The Importance of Being Earnest - Essay Example

?The Importance of being Earnest Order No. 559166 Introduction Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) who was born on 16th October in Dublin, is considered to be one of the most famous Irish playwrights of his time. In addition to this, he was also a poet, dramatist and author whose writings never failed to enthrall his audiences the world over. He was one of those who were greatly affected by beauty and to prove his point used to dress up in some of the most flamboyant clothes that earned him a lot of both positive and negative criticism. However, his works led him on the path of success and he was quite revered among other fellow writers for his great wit, wisdom and style of writing. One of his most famous plays titled ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is the play chosen to be discussed in this essay. Thesis and Hook There is a funny side to life that brings out the child in each one of us and what better way to do this than with the use of satire? Playwright Oscar Wilde, in his scintillating masterpiece shows mastery in making use of satire to shed light on Victorian values by weaving the paradoxes in a most hilarious way. The play titled ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ is packed with wit and humor while portraying mistaken identities to enthrall his audiences who can easily identify with its characters, while relating to such incidents in their day to day lives. Considered to be Oscar Wilde’s most perfect work ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a play wherein the witty comedy of manners has been brilliantly plotted from its opening effervescent act to its hilarious denouement. In this play the late Victorian values are hilariously presented and comically critiqued by the playwright. This play is regarded as a masterpiece in the genre of comedy. It is a showcase of the mastery that Wilde had in so far as satire is concerned. The play is filled with parallelism, paradoxes and understatements. In passing his comments on Victorian society Wilde states –“London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years." (Oscar Wilde, Act 3) Some of English literature’s most famous epigrams can be found in this play. In fact the play is a celebration of the language itself. However, there is a rejection of serious discourse and the device of epigram is used as a potent tool to entertain the reader. The play deals with mistaken identities and even after a century it continues to enthrall audiences the world over. The brilliance of his wit and humor seem current even after a passage of hundred years and his writing seems evergreen even in these contemporary times. Wilde deals with the institution of marriage and class that are deftly subverted through the guise of farce. Greed and hypocrisy lurking under Victorian politeness is exposed in the play. The moral decay that is portrayed is well illustrated through each of the aristocrats in the play. Even though they seemingly obey propriety, Jack, Algernon, Gwendolen, Cecily and Lady Bracknell, all deceive and lie to do so. Wilde reveals the under current of politics involved in a Victorian marriage. This point is clearly evident in the betrothals of Jack with Gwendolen and Algernon with Cecily which are accepted only after their social standing and fortunes are openly revealed. However, When Lady Bracknell found that her daughter Gwendolen wished to marry a person who was not a blue blood, she was loath to accept the union of the couple. In Victorian society, it was politics that was considered more important than love because it was politics alone that drove the marriage market. The playwright has elevated to high art the form of pun. The wordplay on “earnest” pervades throughout the play. The meaning of the word “earnest” in the context of this play is toyed with and played upon as we witness the same as the plot evolves. The primary theme of the plot revolves around the efforts of Jack and Algernon to be earnest by deceiving and lying. The final outcome of their efforts resulted in the different circumstances making honest men out of them. As Wilde wittily comments "I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest." (Oscar Wilde, Act 3) Earnestness was a key Victorian virtue which the irrepressible Wilde has used, to make a mockery of Victorian culture. Gwendolen wanted to marry a man named Earnest but was not in the least concerned whether the said individual actually had the qualities of earnestness. In fact she is quick to forgive the deceptions carried on by Jack. Jack on the other hand, is neither earnest nor ‘Earnest’ and represents the Victorian symbol of paradox and hypocrisy that quite easily attracts the audience. The play revolves around misidentifications. The two male characters, Jack and Algernon are friends who have both created imaginary persons so that they might be able to get out of certain social engagements or sticky situations. The double lives lived by these men is representative of the kind of lives lived by many a Victorian gentlemen. The primary themes around which the play revolves is hypocrisy and deceit of people in Victorian society and Wilde has capitalized this by exposing this through social criticism. Though the individuals always behaved in a very polite and sincere manner, yet under that facade they harbored devious, cruel and manipulative thoughts and actions. The author clearly brings out this point in the scene where Cecily and Gwendolen behave like proper ladies when the servants are about and also in the scene when Lady Bracknell treats Cecily very well when she comes to understand that she is rich. Algernon created his imaginary friend to escape from boring social engagements. Jack, on the other hand, brought to life ‘Earnest’ so that he may be able to lead a life of his choice without compromising his propriety in the eyes of his young ward Cecily. The two female characters, Cecily and Gwendolen, who wanted to marry men named Earnest, were also shown to have misidentified the men as there was nothing earnest about them and their actions belied their adopted nomenclature, Earnest. The two men gently deceived to woo their ladyloves. In this manner Wilde pokes fun at the body of rules that Victorian people were expected to adhere to. Wilde touched upon several topics but did so in a light hearted manner without being moralistic. The play raises no questions of principles. As Richard Aldington, claimed the play “is a comedy – farce without a moral, and it is a masterpiece” (Richard Aldington, 1981. pg. 40). Wilde’s classic comedy of casual deceit by two flippant men pretending to be Earnest to impress their lovers but fail to do so, is not only comical but endearing and captivating. The alternating between truth and lies, and earnestness and shallowness portrays the muddled and double- standard values of the Victorian age. However, this play has never failed to cast its magical spell on critics, scholars, fellow playwrights, authors and filmmakers alike. Regarded by scholars and critics as one of the most wittiest plays ever to be staged, the play has also attracted film circles to use the script to make movies. However, the first stage performance of this play that went public took place at St. James Theatre, London on February 14th 1895, thereby creating a special niche for Wilde in the revered literary circles. Works Cited  Aldington, Richard, and Stanley Weintraub, eds. The Portable Oscar Wilde. Revised    Ed. New York: Penguin, 1981. http://www.csulb.edu/~csnider/wilde.earnest.article Synchronicity and the Trickster in The Importance of Being Earnest www.csulb.edu/~csnider/wilde.earnest.article The Importance of Being Earnest - Quotes www.classiclit.about.com/.../importanceofbeingearnest/.../aa_impearnquot . The Importance of being Earnest www.online-literature.com The Importance of being Earnest – Characters www.gradesaver.com/the-importance-of-being-earnest/study.../character-lis The Importance of Being Earnest http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/inside/articles/articles-vol4-ibc-importance-being-subversive Read More