Gender In The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay
How important is gender in creating comedy in the
‘Importance of Being Earnest’?
Dramatic comedy originated in Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, centred around loose plot lines and exploiting certain situations through parody, farce and mockery. Comedy started developing in 4th Century BC where intricate plot lines were introduced, commonly based around love and romance and usually culminating in a satisfactory and happy resolution. This is much like the structure of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ as the play revolves around the growing relationships of both Jack and Gwendolen and Algernon and Cecily.
Oscar Wilde has reversed the roles of gender in this play, the females are those who take the lead and are seen as the most dominant …show more content…
Whilst Cecily and Algernon are talking in the garden, Jack arrives home. He confides in Miss Prism and Chasuble that his younger brother ‘Ernest’ died in Paris of a severe chill. At this moment in time, the audience are taking great pleasure at the fact that they know something the characters do not – that Jack’s so called brother is in the garden.
Afterwards, Cecily confesses to Algernon that they have been engaged for the past three months, and Algernon submissively accepts this to be both true and normal. This is the first indication of who the most assertive figure is in their relationship.
The fact that Cecily writes to herself, on the behalf of ‘Ernest’ is rather ridiculous, and once again Algernon goes through with this. She continues on to tell him when their engagement was broken off, she says “It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn’t have been broken off at least once. But I forgave you before the week was out” she talks about how their engagement wouldn’t have been ‘serious’, although it had never even happened and this displays marriage to be not all that serious in itself. In reply to this, Algernon thanks her for forgiving him – for something he did not do, “What a perfect angel you are Cecily.” This only highlights that he is inferior to
‘Importance of Being Earnest’?
Dramatic comedy originated in Ancient Greece in 5th century BC, centred around loose plot lines and exploiting certain situations through parody, farce and mockery. Comedy started developing in 4th Century BC where intricate plot lines were introduced, commonly based around love and romance and usually culminating in a satisfactory and happy resolution. This is much like the structure of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ as the play revolves around the growing relationships of both Jack and Gwendolen and Algernon and Cecily.
Oscar Wilde has reversed the roles of gender in this play, the females are those who take the lead and are seen as the most dominant …show more content…
Whilst Cecily and Algernon are talking in the garden, Jack arrives home. He confides in Miss Prism and Chasuble that his younger brother ‘Ernest’ died in Paris of a severe chill. At this moment in time, the audience are taking great pleasure at the fact that they know something the characters do not – that Jack’s so called brother is in the garden.
Afterwards, Cecily confesses to Algernon that they have been engaged for the past three months, and Algernon submissively accepts this to be both true and normal. This is the first indication of who the most assertive figure is in their relationship.
The fact that Cecily writes to herself, on the behalf of ‘Ernest’ is rather ridiculous, and once again Algernon goes through with this. She continues on to tell him when their engagement was broken off, she says “It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn’t have been broken off at least once. But I forgave you before the week was out” she talks about how their engagement wouldn’t have been ‘serious’, although it had never even happened and this displays marriage to be not all that serious in itself. In reply to this, Algernon thanks her for forgiving him – for something he did not do, “What a perfect angel you are Cecily.” This only highlights that he is inferior to