Importance of Being Earnest Passage Analysis

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        This scene, found at the end of Act 3, features all of the major characters together at the end. They have just heard Miss Prism’s story of how she switched the baby and the manuscript into the hand-bag and perambulator, respectively. The scene begins with Jack questioning Lady Bracknell about his identity. He discovers his Moncrieff lineage and relations to Algernon (his true brother), Lady Bracknell (his aunt), and transitively, Gwendolen (his cousin).

        In this passage, each of the characters’ dialogue and actions serves to help define their characters and roles in the play. Jack’s calm, unruffled demeanor and lines, even in the face of discovering his true origins, illustrate the traditional societal values that he represents. He is very smart and quick to think of checking the Army Lists for his father’s name. However, we see that when he is on the brink of finding his name, he gets excited and acts melodramatically.

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Algernon, on the other hand, is much more epicurean and informal with addressing the other characters, calling Jack, “old boy.” He cannot even recall his own father’s Christian name, using his premature death as an excuse.

Lady Bracknell is stiff and mostly speaks indirectly, embellishing answers to Jack’s questions. She also remains calm and meditative in the face of Jack’s personal discovery. She generally seems to disapprove of all actions the other characters take.

Gwendolen is mainly shown in this passage to be completely consumed with the name “Ernest.” Even after Jack ascertains his past, she remains firm ...

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