The Importance of Being Earnest-" A trivial comedy for serious people".
The Importance of Being Earnest-" A trivial comedy for serious people"
What aspects of late Victorian Society does Oscar Wilde seek to mock and trivialise?
Oscar Wilde accepts Victorian values however he seeks to mock and trivialise the late Victorian society in his play- The Importance of Being Earnest. He described the play as exquisitely trivial, and therefore gave it the subtitle- "A trivial comedy for serious people". His intentions were to make people think more deeply and make them more aware of the serious things in life, which should be treated with sincerity, and the trivial things with seriousness. He succeeds in mocking Victorian life by trivialising certain parodies such as marriage, society, and aristocracy, and much more, by the use of witty paradoxes and epigrams.
Wilde achieves to produce a pun out of the title, due to the mistaken identity of a character in the play Jack Worthing, and the 'earnest' behaviour of Victorian characters. The play pivots around the word 'earnest', because both women want to marry someone of the name 'Ernest', because it inspires 'absolute confidence', 'honesty' and 'responsibility'.
Gwendolen: '...there is very little music in the name Jack. The only safe name is Ernest'. Pg 330. However Jack and Algernon lie about their names and so are not being 'earnest', although the result is that they are both telling the truth, without being aware of it. This is shown when Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he has realised for the first time in his life- ' the vital Importance of being Earnest.'
Wilde mocks and explores how the people of Victorian society have double identities- the first identity is overly sincere and polite, however their other identity is manipulative and cruel. In the play, Wilde uses 'Bunburying' as away to expose what it means to have two identities in Victorian society. This occurs in Algernon and Jacks scenes of 'Bunburying'.
Algy: 'What you really are is a Bunburyist...You have invented a very useful younger brother called 'Ernest' to allow you to come up to town as often as you like.' Pg 326. Wilde mocks how confused Victorian values of honesty and responsibility were, due to the fact that they were constantly alternating between
truths, lies and earnestness, by using their alter egos whenever it was convenient for them.
The most important parody in the play is of the desires revolving around marriage. Wilde uses this as a social device. This can be seen when Jack reveals he has come up to London to propose to Gwendolen, and Algy replies: ' I thought you had come up for pleasure...I call that business'. Pg 325. Wilde explores in depth how marriage and business were seen as the same thing, because it was a financial agreement. He shows this when Lady Bracknell does ...
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truths, lies and earnestness, by using their alter egos whenever it was convenient for them.
The most important parody in the play is of the desires revolving around marriage. Wilde uses this as a social device. This can be seen when Jack reveals he has come up to London to propose to Gwendolen, and Algy replies: ' I thought you had come up for pleasure...I call that business'. Pg 325. Wilde explores in depth how marriage and business were seen as the same thing, because it was a financial agreement. He shows this when Lady Bracknell does not allow Gwendolen's marriage to Jack because he is an orphan, and she was rude towards Cecily, before learning that she has a large personal fortune. These epigrams show the cruel reality of marriage in Victorian society.
In the play, Gwendolen and Cecily are interested in the two men, however only because of their disreputable backgrounds, and their desire to marry someone named Ernest. Gwendolen is provoked by learning that Jack is an orphan, and Cecily is excited by Algy's 'wicked' reputation. Wilde demonstrates haw these typical Victorian women base their romantic dreams upon titles and not character.
Wilde makes an immediate judgement of marriage as 'demoralising', and continues to mock that most traditional romantic agreement, through an epigram exposed by Algy's character who is unromantic. This is shown when Algy says: 'there is nothing more romantic about a definite proposal.' Pg 325.
Wilde continues to ridicule the notion of marriage throughout the whole play, but also includes his mocking view upon divorce. This can be seen in Algy's paradox: '...divorces are made in heaven'. This creates a humorous statement, however Wilde's intention is to make people think more carefully, as divorces were seen as improper and not really acceptable. Also, Wilde implies that marriage will not last, as 'girls never marry the men they flirt with', so are bound to be untrustworthy. This is because Wilde thought strongly in having a solid relationship.
In Victorian society, aristocracy was extremely important. You either had class or you were nothing. Wilde satirises aristocracy through the most remarkably snobbish character in the play-Lady Bracknell. She is a Victorian lady of high class and perfection. Her snobbery is presented mainly over Jack's disreputable background. This can be seen in this very witty paradox- 'To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.' Wilde explores
how having a good name and a respectable family was important to Victorian society, as it gained you a very good reputation. Wilde trivialises how if you lack a solid background or wealth, as in Jacks case, can disturb one of the upper class so greatly.
Not only does Wilde trivialise aristocracy, he also satirises his view on society. He presents the empty lives of aristocracy and creates the perfect example of a hedonist, who prefers to eat, gamble, and gossip than have something better to do- Algernon.
Jack: 'Eating as usual Algy.' Algy: ' I believe it is customary in good society to take some refreshment at five o' clock.' Pg 322. Wilde has described the play as about characters that trivialise serious matters and solemnize trivial matters. These can be seen when Algy is shocked by the absence of the cucumber sandwiches on the plate, which he had eaten himself.
Food in society was also important to a Victorian lifestyle. Wilde mocks how there were desires for certain foods such as muffins, and the way in which the etiquette changed if someone of high class was to come. - Jack: ' Why so many cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Who is coming for tea?' Pg 322. This quotation exposes how Jack questions Algy about this 'reckless extravagance' just for afternoon tea. In this scene we see two great aspects of the upper class. The sofa is the centre of idleness, which is a comfortable place to get through the day without having to work. The sofa is made a place for socialising. Also the cucumber sandwiches become a symbol of the upper class. Algy supposedly saves them for Lady Bracknell, however cannot resist eating them himself. This addiction of being unable to resist pleasure creates many humorous scenes through the use of stage directions. It also shows how the idle rich can be absurd.
Wilde portrays the class tensions in Victorian society, by introducing Lane the butler, who proves to Algy without being aware of it, that the lower class may have more power than the upper class. However, because Wilde has written a trivial play, he manages to quickly resolve these conflicts between classes, through humour. This is show when Algy gets upset over the depleted supply of champagne, and Lane's wit ends the discussion of class and changes the conversation to marriage.
In Victorian society, Wilde exposes how people are forced into certain categorised expectations of society. An example of this would be when Cecily is obliged to act like a lady in order to live up to Lady Bracknell's standards, so therefore her posture and clothes are important if she wants to make a good
impression. Fashion was also vital, and Wilde aims to satirise this in the scene where there is conflict between Cecily and Gwendolen: 'Sugar is not fashionable anymore...Bread and butter please, cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays.' Pg354. These contradictory epigrams show how stubborn and snobby the women of Victorian society really were, although they do create much humour to the audience.
The great irony of the play is that Jack and Algernon have both falsified the name Ernest. Wilde reveals the ironies in the last minute whirlwind. Jack says: ' ...it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that for all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth.' Pg 362. These dramatic ironies create a very effective ending, as all the various conflicts and misunderstandings during the play are resolved.
Throughout the play, Wilde uses paradoxes and epigrams to mock Victorian lifestyle, however he also uses repetition of dialogue to produce humour. For example, Cecily and Gwendolen repeat the same words about their desire to marry someone of the name Ernest, and what the name inspires. And Algy and Jack repeat each other's phrases when they wish to be christened, and when they ask Cecily and Gwendolen if they would still love them if their names were not Ernest.
I think that Oscar Wilde has successfully mocked certain aspects of Victorian society. His main attack on Victorian lifestyle would probably have to be through marriage and aristocracy. He cleverly illustrates how snobbish the upper class were by creating Lady Bracknell, who is not a boring stereotype, but a serious woman with a typical Victorian double identity.
By mocking marriage, I think Wilde has shown how absurd class is. Also, Wilde uses dramatic irony in the scenes where we discover Jack is branded 'immaterial' because he was found at a railway line, however, this reveals his true origins. This allows the audience to accept the extreme absurdities and silly coincides that took place in Victorian society. Wilde produces even more humour, by proving how indecisive the women are over forgiving the men for lying. Although it produces humour, he explores how ridiculous romantic decisions can become muddled up with deep absurd thoughts of the mind. The triviality in the play allowed me to thoroughly enjoy a witty, interesting and well-written play.
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