The Importance of Being Earnest
Act II
Great job acting!! That took the place of Discussion Questions for this Act and I
am providing you recap/analysis. Read over and know this for the test 
Setting: The Manor House, Jack’s country estate in Hertfordshire
What’s happening: Miss Prism (Cecily’s teacher/tutor) is teaching her German but
Cecily is more concerned with watering flowers. Cecily talks about how Uncle Jack is
always so serious (ironic), and Miss Prism tells her this is because Uncle Jack is always
concerned with his wicker, ill-mannered brother, Ernest. Cecily wants to meet Ernest
in hopes that she and Miss Prism can help make him good, but Miss Prism insists you
can’t turn “bad people into good people.” Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble like each other.
Merriman (butler) introduces Mr. Ernest Worthing.
Algernon (Ernest) enters, dressed very well and greets Cecily. Cecily tells him Jack
won’t be back until Monday and Algy (Ernest) pretends to be disappointed. Uncle Jack
has told Cecily he is buying Ernest some travelling clothes for Ernest, who he is
sending to Australia
Ernest’s plan – Have Cecily make him good instead of sending him away, she says she
doesn’t have time. In response, he says he’ll reform himself this afternoon then (silly).
He and Cecily flirt and he eats.
Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble come back from walk, still flirting. Jack comes into the
garden dressed in black; he is mourning the unexpected death of Ernest (died from
“severe chill”).
Jack asks Dr. Chasuble to christen him as Ernest this afternoon so that Gwendolen will
marry him. Cecily comes out to announce that Uncle Jack’s brother has arrived and is
in the living room!
The Importance of TEXTS in the text:
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Cecily has begun writing in a diary, she prefers fiction (“The good ended happily,
and the bad unhappily.”) over textbook facts – we can INFER her diary is fiction
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Inscription on Jack’s cigarette case gave away his identity

Miss Prism’s excessively long, three-volume novel – suggests double-life also
(naughty book)
Idea of Morality
 Miss Prism thinks you can’t help immoral people
 Jack and Miss Prism insist Cecily read and learn to become better and more moral
 Ernest’s wickedness is interesting to Cecily; she yearns to meet a really wicked
person – Cecily hopes Algy (Ernest) wasn’t pretending to be wicked the whole
time.
Dandy Characters
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Jack – speaks in paradoxes
Algy – speaks in paradoxes
Gwendolen – clever, speaks in paradoxes
Cecily – somewhat clever, less dandy-like than the others
Jack’s lies vs. Algernon’s lies:
Jack’s:
Algy’s:
Whose lies are more harmful? Who is the more moral character?