Wildes play The Importance of Being Earnest - Essay Example

The Importance of Being Earnest Life is most often portrayed in various ways that are easily accessible to all audiences. At present, the television and the news show sides of life that are either obvious or not in most viewers. However, other ways life can be also portrayed in forms that can infuriate or tickle those that choose to see them. These are usually in the forms of prose: of short stories; poetry; plays, and such. There is also the accentuation of some parts of life which are usually seen as serious or boring. Such is the role of satire in the society: as a mirror of things that are often obvious but ignored. Satire is defined as a form of writing or portrayal of any of the following: vices, abuses, follies and stupidities or what not; and is exposed in a way that uses sarcasm, irony, or ridicule (Hodgart 7). It is said that satire gives rise to emotions which are not the best of humans. Such emotions would be anger, hatred, indignation and malice, as well as shame, guilt, and anxiety (Test 1). But satire also gives light to such negative emotions in the sense that it is combined with comedy, so that audiences could swallow reality better. It is also a common fact that people who are portrayed in satire are such that are a chore to be with, especially during the times that there is no choice in whom to be in company with. One of the most famous people who portrayed satire at its best is Oscar Wilde. Known not just for the plays that he wrote, he was also an icon, to the point that he and his flamboyant personality were far more famous than his works (Van Kirk 2). He was born in an affluent Victorian family and was surrounded by intellectuals. Eventually he showed promise as a writer during his days in Oxford. But his times here were also the factors that made him the flashy person that he was (3). Unfortunately due to scandals that Wilde committed, his works became devalued and he was sent to prison, having his spirit and body crushed. He was never the same again, and he died an unloved man in 1900 (Gregory 2). However, his works were revisited in the 1960’s, and he was regarded as one of the best when it came to portrayals of his time (Van Kirk 9). Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest was a hit when it first opened in February 14, 1895. While it did poked fun at the morals and values of the upper-class society, it was well-written in such a way that the elite believed the play was a glimpse of what they really do, for the middle-class and lower-classes to see (Gregory 7). This kind of style that isn’t bitter satire made Wilde’s plays successful and widely accepted by the Victorian Era, while at the same time exposing the hypocrisy of the elite. Also, aside from poking fun at the superficial concerns of the Victorian society (which he is quite very much familiar with), Wilde made his characters rather charming so that people can relate to them well and love them despite their traits (Quintero 465). The characters in the play are mostly members of the upper-class Victorian society, which consists mostly of people of aristocratic origin, those who were able to acquire immense wealth, as well as the middle class which had professionals. The poor and working-class people were only portrayed as lackeys and footmen, but were still visible in the play. Exaggerations of trivial matters by the elite were emphasized while the acceptance of virtues such as hard-work and patience were showed well by the working and middle-class. In a way, the play mixes such values and at the same time shows that there is an eventual change in the way society works: that eventually the middle-class would be taking over and that the aristocrats would be losing their voices, while the lower-class would still be at the lowest rung (Gregory 7). Also, the previous values, conventions and norms were being challenged bit by bit, thus the play was labelled as fin de siècle or “end of the century”, which is an aphorism for an impending upheaval or drastic changes (ibid.). All of the characters portray different characters, each show a degree of hypocrisy and a resistance to the usual adhered customs in that specific era. Also, the two main male protagonists, Jack aka Ernest and Algernon aka Burnbury aka Ernest were shown to be both followers of norms but were more than willing to give everything up in a new place. In Act 1, Jack confesses to Algernon that he is leading a double-life, being Jack the no-nonsense head of the Cardew household and estate, and being the naughty and mischievous Ernest when in London (Wilde 6). Algernon confesses that he is tired of socialising with the elite that his Aunt, Lady Bracknell forces onto him, and so he invented an invalid and sickly friend, Burnbury, by which he uses as a scapegoat to get away from events for most of the week (Wilde 9). While Jack tries to deny that he enjoys being Ernest and misbehaving in London, Algernon celebrates his wit and cleverness in his invention of a sickly friend. But the two were able to express their longing to get away from the society that asks so much from them, and in a way, the two were able to accept and let each other run loose. In the last act, it was revealed that the two were actually long-lost brothers, and Jack was the lost nephew of Lady Bracknell, whisked away by Miss Prism some 28 years ago. Lady Bracknell is the perfect character to show how superficial the elite mostly are. She sees herself as a lady of great importance and heritage, and being matronly in a way that she wants her only daughter, Gwendolen to be married off to some rich and decorated man so for her to remain in the most prestigious part to society, and at the same time to save face. It is shown in Act 1 that Lady Bracknell wants her daughter to marry into a wealthy and aristocratic man, regardless as to whether he is witty, talented or what not (Wilde 20). Thus she promptly dismisses Jack (posing as Ernest) and his intentions of marrying Gwendolen despite being rich, on the grounds of having no idea who his parents are and being found in a carpet bag in a train station. In a way, it is shown through Lady Bracknell how, in the eyes of the elite in the Victorian society, anyone who is not born an aristocrat are unworthy of the joys of the world, and only the rich and the royal need to be given the chance to live life as to what they want. On the other hand, the daughter Gwendolen is very much fixated on the name Ernest, that in a way her superficial nature gets the best of her, and that even though Jack tries to slip his real name into the conversation, she would hear none of it, for the name Ernest is divine and is a very safe name (16). Cecily, the grand-daughter of Mr. Thomas Cardrew, is also a witty character, who invented the rough and ragged personality of Ernest, her Uncle Jack’s younger brother, and kept fantasizing about him, and she even writes them in her diary, lest she forget (31). In a way, she shows that at some point, most people would rather not be sensible, but just keep chasing rainbows to escape the real world. Miss Prism, her governess on the other hand sees Jack as an exemplary person who upholds all things right and true, and that the younger brother Ernest who likes to spend time in folly gives the older brother additional worries (29). However, an event 28 years ago made her recall her past wrongdoings, including the kidnapping of Lady Bracknell’s nephew, which eventually linked Jack and the name Ernest eventually. The governess was, at some point had a personality that was almost entirely different from what is portrayed at the present, and that even she has her own share of portraying hypocrisy, but in the middle-class setting. The preacher, Dr. Chasuble creates a character that diverts the attention of Miss Prism, and is seen as a flirt, which is not a very positive thing to look at, being a preacher and a respected part of the community. However, to balance the strong characters, a somewhat neutral person is introduced, and is also a member of the middle-class society. The play itself is full of satire and a bit of farce, due to the nature of the characters and their portrayals. Since the focus of the play is by ridiculing the superficial upper-class, most of the scenes that were presented showed the elite characters. The inclusion of Miss Prism is the play denotes that the intrusion of the middle-class in the elite would create much havoc to its members, which is why she had the role of causing the conflict of the story. And the exclusion of the hired help in speaking long and sensible dialogues show how the members of the society dismiss their existence and see them as nothing worthy of an ear. Much of the humour is loosely based on conflicts and misunderstandings in the beginning of the scenes. Again, the emphasis on the visible aspects of a person instead of the personality is shown. Also the characters seem to live in a world entirely inside the play, where everything seems to be in order. However, in order to prevent the upper-class from disliking, Wilde made each part of the dialogue playful and witty but at the same time reveals the true nature of the elite and the middle-class. And by giving the play a happy ending, where Jack was really the missing nephew Ernest, brother of Algernon, the complexities that were present during the time that Jack was posting as Ernest were somewhat negated, making him seem like he was really honest all along. In totality, the play is a good portrayal of the Victorian Era that Wilde was very much acquainted about, and yet he lampooned the members to show how the society needs to adapt to change and see what still needs to be improved. Also, he was able to show the customs and traditions of society by exaggerating them and ridiculing them for emphasis. The play can be also seen as the sign of the changing times due to the differences in the values of various generations, as well as their openness for change. Works Cited Gregory, Fiona. The Importance of Being Earnest-insight text guide. Sydney, NSW: Insight Publications, 2009. Print Hodgart, Matthew. Satire: Origins and Principles. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2010. Print. Quintero, Ruben. A Companion to Satire: Ancient and Modern. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Print. Test, George A. Satire: spirit and art. Florida: The University of Florida Press, 1991. Print Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Boston, MA: International Pocket Library, 1998. Print Van Kirk, Susan. Cliffs Notes Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Wiley Publishing, 2004. Print. Read More