Importance of Being Earnest
Discussion Questions Act One
1. Why does Jack Worthing call himself "Ernest" instead when he is in "town" (London)?
2. Why has Algernon invented an invalid friend named "Bunbury"?
3.Jack has an insurmountable impediment to marrying Gwendolen in his background: what, as
Lady Bracknell sees it, is this problem? How does she propose that he resolve this
problem? What is Wilde satirizing in this situation?
4. How does Wilde use the subject of cucumber sandwiches to reveal the characters of Jack
and Algy?
5.How does Wilde satirize the vacuous mentalities and lifestyles of the British aristocracy in Lady
Bracknell's interview with Jack?
6. How does Wilde use the cigarette case to facilitate the exposition of the dramatic action?
7. The character of Algernon Moncrieff reflects the public persona of the dramatist himself:
in what ways in Algy like Wilde? Refer to background information.
8. Why is the classical allusion in which Wilde compares Lady Bracknell to the Gorgon particularly
apt?
9. The other classical allusion, to the Emperor Augustus, is more oblique: why did Wilde choose
the name "Augusta" for Lady Bracknell?
10. What is the essence of such Wildean aphorisms as the following?" "[Women flirting with their
own husbands] looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen in public."
11. What point is Wilde making about journalism in general and reviewers in particular when
Algernon remarks, "You should leave that [literary criticism] to people who haven't been at
University. They do it so well in the daily papers"?
12. What tools of satire –irony, juxtaposition, understatement, paradox –are apparent in this
opening act? CITE SPECIFIC LINES FROM THE PLAY.
Act I
1) What does Algernon mean when he says, “I keep science for Life” and later connects this idea to
Lane preparing the cucumber sandwiches for Lady Bracknell?
2) What do we learn about Algernon’s relationship with his servant Lane from their conversation
about marriage?
3) In the world of the play, how do expectations related to “moral responsibility” relate to social
class differences? Why is this humorous ?
4) Algernon says, “-e very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to
forget the fact” How does this statement critique Victorian attitudes toward marriage?
5) “Oh! it is absurd to have a hard-and-fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn’t.
More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read”. What is Wilde saying about
modern culture?
6) Why does Jack establish two different identities for himself—one for the country and another for
the city?
7) Why does Jack initially lie about his relationship to Cecily? What does his decision to lie say about
his attitude toward Algernon?
8) What is a “Bunburyist”? Why does Algernon find it necessary to be one?
9) Why does Algernon consider a woman who flirts with her husband in public scandalous? What
do we learn about Victorian ideals of decorum from this statement?
10) In what ways do Algernon and Jack’s views about love and marriage differ? Use specific lines
from the script to support your ideas.
11) Based on Lady Bracknell and Algernon’s first exchange, what do we learn about Lady Bracknell’s
character? What role do you predict she’ll play in the story?
12) What kind of relationship do you think Lady Bracknell has with her husband?
13) How do we know Algernon and Jack are close friends? Can you think of a similar exchange
you’ve had with a good friend?
14) What evidence from the script tells us that the setting for the play is late-Victorian England?
15) How does Lady Bracknell’s question about whether Jack was born in the “purple of commerce”
or “the ranks of the aristocracy” reflect on the social structure of the upper class in Victorian
England?
16) Explain the absurdity of Jack’s “romantic origin”.
17) Why does Lady Bracknell not consider Jack an eligible husband for Gwendolen?
18) Why does Jack find it necessary to “kill” his brother Ernest?
19) Which character do you think most represents the voice of the playwright? Why?
Provide evidence to support your claim.
20) Identify moments in Act I when Wilde utilizes irony as a comedic device.
STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS - The Importance of Being Earnest
Assignment #1
Act I
Act I
1. At the beginning of the play, who is Algernon expecting a visit from, and how does he prepare for
the visit?
Algernon is expecting his Aunt Augusta (Lady Bracknell) and his cousin Gwendolen to join him for
afternoon tea. He has asked his servant to make cucumber sandwiches for the occasion.
2. What reason does Jack give for why he has come to Algernon’s flat for tea?
Jack knows that Gwendolen will be coming to tea. He is in love with her and intends to propose.
3. Why does Algernon believe marriage proposals are unromantic?
Algernon feels that love is romantic only when it is uncertain. Once the proposal is accepted, the
excitement is over. Love ceases to be uncertain and, therefore, becomes unromantic.
4. Why does Algernon think Jack and Gwendolen will not marry?
Algernon believes that girls never marry the men with whom they flirt. According to Algernon’s
belief,
since Gwendolen and Jack flirt frequently, they will not marry. Furthermore, Algernon refuses to
give
his consent to the marriage until Jack tells him who Cecily is.
5. What is the inscription on the cigarette case?
The inscription reads, “From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack.”
6. Why does Algernon believe that the cigarette case does not belong to Jack?
Jack has never mentioned Cecily before, and Algernon does not believe Jack is acquainted with
anyone
by that name. Additionally, Algernon refuses to believe Jack’s story that Cecily is his aunt, especially
since the person who wrote the inscription describes herself as “little” and addresses him as “Uncle
Jack.” Finally, Jack had Algernon convinced that his name is Ernest. Jack later explains that he goes
by the name Jack in the country and Ernest in the city.
7. What is a “Bunburyist,” and how was that label created?
A Bunburyist is an individual who creates a fictitious relative or friend who requires constant care
and
attention. An individual may pretend to visit the friend or relative at a moment’s notice, thereby
having
an excuse to avoid other engagements.
The term “Bunburyist” is derived from the name of Algernon’s fictitious friend, Mr. Bunbury, a
sickly
invalid whom Algernon visits in the country.
8. Who is Cecily Cardew, and how is she connected to Jack?
Cecily Cardew is Jack’s ward. She lives at Jack’s country house with a governess, Miss Prism. Cecily’s
grandfather, Thomas Cardew, adopted Jack when he was a boy and, later, made Jack Cecily’s legal
guardian. Even though she is not related to Jack, Cecily respectfully calls him uncle.
9. Why did Jack create Ernest, his alter ego?
Ever since Jack became Cecily’s guardian, he has been forced to act morally in order to set a good
example for her. However, Jack is not moral and upright by nature, and he feels that he needs to
escape
from home to be himself. For this reason, he has told his friends in the country that he has a
younger
brother named Ernest in the Albany, who is always getting into trouble. When Jack goes to “visit”
Ernest, he actual goes to the city.