Double identities, deception and death are all central notions within the play which allow elaborate male characters to misbehave and still keep the right moral picture in society through deception as shown by Jack. “When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects. It's one's duty to do so”. The mistaken identity in the play of Jack Worthing’s character achieves pun as well as 'earnest' behaviour of Victorian characters to keep the right moral image. “A comedy then is problem solving story ending in resolution and order normally symbolised by marriage” Critic Alexander Leggatt proclaims the confusion registered in comedy somehow leads to marriage similar to IOBE. Death can perhaps be seen as the most trivial thing in the play as both Algy and Jack plot theories kill off their imaginary way wood alter egos. “Before the end of the week I shall got rid of him” the language sums up how death is used as an excuse and a way of disposing people no longer relevant. Wilde criticises the implication of adopting such stereotypical moral positions which require responsibility, acceptance of social codes and suppression of individual freedom. Bracknell mentions how Bunbury is “shilly-shallying” over whether “to live or to die.” When told in Act III that Bunbury has died suddenly in accordance with his physician’s predictions Lady Bracknell commends Bunbury for acting “under proper medical advice.” Implying the impression unless you’re fit and healthy you don’t belong in society as you’re a liability to people. Besides giving the play a layer of dark humour the death humour subverts the idea of life being a work of art. Jack’s imaginary, wayward brother Earnest is a device not only for escaping social and moral obligations but also one that allows Jack to appear far more moral and responsible than he actually is. Similarly, Algernon’s imaginary invalid friend Bunbury allows Algernon to escape to the country, where he presumably imposes on people who don’t know him in much the same way he imposes on Cecily in the play. “A man who marries without knowing Banbury has very tedious time of it” Wilde attempts to exploit the “lax” views Algy and Jack have on double identities and how their deception allows them to stay constructed to Victorian society. The word Earnest which pivots around the play is ironic as it inspires 'absolute confidence', 'honesty' and 'responsibility' which all the characters lack impeccably. Wilde’s deconstruction of Victorian society through inversion of expectations ultimately leads to several concepts within the play and society itself being trivialised. “It’s the first time in my life that I have been reduced to such a painful position” the language indicates how arrogant upper class people only expect the lower orders to tell the truth. This implies the idea money can buy deception and double identities successfully. Imagery also portrays how language is used express the hidden sexual desires of characters throughout the play through crafty innuendo “ripeness can be depended on”. Wilde clarifies his play as “Its philosophy is that we should treat all the trivial things seriously and the serious things in life with sincere and studied triviality” to demonstrate the idea of life within society is a game of indulging in of lies. Wilde challenges the continuous lie upper class society appears to be living in of having the right moral picture e.g. respect and responsibility while also appearing to conforming to social order despite the means of obtaining it by exposing their hidden desires.
However Wilde’s play isn’t entirely trivialised as inversion intended for humour indirectly leads to importance in the play to implicate how certain necessities such as food are disregarded unless “fashionable”. The importance of food is underlined by Algernon “I refuse everything except food and drink at this present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy” in this extract Wilde chooses to mock the troubles of love and also to underline how despite feeling hurt Victorian values expect no emotion at all from men. Food also designates out the greedy and close minded views of the upper class. Stage directions draw attention to this but also symbolise hypocritical ways the characters do it by seemingly creating a new problem rather than fixing old problems through the necessity of food. “(Takes muffins from Algernon)” the action of eating muffins is regard as redemption and repentance for sins by Cecily which ultimately leads to trivialisation. Penny Gay indicates the importance of actions with the quote “words are often less important than actions” which presumably is happening in the act and play throughout. “It’s absurd I never go without my dinner” insisting the upper class have a strict set of norms to live by as Lady Bracknell remarks earlier about music. Algernon adds “of course music is a great difficulty you see if one plays good music people don’t listen and if one plays bad music people don’t talk” to criticize the values he adopts and follows so fondly while being arrogant and hypocritical as well. Gwendolen tells Cecily, who has just offered her sugar and cake, that sugar is “not fashionable any more” and “Cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays.” Cecily responds by filling Gwendolen’s tea with sugar and her plate with cake to indicate upper class values aren’t accepted in the country, however Wilde implements the attitude that food in Victorian society very much appeals to fashion as the current trend rather than the taste of it. Algernon is the focal point of the importance of food in the play to demonstrate how food must not only be desirable and tasteful but also fashionable and interesting; similarly Bracknell’s dinner parties entirely trivialise the purpose of entertainment and hospitality for the importance of gossip accusing everything in Victorian society of losing its true purposes and meaning e.g. marriage, food and religion.
Jack reveals how its “ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case” to introduce the concept of privacy to the play. Algernon’s arrogant reply indicates how the upper class assume one’s privacy isn’t important and is accessible to the rich “oh it is perfectly absurd to have a hard and fact rule about what one should read and what one shouldn’t” implying the limitless lifestyle of the upper class. Patience is also trivialised “I am not in favour of long engagements they give people the opportunity of finding out each other’s character before marriage “stressing how money is expected to buy anything immediately without difficulties. Cecily and Gwendolen also apply their characters to this shallow approach to life through fictional writing claiming to own engagements due to the limited power of women in Victorian society. Jonathan Bate express the games comedies indulge in “Comedy is a game played to throw reflections upon social life” to highlight why character get tangled up in odd actions. This further is highlighted when the pair forgive Algernon and Jack for their deceptive lies without any apologies as telling the truth is considered as a “painful enough position”. Although the female character may not necessary agree with values of Victorian society about money, marriage and deception their forced hold opinions which enable them to have a respectable position in the social order due to its ridiculous ideals. Bracknell’s response to Jack’s accusations of Algernon “he is an Oxonian “shows how Wilde challenges the educated order due to limited access of education to only certain sectors of Victorian society highlighting key qualities of life such as privacy, gentlemanliness and moral character aren’t gained through education or social class but through other means. Wilde controversial reputation within society at the time for various scandals perhaps highlights why his play bombards the upper class values through satirical wit to expose them like his been exposed himself to the public through embarrassing satirical wit of trivialised values.
Wilde challenges Victorian values while trivialising serious issues through humour “to be comic the ending must forcefully call into question the issues of happiness and forever after” Christopher Fry symbolises Wilde’s satirization of Victorian values through comic epigrams to indicate irony of the audience ultimately laughing at themselves to connect the triviality of the play while also exploring serious issues consequently.
Word Count (excluding direct quotations from the play) = 650 words
by
denis_k7 (student)
