In comparing the views on society’s classes‚ in the novel The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde‚ there is a connection to the classes in society in London England during the Victorian era. In the novel the character Lady Bracknell makes a comment about the classes‚ which included some fascinating points‚ such as; the meanings and origins of the aristocracy‚ the meanings and origins of the purple commerce and how those two interacted in London during the Victorian era. To start off‚ the
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The Importance of Being Earnest’ is used to represent a contradictory and hypocritical society. Oscar Wilde uses the text to reflect his own experience with an ignorant society; Oliver Parker does not replicate this in the 2002 film version of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ as he does not have the emotional influences that Wilde had. Therefore Parker does not produce an accurate representation of Wilde’s play; he only provides a comical historical representation of the milieu for a modern audience
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Importance of Being Earnest Act 1 Characters immediately establish the tone and social context of the play. References to “Lady Bracknell”‚ “Mr Moncrieff’s manservant” and the “governess” indicate that play involves wealthy upper class. The characters are of course constructs – Wilde uses them merely as mouth pieces to express/parody value judgements about morality and Victorian ideals of duty and virtue. Premise of the play is creation of a paradox – explores inability/impossibility of being earnest/moral
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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
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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
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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
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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 Earnest was
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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
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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
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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
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