The importance of being Earnest

‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

~‘Oscar Wilde’

~Name : parmar Nidhi Shamjibhai

~semester : M. A part 1

~paper : Literature of the Victorian 

( paper no:104) 

~ Topic : discuss the characters sketch of importance of being Earnest

~ class Assignment 

Introduction

‘The The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy depicting the tangled affairs of two young men about town who lead double lives to evade unwanted social obligations, both assuming the name Ernest while wooing the two young women of their affections. All characters represent their own views in different ways.The 3 act play. Published in 1899.

About the Author

Name : Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde

Birth :16 October 1854Dublin, Ireland

Death :30 November 1900 (aged 46)paris France

Occupation :Author, Poet, Playwright

Language: English, French, Greek

Period : Victorian era

Years active :1881-1900

Notable work :~The Happy Prince and Other Tales(1833)

~The Picture of Dorian Gray(1890) 

~An Ideal Husband(1895) 

Spouse :Constance Lloyd

         Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertic Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After

writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s.He contributed to the Aestheticism movement of the period and is regarded by most literary commentators as the greatest playwright of the Victorian era. Wilde is best remembered for his Gothic novel. 

              

Characters sketch

•jack working (also called Ernest) 

•Algernoon Moncrief

•Gwendolen Fairfax

•cecily cardew

•Lady Bracknell

•Miss Prism

•Rev.canon chasuble, DD

•Lane 

•Merriman

(This table use to help in easily understand the characters) 

∆Jack worthing 

                Jack is the main character of the play. He was founded as a baby in a handbag at a railway station and was adopted by a kind man named Mr. Cardew. Now grown up, Jack is a responsible man who lives in the countryside, where people respect him. He is the guardian of a young girl named Cecily. However, Jack leads a double life. In the city, he pretends to be a man named "Ernest" so he can enjoy himself without responsibilities. He uses this fake identity to escape from his duties in the countryside. Jack wants to marry a girl named Gwendolen, but she says she can only love someone named Ernest. This causes problems for Jack because he is not honest about who he really is. Wilde uses Jack's character to show how some people in Victorian society pretended to be moral and responsible, but they often lied to get what they wanted. In the end, jack finds out that his real name is actually Ernest, which is a funny twist. 

∆Algernon Moncrief

    Algernon is jack’s friend and Gwendolen’s cousin. He is funny, clever, and doesn't take life too seriously. Like Jack, life too seriously. Like Jack, Algernon also creates a fake person named "Bunbury" to avoid boring events and do whatever he wants. Unlike Jack, Algernon is proud of his trick and thinks it's clever. He enjoys playing with words and often says funny things that don't make sense at first but are very interesting. Algernon meets Cecily and quickly falls in love with her. He also pretends to be Jack's fake brother "Ernest" to get closer to her. Algernon's character shows how people sometimes lie just to have fun or avoid problems. He represents the idea that life can be like a performance or a game.

∆Gwendolen Fairfax

                Gwendolen is a smart and stylish young woman who lives in London. She is the daughter of Lady Bracknell and wants to marry Jack but only because she believes his name is Ernest. She is obsessed with that name and says it sounds trustworthy. This shows how people in Victorian society cared more about names and appearances than real feelings. Gwendolen speaks confidently and acts like a proper lady, but she can also be a little bossy and dramatic. She wants to seem smart and modern, but she doesn't realize that she is being fooled by Jack. Gwendolen is a mix of seriousness and silliness, which makes her character fun to watch. 

cecily cardew

   Cecily is Jack's ward. She lives in the countryside and younger and more innocent than Gwendolen. But she also has a big imagination. She dreams of falling in love wilth someone wicked, so when Algernon comes pretending to be Ernest, she quickly decided she is in love with him. In fact, Cecily had already written letters to herself and imagined she was engaged to Ernest even before she met him! She is romentic and creative, and she wants her life to feel like a storybook. Cecily’s daydreams and fantasies show that she, too, is not always honest with herself. Wilde uses her character to show that even innocent people can pretend and imagine things to make life exciting. 

∆Lady Bracknell

   Lady Bracknell is Gwendolen's mother and one of the most powerful and funny characters in the play. She only cares about money, family status, and social rules. She doesn't let Gwendolen marry Jack because he doesn't know who his real parents are. She says that being found in a handbag is unacceptable! Lady Bracknell's opinions are strict and often silly, but she says them in a very serious way. Wilde uses her to make fun of the upper class in Victorian societies. She only changes her mind about Jack when she finds out he comes from a rich family. Her character shows how people care more about appearances and reputation than love or kindness. 

∆Miss Prism

Miss Prism is Cecily's governess. She believes strongly in rules and good behavior. She wants Cecily to behave properly and doesn't like the idea of people like Ernest, who seem wild and irresponsible. But Miss Prism is not as perfect as she seems. She secretly likes Dr. Chasuble, the village priest, and often finds excuses to be alone with him. At the end of the play, we find out that Miss Prism was the one who accidentally left baby Jack in a handbag at the station many years ago. This shows that even people who act very morally and strictly can make big mistakes. Wilde uses Miss Prism to show that everyone has faults, even if they pretend to be perfect.

Rev. Canon Chasuble, D. D

Dr. Chasuble is a minor character in the playplay, but he adds a lot of humor and meaning. He is a church priest who lives in the countryside. In public, he tries to act serious and proper because he has religious duties and is expected to be a role model. But in private, he has romantic feelings for Miss Prism, the governess. This shows that even religious people have personal feelings and are not always as perfect as they appear. Dr. Chasuble agrees to baptize both Jack and Algernon under the name "Ernest," showing that even he can bend the rules of the church to help others or may be just to please Miss Prism. He often speaks in long, poetic sentences and reuses the same sermon for different events, which makes him seem silly and forgetful. Wilde uses Dr. Chasuble to make fun of how religious leaders sometimes say one thing in public but act differently in private. In the end, Dr. Chasuble forgets his priestly seriousness and admits his love for Miss Prism. His character reminds us that even those who appear wise and calm can have hidden feelings and silly moments. 

∆Lane

            Lane is Algernon Moncrieff's butler and appears only in the first act of the play. Even though he has a small role, he helps set the mood of the play through his calm and funny way of speaking. Lane often uses dry humor and clever remarks to show how foolish and fake upper-class people like Algernon can be. Algernon calls Lane a "perfect pessimist," meaning he always expects the worst, but Lane never complains openly. He quietly watches Algernon's selfish and silly actions and accepts them without much reaction. One funny moment is when Lane says he got married because of a "misunderstanding." which shows how lightly some characters treat serious topics like love and marriage. This small joke helps bring out one of the play's big ideas that people talk about love, but don't always understand it deeply. Even though Lane sometimes seems to criticize Algernon, he stays polite and loyal. His character adds humor to the play while also making us think about how society can be two-faced saying one thing and doing another.

Marriman

The butler at the Manor House, Jack's estate in the country. 

 

 Conclusion

           Thus to conclude we can say that ‘The Importance of Being Earnest is very well known play written by Oscar Wilde and his character is very important to understand the play easily.

 

 ~Home Assignment

Q~ write a not on themes the importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

 

Introduction :

      ‘The The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy depicting the tangled affairs of two young men about town who lead double lives to evade unwanted social obligations, both assuming the name Ernest while wooing the two young women of their affections. All characters represent their own views in different ways.The 3 act play. Published in 1899.

  About the Author

Name : Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde

Birth :16 October 1854Dublin, Ireland

Death :30 November 1900 (aged 46)paris France

Occupation :Author, Poet, Playwright

Language: English, French, Greek

Period : Victorian era

Years active :1881-1900

Notable work :~The Happy Prince and Other Tales(1833)

~The Picture of Dorian Gray(1890) 

~An Ideal Husband(1895) 

Spouse :Constance Lloyd

         Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertic Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After

writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s.He contributed to the Aestheticism movement of the period and is regarded by most literary commentators as the greatest playwright of the Victorian era. Wilde is best remembered for his Gothic novel. 

Themes

   

          

 ∆The Nature of Marriage

In the play, marriage is a big deal. It drives the story forward and is often talked about. And all characters represent the themes to his own different views.The characters, like Algernon and Jack, argue about whether marriage proposals are about business or pleasure. Lady Bracknell has her own strict views on what makes a good marriage, focusing on social status, money, and character. The play pokes fun at how seriously people take marriage, showing different opinions on whether it's enjoyable or not.

∆The Constraints of Morality

This theme is represent in many time and different angles of different characters morality.Morality, or what's considered right and wrong, is a key topic in the play. The characters often discuss moral standards, but the play isn't about what's actually moral. Instead, it makes fun of the strict rules of Victorian society. The title itself is a joke about how the main character is both serious and not serious (Ernest/earnest). The play suggests that being too serious about morals can be hypocritical, and that a bit of irreverence, or not taking things too seriously, might be better

∆Hypocrisy versus Inventiveness

The characters in the play often deceive others, but not all lies are equal. Jack creates an elaborate lie about his brother's death, fooling everyone around him. This makes him hypocritical. On the other hand, Algernon and Cecily create playful stories that don't harm anyone. They're more like artists creating their own versions of reality. The play seems to favor these creative lies over Jack's more serious ones.

∆The Importance of Not Being "Earnest"

The play criticizes the idea of being too serious or sincere (carnestness) Wilde saw traits like seriousness, solemnity, and self-righteousness as flaws in Victorian society. Wilde suggests that those who don't take life too seriously, and even indulge in a bit of wickedness, might actually be closer to true virtue and sincerity.

Conclusion

Thus to conclde we can say that the importance of being Earnest in all theme are represent by use different characters and all theme are present the story's moral and help to understand what the oscar Wilde say to us by this play

~Essay

Q~3 write a summary on The importance of being Earnest. 

Introduction :

      ‘The The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy depicting the tangled affairs of two young men about town who lead double lives to evade unwanted social obligations, both assuming the name Ernest while wooing the two young women of their affections. All characters represent their own views in different ways.The 3 act play. Published in 1899.

About the Author

 

Name : Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde

Birth :16 October 1854Dublin, Ireland

Death :30 November 1900 (aged 46)paris France

Occupation :Author, Poet, Playwright

Language: English, French, Greek

Period : Victorian era

Years active :1881-1900

Notable work :~The Happy Prince and Other Tales(1833)

~The Picture of Dorian Gray(1890) 

~An Ideal Husband(1895) 

Spouse :Constance Lloyd

         Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertic Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After

writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s.He contributed to the Aestheticism movement of the period and is regarded by most literary commentators as the greatest playwright of the Victorian era. Wilde is best remembered for his Gothic novel. 

Summury

Jack Worthing is a respected man in Hertfordshire, where he takes care of 18-year-old Cecily Cardew, whose grandfather found and adopted Jack when he was a baby. Jack has important responsibilities, owning land, being a judge, and employing many people. For years, he's made up a story about having a troublemaking brother named Ernest, who supposedly gets into bad situations, so Jack can leave and do what he wants. But the truth is, there is no Ernest - Jack justuses that name when he goes to London to have fun, which is probably the same kind of fun he pretends to disapprove of!Jack is in love with Gwendolen, who is the cousin of his best friend Algernon. One day, Algernon finds a clue that makes him think Jack might be hiding something. He discovers a message in Jack's cigarette case from someone named Cecily, who calls Jack "Uncle Jack". This makes Algernon wonder if Jack is leading a secret life.

Algernon thinks it's normal for people to have secret lives, and he even has a name for it: "Bunburyist". He got this idea from a fake friend he made up, named Bunbury, who is alway supposedly sick. Whenever Algernon wants to avoid something boring, he says he needs te Bunbury, who is "dying". It's just an excuse!So, Algernon thinks Jack might be a "Bunbury. too, and he's curious to learn more about Jack's secret life.

At the beginning of Act 1, 

Jack drops in unexpectedly on Algernon and announces that he intends to propose to Gwendolen. Algernon confronts him with the cigarette case and forces him to come clean, demanding to know who "Jack" and "Cecily" are.

Jack confesses that his name isn't really Ernest and that Cecily is his ward, a responsibility imposed on him by his adoptive father's will, Jack also tells Algernon about his fictional brother. Jack says he's been thinking of killing off this fake brother, since Cecily has been showing too active an interest in him. Without meaning to, Jack describes Cecily in terms that catch Algernon's attention and make him even more interested in her than he is already.Gwendolen and her mother, Lady Bracknell, arrive, which gives Jack an opportunity to propose to Gwendolen. Jack is delighted to discover that Gwendolen returns his affections, but he is alarmed to learn that Gwendolen is fixated on the name Ernest, which she says "inspires absolute confidence." Gwendolen makes clear that she would not consider marrying a man who was not named ErnestLady Bracknell wants to know if Jack is a good match for her daughter Gwendolen, so she asks him about his family. Jack tells her that he doesn't know who his parents are because he was adopted. He explains that he was found as a baby in a handbag at a train station! Lady Bracknell is shocked and thinks this is a scandal. She decides that Jack is not good enough for her daughter and leaves the house in a hurry.

In Act 2,

 Algernon visits Jack's country home, pretending to be Jack's brother Ernest. But Jack has already decided to stop using the fake "Ernest" story and shows up acting sad, saying that Ernest has died in Paris. He's angry to find Algernon there, pretending to be Ernest, but can't say anything because he's been lying too! If he tells the truth, his own secrets will come out. 

While Jack is changing his mourning clothes, Algernon tells Cecily that he loves her und asks her to marry him. But Cecily already thinks they're engaged She's heen dreaming up a romantic story about them for months, ever since she heard about "Uncle Jack's brother" Algernon is delighted, but then Cecily says she loves the name Ermest because it makes her trust him completely. This makes Algernon a hit worried, because he's pretending to be Ernest! Algernon goes to find the local priest, Dr. Chasuble, to get baptized as Ernest. Meanwhile, Gwendolen shows up unexpectedly to visit Jack. She meets Cecily in the garden, who tries to act like a hostess and orders tea. But both women are confused about each other's relationships with Jack and Ernest. Gwendolen thinks Cecily is just a visitor, but Cecily says she's Jack's ward (like an adopted daughter). Cecily also says she's engaged to Ernest, but Gwendolen says that's impossible because she's engaged to Ernest too! The tea party turns into a polite but tense argument.

Jack and Algeroon show up during the argument between Gwendolen and Cecily. Both men had planned to get hapticed as Emest that day! But then, the truth comes out. Cecily tells Gwendolen. that her fiance's real name is Jack, and Gwendolen tells Cecily that her fiance's real name is Algernon. Both women want to know where "Ernest" is, since they're both engaged to him! Jack has to admit that he made up the whole "Ernest" story and has no brother. Both women are shocked, angry, and feel deceived.

 They storm off together, arm in arm. 

In Act 3, 

Cecily and Gwendolen are in the living room, still upset. When Jack and Algernon come in, the women confront them. Cecily asks Algernon why he pretended to be her guardian's brother, and he says it v to meet her. Gwendolen asks Jack if be made up a brother to visit her in London, and she thinks he says yes. The women are a bit happier but still worried about the name "Emest" However, when the men say they'll change their names to Ernest, everything is forgiven! The two couples hug. Just then, Lady Bracknell arrivesLady Bracknell shows up at the Manor House, having followed Gwendolen from London. She wants to know what's going on and is told again that Gwendolen is engaged to Jack. Lady Bracknell says they can't get married. Then, Algernon says he's engaged to Cecily, so Lady Bracknell starts asking Cecily questions about her family and social status in a rude and condescending way. Jack answers her questions politely but sarcastically, hiding the fact that Cecily has a lot of money until the last minute. When Lady Bracknell finds out, she suddenly becomes interested

Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he won't allow Cecily to marry Algemon because he's her guardian. Lady Bracknell suggests they wait until Cecily is older, but Jack says she won't be legally an adult until she's 15. Lady Bracknell asks Jack to change his mind, but he says it's up to her if she agrees to his marriage to Gwendolen, he'll let Cecily marry Algernon. But LadyBracknell refuses. Just as she's about to leave, Dr. Chasuble arrives and mentions Miss Prism, Cecily's governess. Lady Bracknell gets upset and asks to see Miss Prism right awayWhen Miss Prism arrives, Lady Bracknell accuses her of taking a baby from her sister's house 28 years ago and never coming back. Miss Prism confesses she lost the baby, accidentally leaving it in a handbag in a Cloakroom Victoria train station. Jack asks questions and then rums offistage, returning with the handbag. When Mus Priam confirms it's hers, Jack hugs her and calls her "Mother!" But it turns out Jack isn't her illegitimate child, he's actually the legitimate child of Lady Bracknell's sister, making him Algemon's older brother. Jack was originally named "Ernest John," so he's been telling the truth all along! The couples hug, and even Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble poir up.Jack finally understands

the

importance of being honest and authentic, and the play ends with a sense of resolution and new beginnings.

Conclusion

Thus to conclud we can sum up to the story is written Oscar Wilde depends some morality and honesty of man and a deep meaning of being Earnest throw his strong character Ernest name.