Props In The Importance Of Being Ernest

David Collins
26 October 2014
Ms. Sussman
English 3
Deciphering “The Importance of Being Ernest” Through Props

In a play, some objects can have meanings greater than mere props. In Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, the handbag and cigarette case take on greater meanings pertaining to the plot. Ernest Worthing’s cigarette case is a prop that, although seemingly ordinary, contributes to the plot. The cigarette case gives deeper insight into Mr. Worthing’s private life. The inscription inside indicates that the cigarette case was a gift for Mr. Worthing from someone named Cecily (5). After encountering the cigarette case, Ernest is forced to explain to Algernon that Mr. Thomas Cardew adopted him and now that he has died, Cecily is Ernest’s ward. Moreover, the cigarette case
Lady Bracknell goes as far as to explain that because Jack was found in a cloakroom, he is a social indiscretion and can therefore not be a match for Gwendolen. The handbag is important to the plot of the play because it is the clue to Jack’s identity that completely shuts him off from an engagement to Gwendolen. Additionally, the handbag is the key to Jack’s original heritage. In the end of the play, Jack finds out that Miss Prism worked for the Moncrieff family and that he was the baby she left in the handbag-effectively revealing Jack as Algernon’s older brother (51-53). The handbag is a prop that advances the plot because it served as Jack’s only link to his mysterious past, but also, in the end, serves to unite him with his original family. The handbag is also vitally important because it changes Lady Bracknell’s view of his social status. Now the nephew of Lady Bracknell, Jack has obtained the stature high enough to marry Gwendolen. The handbag is more than a mere prop because it moves along the storyline of the