The Importance of
Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was an
extraordinary character,
a coveted party guest
whose witty, urbane,
irreverent, wise,
generous, and kind
presence was sought by
many.
W.B. Yeats said, “…the
dinner table was Wilde’s
event and made him the
greatest talker of his
time, and his plays and
dialogues have what
merit they possess from
being an initiation, now a
record, of his talk.”
Wilde was more than just a posturing aesthete. His
nature was governed by an irreconcilable duality.
He was the most of men yet frequently destitute,
graceful while unusually muscular, whimsical
though keenly observant, no one’s fool and
society’s whipping boy.
What do you think the word duality means based off of the
quote? Can you predict and explain how one person can
have these characteristics?
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in
Dublin in 1854 to notable parents. His father, Robert
Wills Wilde, was a well-established surgeon (and
womanizer) and his mother, Jane Francesca Elgee,
wrote poetry under the name “Speranza.”
In this learned, if somewhat eccentric environment,
Wilde was exposed to culture, drama and aesthetics.
Aesthetics = The study of beauty and art.
An accomplished student, Wilde attended some of
Dublin’s finest educational institutions—the
Protestant public school Portora Royal (1864) and
Trinity College, to which he won a scholarship in
1871.
Young Wilde
Under the tutelage of such eminent fine arts scholars
as John Ruskin and Walter Pater, Wilde developed his
particular sense of aestheticism, which he refined to
an art. He affected a languishing air, wore eccentric
clothes, grew his hair long, and often carried lilies or
sunflowers.
How do you think
Wilde was received
by the public?
Can you think of any
other famous people
that act this way?
“It’s extraordinary how soon one gets known in London,”
---After leaving Oxford.
 His first published works, the play Vera; or, The
Nihilists and a collection of poetry, called Poems
received mixed reviews.
 In 1882, due to the growing popularity of Patience,
he was invited to visit the United States on a lecture
tour of the “decorative arts,” which was very
successful.
“When good Americans die, they go to Paris; when
bad Americans die, they stay in America.” --- Wilde
 Upon Wilde’s return to Europe he went straight to
What do you think are some characteristics of Decadent art
Paris where he
met with decadent artists and
based upon the paintings below?
writers while drafting poems and plays.
“As a method, Realism is a complete failure and the
two things that every artist should avoid are modernity
of form and modernity of subject matter.” ---- Wild
Why the opposition to Realism?
Answer: Wilde believed modernity is quickly
outdated and ultimately precludes the reader’s ability
to associate with or find meaning in the story.
Wilde’s income was meager and always short of his
extravagant spending.
In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd, the beautiful
young daughter of Dublin barrister, whose small
fortune helped to rectify his financial difficulties.
 In 1887 Wilde became editor of The Woman’s World,
a progressive magazine, and held that position for
two years.
 Leading up to the final years of his life, Wilde
prolifically wrote: The Happy Prince and Other Tales,
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, The
Picture of Dorian Gray, A Woman of No Importance
and An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being
Earnest.
----Total ruin nipped at the heels of his most lauded success, The
Importance of Being Earnest.
The father of Alfred Douglas, the Marquess of
Queensbury, outraged by his son’s relationship with
Wilde, went to the theater on opening night. Denied
entrance, he left a bouquet of vegetables and four days
later followed it with an insulting card, sent to his club:
“For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].”
How do you think this
effected Wilde’s career?
Wilde is then advised by friends to be prudent, and leave the
country. How do you think he responded?
 “Prudent? How can I be that? It would mean going
backward. I must go as far as possible.”
 Wilde sued the Marquess for libel, but when his own
homosexual activity came under scrutiny during the
rigorous cross-examination, he was arrested on the
lesser charge for committing indecent acts.
The Importance of Being Earnest is “A Trivial
Comedy for Serious People.” The brilliance and
wit of the play lie in the dialogue, however, and
not the plot.
The Importance of Being Earnest takes place in
London and the countryside in 1895, the last few years
of the period that would be termed Victorian England.
The English aristocracy flourished during this time.
It is this group on which Wilde’s
satire focuses, along with their
view that marriage has nothing to
do with love, but is rather a means
for achieving social status.
Summarize the ideas above in
1 to 2 sentences.
 Wilde was a leader of the Aesthetic Movement, which
professed a belief in "art for art’s sake." Art shouldn’t merely
look to life or nature for inspiration, for art that too closely
imitates life is a failure, according to Wilde.
 Plays with characters who spoke and acted just like they would
in real life were utterly boring to followers of Wilde’s philosophy.
 Characters in the play can be divided into two
categories, aesthetes and non-aesthetes.
 You will be tested on distinguishing which
characters fall into which categories on the final
test.
 Wilde’s aesthetes are brilliantly witty,
avoid work at all costs, and prize
appearance above all else.
 These are characters who can pull a
perfectly phrased line right out of the air
at a moment’s notice and can do the
same with a more material thing: a diary,
for example.
 They have no sense of the delicate
beauty of life and it takes a lot of hard
work for them to get what they want.
There is none of the easy wit or graceful
appearance that is characteristic of an
Aesthete.
 Even their dress reflects their toils: the
colors are earthy and mundane in
contrast to the jewel-toned Aesthetes.
Satire—using humor to expose something or
someone to ridicule.
Refresh: What is Wilde mocking in this play?
Farce—a broad comedy, dependent on overblown
speech, unbelievable situations, exaggerated
characters, and, frequently, sexual innuendoes.
Epigram—a short statement or poem with a witty turn
of thought or a wittily condensed expression.
“I can resist anything, but temptation.”
Comedy of Manners — a popular form of satirical drama
during the English Restoration (approximately 1660-1700).
Satire was often directed at peculiar social behavior. The
dialogue was witty and polished, and the plot frequently
involved illicit lovers and cases of mistaken identity.
Pun — an expression that achieves emphasis or humor by
utilizing:-- two distinctly different meanings for the same word
or two similar sounding words.
Observe the examples of puns below.
Share examples you have heard.
Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, “Err...so how
do you drive this thing?”
I've been to the dentist many times so I know the drill.
Being struck by lightning is a shocking experience!
Dramatic Irony – When the audience know something a
character does not.
Situational Irony – When the opposite happens of what is
expected.
Meet Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing.
Both characters are a type of character Wilde created called
the “Dandy.”
Like Wilde, Algernon and Jack are
witty, educated, effeminate, avid followers
of the latest fashion and represent
The Victorian upper class.
They both use the excuse of visiting
A fictional brother Ernest to shirk
their duties at home and escape
to go on vacation in the country.
Ironically, it just so happens that the word earnest means
Neither
theand
audience,
nor the
other fictional
of the
play
“serious”
“sincere.”
Earnest
is usedcharacters
as a pun for
one
of
can compliment either character as being honest, serious or sincere.
the lessons of the play.
Manners and Sincerity
Idleness of the Leisure Class
Dual Identities
Critique of Marriage as a Social Tool
Love
Foolishness and Folly
The contribution made to the comic from the realm
of the unconscious is always either exposing or
obscene; aggressive or hostile; cynical, critical, or
blasphemous; or skeptical.
Every joke contains an element of seriousness; a
joke is never just a joke.
-Sigmund Freud
ALGERNON. Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?
LANE. I didn't think it polite to listen, sir.
ALGERNON. I'm sorry for that, for your sake. I don't
play accurately - any one can play accurately - but I
play with wonderful expression.
Sometimes humor arises when we
expect to hear conventional wisdom
but then hear something quite
different. Why are Lane’s lines
humorous?
What is humorous & ironic about
both of the statements in red?
LANE. No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of
it myself.
ALGERNON. Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you.
LANE. Thank you, sir. [LANE goes out.]
ALGERNON. Lanes views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if
the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is
the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense
of moral responsibility.
Jack :“When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is
in the country one amuses other people.”
How is this true?
ALGERNON. And who are the people you amuse?
JACK. [Airily.] Oh, neighbours, neighbours.
ALGERNON. Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire?
JACK. Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.
ALGERNON. How immensely you must amuse them!
Where is the humor in the lines
above?
Jack flip-flops about talking to
neighbors. First he amuses them,
and then never speaks to them.
Algernon doesn’t seem to care
either way. He is being sarcastic
when he says, “How immensely you
must amuse them!”
What themes are implied in the following lines?
JACK. I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town
expressly to propose to her.
ALGERNON. I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . .
I call that business.
Manners
and
Sincerity
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Identify the literary device & theme
ALGERNON. You have always told me it was Ernest. I have
introduced you to every one as Ernest. You answer to the name of
Ernest. You look as if your name was Ernest. You are the most
earnest-looking person I ever saw in my life. It is perfectly absurd
your saying that your name isn't Ernest. It's on your cards. Here is
one of them. [Taking it from case.] 'Mr. Ernest Worthing, B. 4, The
Albany.' I'll keep this as a proof that your name is Ernest if ever you
attempt to deny it to me, or to Gwendolen, or to any one else.
“Earnest-looking” involves a pun
with the name Ernest.
Themes – Dual identities and lies
Lies
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Who is Cecily?
Cecily is Jack’s Ward
What is a Bunburyist? Who is a Bunburyist? How does the
concept relate to the themes of the play?
Manners
and
Sincerity
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Both Jack and Algy are Bunburyists. They both create fictional
excuses to get them away from home. The concept relates to themes
of idleness and leisure and having dual identities.
Identify the highlighted literary device. Who is Wilde
criticizing through Algernon?
ALGERNON. The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern
life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a
complete impossibility!
JACK. That wouldn't be at all a bad thing.
ALGERNON. Literary criticism is not your forte, my dear fellow. Don't
try it. You should leave that to people who haven't been at a
University. They do it so well in the daily papers.
Epigram
Wilde aims a satiric barb at
uneducated people who believe
themselves to be good critics.
How are both of these characters related to Algernon?
Lady Bracknell = Algernon’s aunt
Gwendolen = Lady Bracknell’s her daughter.
There are several jokes about English home life. Can you
find them? Do you think there is some truth to them or
perhaps that Wilde means what he says?
2)
1) LADY
ALGERNON.
Algernon:
…She
Then
will
your
place
wife
me
will.
nextYou
Mary
don't
Farquhar,
who
to realize,
always
3
BRACKNELL.
I'm
sorry
if we
areseem
a little
late,
that
flirts in
with
married
herbut
own
life
three
isacross
company
thecall
dinner-table.
and
is none.
That
not very
Algernon,
I husband
was
obliged
to
ontwo
dear
Ladyis Harbury.
JACK.
pleasant.
[Sententiously.]
Indeed, it is notThat,
even my
decent
dear. .young
. and that
friend,
sortis
ofthe
thing
theory
is
Ithat
hadn't
been
there
since
her
poor
husband's
death.
I
enormously
the corrupt
on the
French
increase.
Drama
Thehas
amount
beenofpropounding
women in London
for the
never
saw
woman
altered;
looks
quite twenty
last
whofifty
flirt
years.
withatheir
own so
husbands
is she
perfectly
scandalous.
It
ALGERNON.
looks soyounger.
bad. It
Yes;
in simply
and that
washing
the happy
one's English
clean linen
home
in public.
has proved
years
in half the time.
What are your first impressions about Gwendolen? How do you
think Wilde might be using her character to mock society?
GWENDOLEN. Yes, I am quite well
aware of the fact. And I often wish that in
public, at any rate, you had been more
demonstrative. For me you have always
had an irresistible fascination. Even
before I met you I was far from
indifferent to you. We live, as I hope you
know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals.
The fact is constantly mentioned in the
more expensive monthly magazines, and
has reached the provincial pulpits, I am
told; and my ideal has always been to
love some one of the name of Ernest.
There is something in that name that
inspires absolute confidence. The
moment Algernon first mentioned to me
that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew
I was destined to love you.
Gwendolen is indeed
as frivolous and silly
as both Algy and Jack.
Through Gwendolen,
Wilde is mocking the
ideals of modern
Victorian women and
how they are
influenced by pop
culture magazines
rather than credible
institutions.
Identify the humor and the theme in Lady Bracknell’s lines.
LADY BRACKNELL. Pardon me, you are not engaged to any one.
When you do become engaged to some one, I, or your father,
should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact. An
engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant
or unpleasant, as the case may be. It is hardly a matter that she
could be allowed to arrange for herself . . . And now I have a few
questions to put to you, Mr. Worthing. While I am making these
inquiries, you, Gwendolen, will wait for me below in the carriage.
Folly
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Why does Lady Bracknell forbid Jack to marry Gwendolen?
Jack does not know his parents. To Lady Bracknell, class and
status are of the utmost importance. Jack, unfortunately, was found
in a hand back.
Manners
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Why do you think Jack keeps his life in the country a secret
from Algernon? How does Algernon find the address to Jack’s
house?
Manners
and
Sincerity
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
Jack does not fully Algernon, especially with his ward Cecily.
Algernon overhears Jack giving his address to Gwendolen.
MISS PRISM. Your guardian enjoys the best of health, and his gravity
of demeanour is especially to be commanded in one so comparatively
young as he is. I know no one who has a higher sense of duty and
responsibility.
CECILY. I suppose that is why he often looks a little bored when we
three are together.
MISS PRISM. Cecily! I am surprised at you. Mr. Worthing has many
troubles in his life. Idle merriment and triviality would be out of place in
his conversation. You must remember his constant anxiety about that
unfortunate young man his brother.
Verbal
Situational
Dramatic
What type of irony is present in the lines above?
Dramatic
Irony and Theme
ALGERNON. Oh! I am not really wicked at all, cousin Cecily. You
mustn't think that I am wicked.
CECILY. If you are not, then you have certainly been deceiving us
all in a very inexcusable manner. 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.
Manners
Dual
Identities
Idleness
Themes
Critique
of
Marriage
Love
CHASUBLE. Believe me, I do not deserve so neologistic a phrase. The precept
as well as the practice of the Primitive Church was distinctly against
matrimony.
MISS PRISM. [Sententiously.] That is obviously the reason why the Primitive
Church has not lasted up to the present day. And you do not seem to realise,
dear Doctor, that by persistently remaining single, a man converts himself
into a permanent public temptation. Men should be more careful; this very
celibacy leads weaker vessels astray.
CHASUBLE. But is a man not equally attractive when married?
MISS PRISM. No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.
CHASUBLE. And often, I've been told, not even to her.
Jack has asked Chasuble to change his name to Ernest for
Gwendolen. Algernon has told Cecily that his name is also
Ernest. List at least three problems that might arise as a
result.
1)
2)
3)
What has Jack told Cecily and Miss Prism about Earnest?
Why has Jack planned to have Earnest die?
They believe that Earnest is Jack’s wicked brother, an invalid who
needs to be taken care of by Jack. Once Jack marries Gwendolen
he will not need to go to the city anymore. Cecily is ironically
becoming too interested in Earnest which is also becoming an
inconvenience.
In your opinion, is one character more immoral than the other?
First list what lies they tell, and how the lies effect other
characters in the play.
When Jack fabricates his brother Ernest’s death, he imposes that fantasy on
his loved ones, and though we are aware of the deception, they, of course,
are not. He rounds out the deception with costumes and props, and he does
his best to convince the family he’s in mourning. He is acting hypocritically. In
contrast, Algernon and Cecily make up elaborate stories that don’t really
assault the truth in any serious way or try to alter anyone else’s perception of
reality.
Explain the dramatic and situational irony in the context of this scene.
ALGERNON. Brother John, I have come down from town to tell you that I am
very sorry for all the trouble I have given you, and that I intend to lead a better
life in the future.
CECILY. Uncle Jack, you are not going to refuse
your own brother's hand?
JACK. Nothing will induce me to take his hand.
I think his coming down here disgraceful. He
knows perfectly well why.
CECILY. Uncle Jack, do be nice. There is some good in every one. Ernest has
just been telling me about his poor invalid friend Mr. Bunbury whom he goes to
visit so often. And surely there must be much good in one who is kind to an
invalid, and leaves the pleasures of London to sit by a bed of pain.
Explain the irony within the highlighted statement. How is Wilde satirizing
Victorian society through Cecily’s diary?
CECILY. I think your frankness does you great credit, Ernest. If you will
allow me, I will copy your remarks into my diary.
ALGERNON. Do you really keep a diary? I'd give anything to look at it. May I?
CECILY. Oh no. You see, it is simply a very young girl's record of her own
thoughts and impressions, and consequently meant for publication. When
it appears in volume form I hope you will order a copy.
What is funny about the disagreement between
Gwendolen and Cecily?
They both believe they are in love with Ernest; the reality is neither
of the men are actually Ernest.
Gwendolen: In matters of grave importance, style, not
sincerity is the vital thing. Mr. Worthing, what explanation
can you offer to me for pretending to have a brother? Was
it in order that you might have an opportunity of coming up
to town to see me as often as possible?
How does this statement further characterize Gwendolen?
In consideration that she was just lied to, what does this
response say about her character? If Gwendolen in some
ways represents, the modern Victorian, how is Wilde satirizing
them?
Gwendolen is empty-headed and does not understand what is
truly important. Her ideal of(finding a man named Ernest) - a
symbol for the ideal Victorian pomp and circumstance-- a life of
appearances and wealth is presented to the audience as silly.
Gwendolen: In matters of grave importance, style, not
sincerity is the vital thing. Mr. Worthing, what explanation
can you offer to me for pretending to have a brother? Was
it in order that you might have an opportunity of coming up
to town to see me as often as possible?
Manners
Foolishness
And Folly
Dual
Identities
Themes
Critique of
Marriage
Love
Why does Algernon get rid of Bunbury?
ALGERNON. My dear Aunt Augusta, I mean he was found out! The doctors
found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean - so Bunbury died.
LADY BRACKNELL. He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion
of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to
some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice
What problem does Lady Bracknell have with Jack marrying Gwendolen?
What themes are implied?
Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway
stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea
that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus.
JACK. Miss Cardew is the grand-daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Cardew of
149 Belgrave Square, S.W.; Gervase Park, Dorking, Surrey; and the Sporran,
Fifeshire, N.B.
LADY BRACKNELL. That sounds not unsatisfactory. Three addresses always
inspire confidence, even in tradesmen. But what proof have I of their
authenticity?
JACK. I have carefully preserved the Court Guides of the period. They are open
to your inspection, Lady Bracknell.
Who or what is Wilde satirizing through Lady Bracknell’s lines?
LADY BRACKNELL. [Sitting down again.] A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred
and thirty thousand pounds! And in the Funds! Miss Cardew seems to me
a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her. Few girls of the present
day have any really solid qualities, any of the qualities that last, and improve
with time.
LADY BRACKNELL. Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only
people who can't get into it do that. [To CECILY.] Dear child, of course you know
that Algernon has nothing but his debts to depend upon. But I do not approve of
mercenary marriages. When I married Lord Bracknell I had no fortune of
any kind. But I never dreamed for a moment of allowing that to stand in my
way.
Lady Bracknell only approves of Cecily when finding out
about her money. She is a hypocrite, because she
married into a rich family without having any.
What does it turn out is Jack’s real identity? What is his real
name?
Jack is Lady Bracknell's nephew and Algy’s older brother. He has
the same name as his father, Ernest Moncrieff.
“I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital
Importance of Being Earnest.”
Be sure to give at least 3 examples per question!
1) Discuss the central pun of the play (Ernest/earnest) and its
significance.
2) What character in the play is the most shallow and
reprehensible?
3) What and who does Wilde target for satire in his play.
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