The Importance of Being Earnest - 'We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals' what are these ideals in the context of the play in Act One, and how does Wilde present them to the audience?

'We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals' what are these ideals in the context of the play in Act One, and how does Wilde present them to the audience? In 'The Importance of Being Earnest', ideals are a dominant theme, and to that end are critical in determining the actions of the characters. Wilde is typically subtle in his presentation of these ideals, and consequently many of them come to be used as a means for satirising the society depicted. It is important to establish from the outset that Wilde's presentation of ideals utilizes the different characters as bastions for the various ideals, and in doing that subjects them to scrutiny when ridiculing their respective characterizations. One of the most important ideals presented is fittingly one of the first to become apparent; that being the division of the classes and the social status that they entail. On line 1 of the play, Algernon asks Lane, after playing the piano in the adjoining room: 'Did you hear what I was playing. Lane?' Lane's response: 'I didn't think it polite to listen, sir' is indicative of various aspects of his position. Firstly, his butlership requires that he should abstain from partaking in any activity considered to be distracting to his duties, of which listening to the piano would be one. Secondly, his position in society, that of one of the lower classes, demands utter

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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This essay is comparing the 1952 film and the 2002 film, 'The Importance of being Earnest'

The Importance of being Earnest This essay is comparing the 1952 film and the 2002 film, 'The Importance of being Earnest'. This was first a play written in 1895, by Oscar Wilde. This essay is going to express and show the differences and similarities between the two films, using the play script as a reference. 'The Importance of being Earnest' is about two handsome men, who go bunburying. Bunburying is when people make things up, for their convenience, and to get out and not be questioned. Jack and Algy do this to be with the girls they love, the even lie about their names. Earnest means to be truthful, to show your true feelings, and think about the future actions, to be serious, this is why it is important to be Earnest. But this is reverse psychology, as no one is serious in the films. The film 'The Importance of being Earnest' is a comedy or romance. The film catches yours interest, with a good first scene. Also when Jack and Algy pretend to be different people 'Bunburying', and it is hard to keep up, this is very funny and you want to find out what will happen. The second film starts with Algy being chased, making him seem mysterious, and so you want to watch and find out why. The films vary from the play, although some bits have been added in, and taken out, to make the film shorter. In the 2002 film a lot more new scenes have been added in. In the latest film, in

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Influence in it's many forms is responsible for Dorian's corruption - to what extent do you agree with this view of the novel?

“Influence in its many forms, is responsible for Dorian’s corruption” To what extent do you agree with this view of the novel? The picture of Dorian Gray takes place in London, where Dorian, young and eager to explore the world, adopts a cruel attitude and a sinful routine in life. Influence is what corrupts him, with Lord Henry Wotton being the largest influential character in the novel, who in chapter 2, tells Dorian that “the only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it”. Throughout the novel it can be seen that Dorian picks up on Henry’s attitudes towards life and even his manner of speech, however there are other forms of influence that take effect on Dorian, such as the society he grew up in; upper class and protected, the Yellow Book that Henry gives him; which “Dorian Gray could not free himself” and the idea of appearance vs. reality which is expressed through characters such as Sibyl and the painting itself. All these forms of influence lead to Dorian’s corruption, and later on, death. Some people say that Dorian does not respond to good influence, thus only absorbed bad influence from people such as Henry. However this point can be argued against as well, with the point that Dorian was already a ‘stained trumpet’ when he met Henry, and that Henry stirred ‘impulses’ that were already there. Moreover, Henry was absent during

  • Word count: 1060
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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To what extent is Wilde satirising Victorian society in The Importance of Being Earnest and how does this add to its comedy?- ALTERED

To What Extent is Wilde Satirising Victorian Society in The Importance of Being Earnest and how does this add to its comedy? Viewed as both the paradigm of upper-class Victorian dandyism and a non-conformist maverick of the regulatory restrictions of its prudish attitude, Oscar Wilde uses his polarised social standing to satirise Victorian society with relatively little backlash from the bourgeoisie of the time due to his personal self-deprecating sense of humour. The play’s subtitle, ‘A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,’ however, juxtaposes the defining distinction between Wilde and the peers of his class. Due to the social mobility brought by the Industrial Revolution, the upper classes of Victorian society implicated ludicrously strict regulations in an attempt to preserve the ‘purity’ of the English peerage- the manners in and aspects through which being perhaps the principle subject of Wilde’s satire in the play. Victorian attitudes to marriage are the first subject of satire in the play- with Algernon’s “I thought you had come up for pleasure? ... I call that business,” ridiculing the transactional arrangement of marriage between upper-class families to secure or strengthen their social standing. Wilde himself, however, saw the value of marriage in the early years of his life as he married Constance Lloyd- writing in love letters that he “feel[s]

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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A woman of no importance- the ideal man discussion

The ideal Husband essay In this section the women are served with after dinner coffee in the drawing room, whilst the men are having their port. They speak here with much more frankness than when in the presence of men, they feel able to relax, and the conversation turns on to the topic of how to keep men under control. They conclude that the middle classes have happier marriages than the gentry but are not certain why. The opening of Act II provides an amusing contrast to Act I and the tone is totally different. This scene establishes the women's viewpoint of the struggle between the sexes, interestingly they all assume without question that there is in fact a struggle, this would highlight the issue to the audience and ensure they took in what Wilde subtly revealed through his character and reveals the main theme of the play. Mrs Allonby sees marriages and relationships in terms of ownership, with men 'always trying to escape from us'; Lady Caroline sees marriage as a tool to control men and to keep them 'in their proper place' and Lady Stutfield uses dependency in order to flirt 'Men are so very, very heartless', and Hester keeps out of this part of the conversation- perhaps emphasising her naivety in the world of men and women whilst Lady Hunstanton just seems to back up Mrs Allonby and Lady Caroline's ideas. The after-dinner separation of the sexes would be familiar

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What is learnt about attitudes towards marriage in Act 1 of The Importance of Being Earnest.

What is learnt about attitudes towards marriage in Act 1 'The Importance of Being Earnest', having being written in the late Victorian period, shows examples of the contemporary society's attitudes to and customs of marriage. These attitudes serve a very important role throughout the play. The problems and trials of marriage provide the basis for this play. Although this theme of the problem of marriage has featured in a number of English authors' works, for example Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde adapted the theme in order for his contemporary audience to relate to it, and so the play is quite unique. Act 1 of the play opens with Algernon holding a brief conversation with his servant Lane regarding marriage. We immediately have an insight into Algernon's life as a single man; Algernon is more concerned with money and the high life than he is with responsibility and sensibility. He sees that not having a 'first rate brand' of wine, as it was mentioned was the case in marriage, as 'demoralising'. It is not surprising that Algy, later on in Act 1, expresses such cynical views of marriage. Lane touches on the lower class's attitudes towards marriage briefly in this scene. Lane says that he has had very little experience of marriage he explains that he was "...only married once and that was a misunderstanding between himself and a young person." The

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Look from A gentleman to see you M(TM)aam(TM) to the end of the play How is this an effective end to the play as a whole?

Look from 'A gentleman to see you M'aam' to the end of the play How is this an effective end to the play as a whole? Wilde uses a variety of techniques and language to present the end of the play as a gripping and critical climax as well as one that ties together the themes running through the whole play. Wilde's presentation of the characters of Mrs Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth in the final scene is one of the main factors that makes the closing scene of the play a gripping and climactic one. The audience is given the visual impression that Mrs Arbuthnot is a tender hearted Victorian mother however this impression begins to diminish throughout the final scenes as she quarrels with Lord Illingworth demanding Gerald for herself 'Lord Illingworth, no proposition of yours interests me' this desire for ownership severely affects the audiences opinion. Throughout the play there is a constant subtext concerning the actions of Mrs Arbuthnot, this is created by the fact that she took Gerald away from Lord Illingworth when Gerald was still of a young age this comes back to haunt Mrs Arbuthnot as Lord Illingworth reminds her of it throughout the play and to a greater extent in the closing scenes 'As for your past no one knows anything about it except myself and Gerald' this comment by Lord Illingworth hits deep with Mrs Arbuthnot as she is not proud of the past and this leads

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does Wilde present the theme of love in chapters 1-10 of "Dorian Grey"?

Transfer-Encoding: chunked How does Wilde present the theme of love in chapters 1-10? Many emotional themes are portrayed throughout the novel Dorian Gery. The characters have extreme and dramatic emotions and it is clear to see this throughout the chapters one to ten. One of the main themes conveyed throughout is the theme of love. The theme of love is very important in the novel as it suggests and shows the characteristics of each character and how their emotions affect the reader’s views on them. The characters, who claim to love in the novel, are often under a misconception and show in many ways that they show a kind of extreme and unhealthy way. They do not show a healthy type of love. The novel mostly conveys a darker, unhealthy type of love. This is shown throughout the entire novel and allows the reader to understand the extent of extreme and backwards emotions of some of the characters have within their personalities. This sense of love is made to be very normal within the characters’ social circles and overall outlook on the way people should be treated. The main male characters are all of a high social class and they have quite a controversial idea on the importance of how you treat people and how you should love. When Sybil Vane dies, Lord Henry was almost excited about the idea of such a controversial scandal to have happened to one of his friends. He

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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In What ways does Wilde Attempt to amuse His Audience in Act Three of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’?

Beth Sharratt In What ways does Wilde Attempt to amuse His Audience in Act Three of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'? Prior to the third act, Wilde sets the scene and establishes the main character's idiosyncrasies and particularities. This knowledge the audience has already received contributes to the humour in the third act. The importance of being earnest is seen to be one of Wilde's most farcical comedies. Both the storyline and many of the characters are totally ridiculous, yet the play is written with a high degree of wit and intelligence. An example of this wit lies in the title of the play, which is a pun itself. With 'earnest' being both a male Christian name and a word describing honesty and sincerity. An important element, which adds to the humour of the third act, is the absurdity of some of the characters themselves. Characters such as Lady Bracknell, who is a very pedantic character, seem to be unrealistic characters as their manners are so extreme. She is an example of an exaggerated stereotype, a comical device use by Wilde. It seems that Wilde has attempted to make the main subjects of the play, Algernon and Jack, the most realistic also. Wilde also uses many linguistic techniques to add to the humour of the third act. One of these is the use of paradoxes. These are statements that seem to be self contradictory, but may be true. For example, 'All women

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Act 3 : A woman of no importance

REMIND YOURSELF OF THE SECTION OF ACT 3 FROM LINE 358 TO THE END OF THE ACT. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SECTION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE PLAY? In A Woman of No Importance, Wilde explores the moral attitudes of the aristocratic Victorian society towards social status and class, moral values, roles of men and women, and the relationships between them. The section in Act 3 is important as involves all of these issues, shown through characters such as Gerald, Lord Illingworth, Mrs Allonby and Hester. As well as the use of these characters, language and stage craft is also used to reveal Wilde's views and criticisms of the upper class society. These criticisms include the use of masks, immoral behaviour and hypocrisy. We are aware of the Victorian obsession with status and class through the presentation of Gerald's ambitions. Gerald is a character who aspires to become a person of high social status, in order to propose to Hester. His desires are based on the conventional Victorian ideas of class and social status, one of his main influences being Lord Illingworth: "As Lord Illingworth says, it is impossible to live in such a place as Wrockley." He is "ambitious" and wants more than what he currently has living with his mother. One of the main reasons for this ambition is so that he can propose to Hester: "And if I had a position, if I had prospects, I could - I could

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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