really someone else!

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction Imagine how Cecily feels when she finally meets the charming Ernest, but he turns out to be Ernest’s—or rather, Jack’s—friend Algernon!

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction The confusion and misunderstandings are all part of the fun. Will Gwendolen marry Jack even though he is not Ernest? Will Algernon win the hand of the beautiful Cecily?

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.” —Oscar Wilde

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background Oscar Wilde liked to make fun of upper-class Victorian society. In this play he pokes fun at strict Victorian social rules the shallowness of the idle rich

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background Play is a comedy, and a satire of the uptight, prudish principles of the Victorian Era using stereotypical Victorian characters (1800s) Some of the ideas Wilde is trying to poke fun at and criticize include: Victorian ideas surrounding marriage – notice how Lady Bracknell is mostly concerned with “class” and “money” when she’s considering Jack’s marriage to Gwendolyn Victorian social expectations – just to have fun and be themselves, Algernon and Jack have to invent a facade! The

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background Wilde also pokes a bit of fun at himself. Like Wilde, Algernon and Jack are dandies.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background In Victorian times only men could be dandies. An authentic dandy enjoyed fine clothes and expensive habits used refined language spent most of his time socializing lived to have fun

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background A well-bred Victorian woman, on the other hand, was modest and reserved. Few kinds of enjoyment were open to her outside the home.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background Moreover, to achieve the fashionable 18- to 20-inch waist,

The Importance of Being Earnest: Background her corset often was so tight that she could barely breathe!

The Importance of Being Earnest: Terms Puns: the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words. Examples: Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have the balls to do it. Ernest = a man’s name, while earnest = honest, truthful

The Importance of Being Earnest: Terms hi Epigrams: short, witty, memorable statements (often epigrams are puns) Examples: The way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.--Oscar Wilde You can observe a lot just by watching.--Yogi Berra God answers knee-mail.-- Unknown

The Importance of Being Earnest: Terms Farce: humorous stories written for the stage or film in which the situations become so entangled and complicated that the ending is often just meaninglessly tacked on, or it’s even a trick – these types of endings are referred to as deus ex machina where a person or thing suddenly appears “out of the blue” to help resolve the seemingly impossible situation Examples: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The Producers by Mel Brooks