In Act 2 of The Importance of Being Earnest‚ Oscar Wilde uses irony to comment on the‚ absurd nature of the Victorian morals and values‚ context as well as highlight the satire‚ that he implemented‚ and humour. In the scene‚ Cecily admonishes Algy‚ who is pretending to be Ernest by saying‚ "I hope you have not been leading a double life‚ pretending to be wicked and being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy." This is a use of dramatic irony as usually the act of being a hypocrite is
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Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest follows Jack and Algernon‚ two young men living in Victorian England‚ whose attempts to court Gwendolen and Cecily are complicated by the fictitious identities they have created to escape social obligations. Over the course of the play‚ their various deceptions are exposed and things get further and further out of hand until a timely revelation brings the matter to a resolution. This play is primarily a satire that serves as a vehicle for Wilde to
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To what extent is gender the main comic creator in the play of ‘The Importance of being Earnest’? Comedy originated in the 6th century BC in ancient Greece at the Dionysian festival. Comedy was first designed to provoke laughter and to entertain the audience. The ancient Greeks used the word comedy to describe a play with a happy ending much the same as the play the ‘Importance of being Earnest’. The play uses elements of old comedy for example; it is a satire of the Victorian era that is most
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Andre Joshua Perez Satire in the Importance of Being Earnest Essay The use of comedy helps bring books‚ movies and plays to life. In some cases‚ it is even written around the idea of comedy itself. The play Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde criticizes the aspect of the aristocratic life in the Victorian era by making fun of them with a term called satire. In the play‚ Wilde creatively uses three different types of irony. These being: verbal‚ dramatic and situational forms of irony
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The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is regarded by many as one of the wittiest plays in the English language. However‚ it is not simply a “trivial comedy‚” as its title proposes‚ but also a cutting satire appraising the conventions of Victorian society‚ chiefly the upper class. Much of Wilde’s social commentary is portrayed through the speech of the dictatorial Lady Bracknell‚ who embodies Victorian upper class conventions. Having ascended to her current high social
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identity. The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a clear example of when individuals find that their identities are being suppressed by society and‚ therefore‚ find ways to express who they want to be or who they are in different‚ more creative ways. Two factors that influence a person’s identity the most are circumstances and society. Circumstances influence a person’s values‚ morals‚ and ideals‚ while societies‚ specifically strict societies such as the Victorian era‚ suppress
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Is The Importance of Being Earnest A Realistic Fiction? Realistic fiction is stories about imaginary people and/or events that can actually happen (Cullinan‚ 1989). The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde may seem realistic but‚ in fact‚ it is not. Fictional characters of the Victorian Period and various occasions of ridicule represent nothing but sarcastically mirror the reality of the Victorian society. The characters look humane and world view seems to be based on the Victorian society
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view‚ has lost its sting’ (Edouard Roditi) To what extent do you agree with this response to the play? By Molly Campbell With the definition of a satire being‚ ‘the use of humour‚ irony‚ exaggeration‚ or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity’‚ it is ludicrous to even propose that The Importance of Being Earnest is anything other than a satirical play‚ as the characters relishing in the upper class of the Victorian period unknowingly mock their own habits acquired to them due
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Forsyth Major Works Data Sheet AP Literature and Composition Class Period: 3B Title of Work: Jane Eyre Author: Charlotte Brontë Date of Publication: October 16‚ 1847 Genre: Bildungsroman‚ Governess Novel‚ Gothic (Romantic)‚ Victorian (Realism) Characteristics of the Genre: Bildungsroman: A Bildungsroman is translated from German to literally mean a “novel of education.” It is a coming-of-age novel. It is clear that Jane Eyre is a Bildungsroman because the
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A Trivial Comedy for Serious People Oscar Wilde mocked his audience while he entertained them. Perhaps his most loved and well-known work‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ satirises the manners and affections of the upper-class Victorian society. Satire is a literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness‚ usually with the intent of changing or correcting the subject of the satirical attack. The play focuses on the elite‚ while making fun of the ludicrousness and extremity
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