Oscar Wilde The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay
The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses word play in reference to the word “earnest.” Throughout his play, Wilde focuses on the matter of who is the most sincere or “earnest” and who is actually the person whose name is Ernest. The two main characters, Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing, both claim to be Ernest for deceptive reasons. Wilde develops his characters Algernon and Jack in order to portray them as hypocritical to the definition of earnest, which is “serious in intention, effort, and purpose.”
The protagonist of the play, Jack Worthing, calls himself Ernest in town and Jack in the country because he wants to create two identities. He is in charge of his ward, Cecily Cardew and he wants to create a caring and mature image of himself. He tells Cecily that …show more content…
He claims that he represents duty, honor, and respectability; however he goes against those very principles and lies to his friends about his true name and identity. He uses his brother “Ernest” as an excuse to escape from the strict values of the country in order to enjoy himself in any manner he chooses in town without the barriers of respectability. At the very end of the play, after Jack apprehends that his name is Earnest he says, “I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.” The irony is that Jack has not realized the importance of being earnest; otherwise he would have admitted that he is a liar. Wilde uses a play on words in reference to earnest to show that Jack realized the importance of being named Ernest in order to marry Gwendolyn, instead of the importance of honesty and sincerity. Wilde shows Jack to be a paradox because claims that his name is Ernest, but in reality Jack is not honest. Oscar Wilde develops Jack’s character to be hypocritical, showing that he is the opposite of what he claims to be,
By Oscar Wilde
In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses word play in reference to the word “earnest.” Throughout his play, Wilde focuses on the matter of who is the most sincere or “earnest” and who is actually the person whose name is Ernest. The two main characters, Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing, both claim to be Ernest for deceptive reasons. Wilde develops his characters Algernon and Jack in order to portray them as hypocritical to the definition of earnest, which is “serious in intention, effort, and purpose.”
The protagonist of the play, Jack Worthing, calls himself Ernest in town and Jack in the country because he wants to create two identities. He is in charge of his ward, Cecily Cardew and he wants to create a caring and mature image of himself. He tells Cecily that …show more content…
He claims that he represents duty, honor, and respectability; however he goes against those very principles and lies to his friends about his true name and identity. He uses his brother “Ernest” as an excuse to escape from the strict values of the country in order to enjoy himself in any manner he chooses in town without the barriers of respectability. At the very end of the play, after Jack apprehends that his name is Earnest he says, “I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.” The irony is that Jack has not realized the importance of being earnest; otherwise he would have admitted that he is a liar. Wilde uses a play on words in reference to earnest to show that Jack realized the importance of being named Ernest in order to marry Gwendolyn, instead of the importance of honesty and sincerity. Wilde shows Jack to be a paradox because claims that his name is Ernest, but in reality Jack is not honest. Oscar Wilde develops Jack’s character to be hypocritical, showing that he is the opposite of what he claims to be,