Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a satire of the stifling conventions of Victorian England‚ a time when a serpentine code of behaviour governed everything from communication to sexuality‚ and when class was the sole dictator of relationships. With a witty‚ humorous delivery‚ the play explores the central themes of materialism‚ gender roles‚ marriage and the ignorance of the upper class. Passage one opens with a series of hyperbolic questions posed with Jack‚ building in rhythm
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest English-language films Victorian era
In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ author Oscar Wilde criticizes the Victorian society. His characters represent the Victorian era and have twisted views on issues regarding intense emotions such as love and marriage. They do not fully appreciate these concepts and either disregard them or confuse them with emotions that lack depth. Wilde depicts his Victorian society as superficial and incapable of love that is not shallow. In his comedy‚ both women‚ Gwendolyn and Cecily‚ believe to be head over
Premium Love Victorian era Marriage
Clearly “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde is a superb piece of satire. In the act‚ Wilde manages to humorize the daily lives of those in the victorian era‚ as well as the format in which they made vital decisions and how they were decided. Wilde most likely decided to focus on this topic to make people realize how ridiculous the system was‚ and why they should change it to realistic beliefs. Such as those of following love and how money and titles do not really make people any different
Premium
Three Passage Analysis – The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde used comedy as the primary means of communicating the key themes of his play. In particular he used satire to ridicule the hypocrisy of the strict code of behaviors that characterized the late Victorian era. His use of satire is intended to spotlight the shortcomings of the Victorian era and highlight social issues at play that he personally condemned. Of particular importance in the play are the strict rules of behaviour concerning
Free Victorian era Sociology The Importance of Being Earnest
between loving the money or character of a person. The root of all evil starts when one doesn’t notice the difference. Lady Bracknell‚ an antagonist in The Importance of being Earnest‚ is a powerful‚ pompous and pontifical person who values money more than love and comprehends marriage like business deals in terms of allusions‚ connections and irony. Lady Bracknell’s character is revealed by allusions throughout the play. One can tell that she is very powerful and pompous from few examples of allusions
Premium Social class Working class Victorian era
Explore the use of Duplicity and Deception in the Importance of Being Earnest The themes in Oscar Wilde´s “Importance of Being Earnest” such as hypocrisy‚ manners‚ dual identity‚ duplicity and deception are all closely linked throughout the play. One can see that the use of witticisms and hyperbole‚ combined with the themes Wilde commonly associates with Victorian lifestyle subtly‚ lightheartedly deride the audience. The effect of the theme duplicity and deception is essentially the criticism
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest Meaning of life Victorian era
in The Importance of Being Earnest “Ignorance is like an exotic fruit…” writes Oscar Wilde as he sets the literary table with a rich display of Victorian satire (Wilde). Born in Dublin to affluent parents‚ Wilde experienced a social advantage that gave him more than a taste of indulgent upper class life to ridicule. He attended Oxford on a scholarship and was considered a genius. Wilde was characterized as humorous‚ frank‚ and showy. Writing novels‚ poems‚ and essays as well‚ The Importance of Being
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest Satire
them‚ but readers don’t how betrayed they really feel. With The Importance of Being Earnest being only a play‚ readers only see the characters as they are now without seeing much depth in them. As a play there would be much more suspense‚ and audience members would feel the dramatic and comedic nature of the play more if they watched
Premium The Great Gatsby Marriage F. Scott Fitzgerald
An earnest person is someone who practices diligence‚ seriousness‚ and above all sincerity. That being said‚ it is difficult to find a male character in the play who possesses all three qualities of earnestness. Despite this‚ the lead characters of The Importance of Being Earnest entertained and endeared audiences for over one hundred years. Jack Worthing’s Childhood: During Act One‚ protagonist Jack Worthing reveals a most unusual and amusing backstory: As a baby‚ he was accidentally abandoned
Premium The Importance of Being Earnest
Susanna Huth Gender Roles In The importance of Being Earnest In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ the question of each gender’s role in society often centers on power. In the Victorian world men had greater influence than women. Men made the decisions for their families‚ while women worked around the house. Wilde raises interesting questions about gender roles in The Importance of Being Earnest‚ by putting women (like Lady Bracknell) in positions of power and by showing that men can be irresponsible
Premium Gender Victorian era The Importance of Being Earnest