Importance of Being Earnest

Playwright & Plot

Historical Analysis

Sociological Analysis

Thematic Analysis

Symbolism

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Marotous, George. "The Importance of Being Earnest." The Importance of Being Earnest.

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"Oscar Wilde Biography." Bio.com. A&E Television, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

Reinert, Otto. "Satiric Strategy in The Importance of Being Earnest." College English 18.1 (1956): 14-18. Print.

Roditi, Edouard. Oscar Wilde. Norfolk, CT: New Directions, 1947. Print.

Schmidt, Arnold. "Importance of Being Earnest." Drama for Students. Vol. 4 ed. Detroit: David

"The Victorian Period." University of Nevada. University of Nevada. Web. 23 Oct 2013. <http://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/victorian.html>.

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Work Cited

The Importance of Being Earnest

"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing."

Reoccurring Themes

Victorian Era

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

Societal Issues

October 16, 1854 to November 30, 1900

The Importance of Being Earnest

Role of Women

Value of Literature

Dublin, Ireland

• Jack's alter ego
• Miss Prism

• Victorian mindset
• Bunburying
• Actor portrayal

• Less educated than men
• Eager for marriage
• Household tasks
• Dinner parties

• The Importance of Being Earnest was produced at the end of the Victorian era and the end of Queen Victoria's reign
• The Victorian era was marked by its emphasis on class and order.
• During this time period, the middle class of the Victorian English Society was growing and aspired to join the ranks of nobility.
• This drive for social advancement had a large influence and is evident in much of the literature of that time.

• The purpose of marriage
• Afternoon tea became popular throughout the 1800’s and was a major part of the customs in accommodating guests.
• Issues with identity : Bunburying
• Superficial identity

• Excelled in School at both Trinity College and Oxford.
• Won an Award at Oxford called the Newdigate Prize for Poetry for his poem Ravenna.
• 1881 Published his First Collection of Poems.
• Toured America and Europe giving Lectures.
• Became Editor of The Magazine Lady's World in 1885.

• Moved to London to live with Artist Frank Miles
• 1884 Married Constance Lloyd.
• Two sons: Cyril and Vyvyan.
• Began an Affair with Lord Alfred Douglas.
• "Outed" by Marquis of Queensberry on February 18, 1895.
• Arrested for "gross indecency" on May 25, 1895 and Sentenced to 2 Years in Jail.
• Reunited with Douglas and lived in Exile in France for the Remainder of his Life.

Criticisms

"It's tone is that of satire, but a satire which, for lack of a moral point of view, has lost its sting and degenerated into the almost approving banter of P.G.Wotehouse."

~Eduoard Roditi

"The world of Earnest is the world of nonsense."

~Trilling

"What can a poor critic do with a play which raises no principle, whether of art or morals, creates its own canons and conventions, and is nothing but an absolutely willful expression of an irrepressibly witty personality?"

~William Archer

Controversies

Summary

Historical Implications

Imagery

Verbal

Subtext

Cecily Cardew

Jack Worthing

Algernon Moncrieff

Gwendolen Fairfax

Book

Diaries

Names

• Lives with Jack
• Creates fantasy with Ernest
• Instantly falls in love with Ernest (Algy)

• Daughter of Lady Bracknell
• In love with Ernest (Jack)
• Infatuated with the name Earnest

• Jack in the country, Ernest in the city
• In love with Gwendolen Fairfax
• Identity crisis

• Friend to Jack
• Pretends to be Ernest when visits Jack
• Falls in love with Cecily Cardew

Fiction or Reality?

Sexual Innuendo

Importance of Books

• While The Importance of Being Earnest was being produced Wilde was battling legal allegations of accusations of his sexual relationship with Alfred Douglas.'
• “The Importance of Being Earnest depicts a world in which the best kept secrets are the ones that everyone knows; a world in which everyone knows very well that their world is not as stable, as exclusive, or as moral as it pretends to be; and a world in which everyone appreciates the vital importance of maintaining at all cost what they know to be the fictions of everyday life.”

• The 19th century was a time period of peace under the rule of Queen Victoria which lasted for over 63 years.
• The British economy was growing and relied heavily on colonialism.
• Great Britain had colonized most of the continent of Africa and India in the 1800's.
• -For example the amount of imported tea and coffee doubled by the mid-1800's. Made Afternoon Tea time even more popular.
• Women's role in society
• Homosexuality was still a crime.

Origination

Mistaken Identity

Escape

Truth

Lady Bracknell

Miss Prism

Dr. Canon Chasuble

Ernest -> Earnest ie. sincerity

Chasuble -> Holy Garment

Prism -> Prim ie. stiff, formal

Bunbury -> fictional action

Bracknell -> town in England

Societal

• Cecily's governess
• Enforces education
• Writer
• Lost the baby

• Almost performs Christening
• Secretly in love with Miss Prism

• Epitome of high class
• Tries to marry off Gwendolen
• Does not approve of Ernest (Jack)

Discussion Questions

Conclusions

• Who was your favorite character and how do you relate to them?
• If you could change anything, would you? And, what?
• If you were to modernize this play, how would it have to change to fit today's standards?
• Do you think an all-male Cast would better display the theme of the production with all the controversies we've discussed?
• What is the Importance of Being Earnest?

• The whole play is a satire on values held by the Victorian people.
• Truth behind Joe Brady's take on the ending of the play: Was everyone really happy at the end of the play? Did they truly get what they wanted?
• The play is timeless because it represents the ongoing issues with how superficial society is and have always been.
• Wilde uses humor to get people to think about the harsh truths about the way that people are perceived.
• Wilde appeared to have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy much like the characters in his plays.
• While all the characters had motives to reach their achievements, they acted against those with honest moral ground.

Fun Facts!