Discuss the use of duplicity and subterfuge for comic affect in The importance of being earnest. The importance of being Ernest written in 1899 by Oscar wild is a comedy of manners which was first shown to the Victorian society. Being a comedy of manners‚ the play includes many features of a Victorian melodrama including confusion‚ mistaken identity and a final happy ending. However subterfuge and duplicity is inherent in all characters and is the main source of comic value within the plot. We see
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The Importance of Being Earnest and Caryl Churchill’s Cloud 9‚ are apt at critiquing victorian society. Yet‚ the plays are somewhat thematically different. The critiques present in The Importance of Being Earnest focus on the victorian obsession with appearances‚ whereas those in Cloud 9 have a greater emphasis on colonialism and the repression of gender and sexuality. Both works are highly relevant to the society and time in which they were published. Hence‚ although both critique victorian society
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The Importance of Being Earnest is a serious comedy about trivial matters The Importance of being Earnest is a play that satirizes the Victorian upper classes. In the play‚ Oscar Wide makes fun of the upper class in many ways. Most commonly‚ Wilde does this by using comic irony‚ humor‚ and witty statements. However‚ if we look deeper into the text‚ a lot of the trivial matters characters discuss have a serious side to them. Wilde uses these matters to satirize the Victorian upper even more. The
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In Oscar Wilde’s play‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ the conversations between characters reveal a lot about their relationships and create a language. The relationship of Earnest and Gwendolen is primarily based on a surface characteristic; his name. Gwendolyn is only attracted to Earnest because of his name‚ because she is so consumed by what others will think. Cecily is portrayed as the wholesome girl in this play who is attracted to the devious and mysterious Algernon. However‚ their relationship
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The Importance of Not Being Earnest Oscar Wilde’s hilarious play‚ "The Importance of Being Earnest‚" is based in Victorian England and follows the story of Mr. Jack Worthing; a lovesick man who lies regarding his identity so he may escape to the city. While his lies start unraveling‚ chaos breaks out. In the last line of the play‚ Jack claims that‚"he has learned the vital importance of being earnest." This conclusion brings the reader to wonder‚ does a tiger ever change it’s stripes? Does the
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in this passage and what does the passage reveal about their relationship with each other? This is an extract taken from the First Act of the play The Importance of Being Earnest which is written by the English writer‚ Oscar Wilde in the 19th century. This play is a comedy of manners‚ which satirizes the values during the Victorian Era. In this extract‚ the setting is only in the city - specifically in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon street - although in the full play‚ the settings are between
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prominent playwright of the Victorian era‚ and a personality to say the least. His biting humour and keen wit produced many popular plays and quotes of the time‚ and are still well known today. A satire is a play engaging the use of humor‚ irony‚ exaggeration‚ or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is one of his better-known satires‚ effectively ridiculing many of the Victorian values that were of the greatest importance at the time. Wildes cutting
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The Importance of Being Earnest Questions Themes (Feel free to see the questions related to the themes at http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/) Lies and Deceit Marriage Respect and Reputation Society and Class Gender Versions of Reality: Romance Love Foolishness and Folly Epigrams Define an epigram. What do the following epigrams say? Keep track of epigrams in the play. “Education is an admirable thing‚ but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing
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Paper The Importance of Being Earnest This novel‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ elaborates on the importance of telling the truth. You have two best friends‚ Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing‚ who create other people in their life. The plot of the story brings to the forth the concept of being honest. For example‚ Algernon admits that for him to be seen as polite‚ he makes up an invalid friend called Bunbury. On the other hand‚ Jack also comes up with a fake brother called Earnest. The aim
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Samantha Soto Gilchrist AP English IV 28 October 2012 The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that can be viewed as a satire on the moral compass of people living in the Victorian era. The moral standards of the time held the ideas of sincerity and honesty on a high pedestal. To be Earnest would most likely fall between the two ideals; the first definition of the word earnest is “Serious in intention‚ purpose‚ or effort” and this can be a trait
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