Things to watch for in Act I Wilde’s philosophy of art. Wilde was heavily influenced by Walter Pater and the other aesthetes of the Victorian age. They believed art should concern itself only with its aesthetic qualities that art should exist for art’s sake. Therefore, art should not be a straightforward representation of reality. Algernon’s throwaway quip to Lane that “anyone can play [piano]accurately but I play with wonder expression” is a good thumbnail of this. Art should not be “accurate,” as Algernon would say, but it should bean extension of its creator’s artistic styles. It should have “wonderful expression.”

Wilde’s critique of marriage as “demoralising” Wilde is undoubtedly the master of the epigram, a concise, typically witty or paradoxical saying. His skill lies not only in coining wholly new epigrams, but in subverting established ones. For instance, “in married life, three is company and two is none” wittily captures the monotony of monogamy by playing it against the conventional “two is company, three’s a crowd.” The pleasure in his epigrams comes not only from the wordplay or ideas, but from teasing out the logic in his seemingly illogical claims.

Humorous depiction of class tensions Lane, the butler, is given his fair share of droll sayings, and even Algernon seems to recognize that the lower class has more power than they seem to: “if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?” But this is not a serious play, and all the conflicts are quickly resolved through humour; when Algernon is upset over his depleted supply of champagne, Lane’s wit deflates the discussion of class and turns the topic to marriage.

Two great symbols of the upper class The sofa is the centre of the leisure class’s idleness, a comfortable place to while away the afternoon without work. Wilde himself would spend hours in deep thought upon his sofa, but here he makes the sofa a place for social chatter. The cucumber sandwiches also become a symbol for the hedonism of rich. Algernon supposedly saves them for Lady Bracknell, but he cannot resist devouring them himself. He is foremost a relentless consumer who cannot resist pleasure, and his compulsion sets up many humorous sight gags.

Wilde cleverly harnesses characterization and dialogue to convey the absurdities of Victorian London “society.” Wilde establishes, here, his major themes for the duration of the play: absurdity of society, marriage as a superficial contract, and his satirical wit. This play can be considered as a comedy of manners, because it uses an ironic tone while observing upper class society, whose members seem to value the wrong things

Earnest Ernest is a name “earnest” is an adjective and a Victorian virtue. Let the hilarity ensue!

Jack in the city, Earnest in the country Algie in the city, Jack in the country