Oedipus the King and The Importance of Being Earnest - Book Report/Review Example

Sur 29 March 2007 Compare the opening scenes of Oedipus the King and The Importance of Being Earnest. In what ways are the elements and forces that will lead to the tragic/comic conclusion set up In either case, is it clear from the outset that the play is a comedy or a tragedy, or is there possibility for development in either direction The ways in which we interpret dramatic works largely depend on our experience of theatre practices and on our familiarity with genre conventions. Our ability to laugh at antics of a stock character or watch with pity and compassion a tragic hero's downfall is defined by our awareness of certain cultural codes, norms and traditions. More than twenty centuries separate the most famous of Sophocles' tragedies and Wilde's comedy of manners, yet we are still able to perceive these two masterpieces as belonging to the same culture, having common origins and conforming to the same esthetic rules. Their adherence to a certain tradition is still remarkably noticeable. Oedipus the King and The Importance of Being Earnest were written by two westerners: the one who stood at the cradle of dramatic art as we now know it, and the other who inherited, absorbed and added a new brilliance to the classical forms on the eve of the modernist era. Through close textual analysis of the opening scenes of the two plays this essay endeavors to demonstrate, firstly, that driving forces of both plays are detectable from the outset and conform to respective sets of conventions for specific genres. Secondly, it analyses how plot and characterization is used to steer the plays either in comic or in tragic direction. Finally, on the basis of this analysis it argues that exposition of these forces responds in both cases to principles of Aristotelian esthetics, is easily recognized by the audience and attributed to specific genres, and therefore, the tragic or comic outcome of the plays is largely predetermined by their openings. We will start our analysis with comparing the plots of two plays. In an attempt to rid his city from plague Oedipus discovers that he is the son of Laius and his murderer, responsible for his subjects' sufferings. In an attempt to secure Gwendolen's hand Jack Worthing discovers that he is Lady Bracknell's nephew and therefore Gwendolen's cousin. Both Oedipus and Jack Worthing are findlings forced by circumstances into a quest for their origins. The first thing that an attentive reader can become aware of from comparative reading of the plays is that despite their obvious generic and stylistic differences they both employ the same structural element in their plots: a search for and a consequent revelation of the hidden identity, which in case of Oedipus resolves into a catastrophe and in case of The Importance of Being Earnest into a comic climax that ensures fulfillment of character's aspirations. There are, however, two structural, genre-related differences that should be stressed from the beginning. Oedipus as tragedy is structured around and depends upon this strongly executed and sustained plot. The audience's reaction of pity is constantly reinforced by dramatic irony: we are aware from the beginning of Oedipus' terrible identity. The Importance of Being Earnest, on the other hand, is far less dependable upon its plot; plot is the instrument for stitching together comic sequences, the matter of identity is not resolved until the very end, as suspense forms an important part of comic strategy. Let us now turn to the opening scenes of Oedipus and see how the main mechanisms of the play are set up. The play opens with a dialog between Oedipus and the priest representing the people of Thebes. The very first words of the kind set the grim atmosphere: the air is full of "prayers and lamentations", and Oedipus overtly asks his people what fear, what sorrow brings them to seek his compassion and help. The priest's reply is equally up to the point: the city is "storm-tossed, and can no longer raise its head/ Above the waves and angry surge of death." (Sophocles, 49) The setting is swift and effective: within five minutes of the play's opening the audience is put in the presence of "the withering god of fever" - the plague. (ibid.) The philosophic concepts behind the play are already set: the plague is something over which human will has no command, no power, and it is as disconcerting now as it was twenty-five centuries ago. There is no space for any kind of comic relief. We know instinctively from the very beginning that the play is about to deal with crucial problems of human condition: destiny, power, free will. It is interesting to note that through the course of centuries plague has become a metaphor, an effective literary device and a plague-ridden city a perfect setting for exploring existential paradoxes. The plot moves smoothly and at a high pace, despite lengthy monologs and interventions of the chorus: the audience discovers very soon that Creon has already returned, the oracle has been consulted, a clear answer received and in a very short time-span the king is ready to set out towards his downfall. Aristotle's poetics states that tragedy should evoke in the audience feelings of "fear and pity" (Aristotle, 20), and this is exactly what ancient and modern audiences alike would experience. A plague-ridden city, a distraught king, the notion of "pollution" are bound to provoke in the audience certain "prescribed"reactions. Given that the audience is exposed almost at once to an epidemic of terrifying contagious illness, to the wraith of the gods, the old curse and murder, is there any possibility of the play developing in more lighthearted direction It is hardly so. We will now attempt to trace how plot begins to unravel in the opening scenes of The Importance of Being Earnest. In contrast with strategies employed by Sophocles, Wilde does not hasten the development of the plot. He is more concerned with guiding his audience and setting right their expectations of the genre from the very beginning. He opens the play with a musical overture, amateurishly performed and followed by a fast-paced exchange between a master and a servant. Even if the spectator does not know that he is about to watch a comedy, he is alerted to the fact from the first lines. Lane's reply to his master's question, "I didn't think it polite to listen," is already a repartee, and it is followed by Algernon's wordplay, "As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte." (Wilde, 5) A great comic effect is created by an overlapping of high and low registers in Algernon's remark about the science of Life and cucumber sandwiches. Thus, in the first dialog comic atmosphere is energetically and resolutely set. In establishing the play's conformity to comedy conventions this dialog is highly efficient. But is it functional in terms of plot development It does not seem so; it is in fact nearly redundant; the only thing we can anticipate from it is Lady Bracknell's future appearance. Structurally this dialog consists of independent jokes and witticisms loosely stitched together. The dramatist does not need to rev the plot, but he does need to establish his play as comedy. Enter Jack Worthing, and the plot starts moving, but not as fast as to allow comic routine, all these sharp witty remarks, slip from our attention. The exchange is still fast-paced, the jokes are sparkling, intelligent, slightly cynical, and we begin to glimpse possibilities of complicated juggling of mistaken identities. This device is sometimes used in tragedy, as we have just witnessed, but in classical comedy it is extremely popular. Jack is Jack, but he is also Ernest, at least in town; Algernon is Algernon about to become Ernest, too, Jack's non-existent brother. It is not until Jack is given audience with Lady Bracknell that the plot receives its main jolt. It comes as a surprise that Jack has no idea of who he really is; Lady Bracknell, for this occasion having taken on functions and responsibilities of the Delphic oracle, sends him on a quest for his true identity. It is worth pointing out that from this point of view the play can be read as a subtle parody of themes of fate, free will and incest with which Oedipus is preoccupied. A carefully set intrigue could be resolved in many different ways, but the setting of the first scene is so unmistakeably comical, that, as in case of Oedipus, there is hardly any possibility of the play developing in the opposite direction. Let us now analyse another important force moving Oedipus and The Importance of Being Ernest in the directions chosen by their authors, i.e. characters' personalities, and compare strategies of characterization evident in the opening scenes. Oedipus' personality as it is defined from the beginning highly influences the outcome of the play. The speech with which Oedipus addresses his people displays a curious mixture of benevolence and compassion paired with pride, authoritarianism and extreme self-confidence. He is able to solicit feelings of sympathy in the audience when he says: "Their sufferings distress/ Me more than if my own life were at stake." (Oedipus, 51) But it is also characteristic of his personality that he repetitively calls citizens of Thebes his "children" (ibid., 49-50). In fact, this seems to be his preferable form of address, kind, affectionate but also authoritative and rather condescending. Oedipus is highly gifted, intelligent, energetic, a very competent and efficient ruler, a man of action, but also of significant moral strength. We learn that he has already saved Thebes once and defeated Sphinx. Now he judges himself up to the new task of finding Laius' murderer. In effect, the only man up to the task. He even reproaches his subjects for having abandoned inquiries into Laius' death. Many scholars agree that Oedipus' controversial personality itself is a strong force provoking conflict and moving the tragic plot. As Hall points out, "Oedipus can only fulfil his exceptional god-ordained destiny because Oedipus is a pre-eminently capable and intelligent human being." (Hall, xxii) Sophocles' characterization of Oedipus firmly places the play within realm of tragedy as the king of Thebes fulfils all requirements for a tragic hero listed by Aristotle in his Poetics. Now let us turn again to The Importance of Being Earnest and closely examine our Ernests: Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing. What kind of characters are they How do they influence the course of the events As they enter the play, do they display any potential as tragic heroes There is a moment in the beginning when Algernon muses about lack of "sense of moral responsibility" in the "lower orders", as he judges his manservant's views on marriage "somewhat lax." (Wilde, 6) Algernon and Jack can be regarded persons of high birth, yet despite their belonging to the privileged classes, their personalities are in good compliance with Aristotelian definition of comedy as "an imitation of inferior people." Wilde refuses them even a whiff of romanticism, as we are pointedly made aware that making a proposal is business, not pleasure. Algernon and Jack are, in fact, perfect comedy rogues: slightly immoral, delightfully deceitful, afflicted with Bunburyism, prone to innocent and not so innocent lies and despite all this charming and engaging. Their characterization leaves no possibility of transforming these comic characters into tragic ones, and setting them as plot-movers does not allow the play to develop in soberer direction. By analysing two structural elements of Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus and Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, namely plot and characterisation as they were set and defined in the opening scenes, we tried to establish similarities and differences between the plays, to measure their adherence to genre conventions and estimate possibilities of their development in directions different from those intended by their authors. We found out that both plays' openings conform to conventions of respective genres and do not make attempts at subverting their audiences' expectations, which makes development in other directions highly improbable. Works Cited Aristotle. Poetics. London: Penguin Books, 1996 Hall, Edith. "Introduction." In: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics, 1994. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. In: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Ed. Edith Hall. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics, 1994. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. New York: Pocket Books: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Read More