Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
1The Importance of Being Earnest
- By Oscar Wilde
- (1854-1900)
2The Importance of Being Earnest
- Written in 1895
- A Comedy in 3 Acts
- Is a satire
- Immediate hit when first performed
- Criticizes Victorian moral and social values
- Bridges Victorian period/literature with Modern
- Uses wit, puns, exaggeration, and wordplay to
create humor
3Main Characters
- John Worthing, aka Jack, aka Earnest
- Algernon Montcrief, Jacks friend
- Lane, the butler for Algernon
- Rev. Chausible, the preacher in the country
- Lady Bracknell, mother of Gwendolyn
- Gwendolyn, wants to marry a man named Earnest
- Cecily, Jacks ward
- Miss Prism, Cecilys governess
4Settings
- Time Around 1890
- Place(s)
- London (the City)
- Jacks House in the Country (a very large estate)
- The village church
5Settings
6Settings
7Settings
- Lady Bracknells mansion in London
8Victorian Period
- Named for Queen Victoria of England
- Was Queen from 1837-1901
- Followed the reign of Mad King George
- The culture was very moral and serious
- Women were expected to be the angel in the
house - to take care of their husband and family
9Queen Victoria
- Became Queen as a young girl
- Married Albert, Prince Consort and adored him
- After he died, she wore black for the rest of her
life - Had 9 children
- Created a culture that valued family and stability
10Victorian Period
- Manners were supremely important
- English society was divided into classes
- The Upper-class was well-educated, came from a
rich and respected family (old money), and
having good manners mattered more than anything
else - Considered bad manners to flaunt wealth
11Victorian Period
- Young women were always chaperoned until they
were married - Womens clothing covered them from neck to ankle
clothes had to be modest - In the upper classes, people with a bad
reputation were outcasts no matter how much money
they had - Good manners were extremely important
12Victorian Fashion
13Victorian Fashion
14Victorian Period
- People did not just drop in to visit - they
made formal appointments - Refreshments were expected when visitors came to
call (visit) - usually tea and cake or tiny,
elegant cucumber sandwiches - Men were expected to be well-educated
- Women were expected to marry well
15Literary Vocabulary
- Comedy - light-hearted literature with humor and
a happy ending - Satire - literary writing that makes fun of or
criticizes the faults of people or groups.
Purpose is to point out flaws - Wit - using words to be clever and funny with
language - Pun - a play on words
16Literary Vocabulary
- Protagonist - the main character
- Foil - the character who contrasts the main
character (the foil reflects the traits of the
main character) - Blocking figure - A character, often old and
cranky, who interferes with the romantic desires
or the other main characters and provides comic
action
17Literary Vocabulary
- Motif - a recurring character or element repeated
in a literary work. Food is a motif in The
Importance of Being Earnest - Protagonist - the main character
18The Importance of Being Earnest
- Oscar Wilde created many amusing quotes
19Oscar Wilde Quotes
- I always pass on good advice. It is the only
thing to do with it. It is never of any use to
oneself. - I can resist everything except temptation.
20Oscar Wilde Quotes
- I never travel without my diary. One should
always have something sensational to read in the
train. - To lose one parent may be regarded as a
misfortune to lose both looks like
carelessness.
21The Importance of Being Earnest
- Even though this play was written more than 100
years ago, it continues to be very popular - More than one movie has been made of this play,
the most recent in the past 5-10 years - This play is currently being performed on
Broadway in New York City (through June)
22Importance of Being Earnest
- The title of the play is a pun.
- To be earnest means to be serious, and the main
character (John/Jack) uses the name Earnest
when he is in the city - Bunburying is using an alias to get away with
avoiding social obligatioins
23Introduction
- With The Importance of Being Earnest (1895),
Irish-born Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) created
his final and most lasting play in every
respect, a masterpiece of modern comedy. - A century later, it produces a wonderful balance
by remaining both a respected and studied piece
of literature, as well as a favorite with
audiences.
24Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
- Next to his literature, Wilde is largely
remembered for his flamboyant lifestyle and
outrageous behaviour, at least as measured by the
times in which he lived. - Educated at the University of Oxford, he wrote
poetry, studied the classics and adopted a
philosophy of "arts for arts sake". It wasnt
uncommon to see him strolling through Picadilly
Circus in London, outfitted with a velvet coat,
knee breeches, and shoulder-length hair, carrying
a lily.
25Wilde and his Play
- On Feb. 14, 1895, was the opening night of the
original production of The Importance of Being
Earnest at the St. James Theatre in London. It
was a major social event, partly due to the
stunning popularity of Wilde The Importance of
Being Earnest was his fourth play in only three
years. - While Earnest was in rehearsal, Wilde was in the
middle of his troubled but long-term relationship
with Lord Alfred Douglas, and was being pursued
by Douglass father, the homophobic marquess of
Queensberry.
26Wilde and his Play
- Two weeks later, Queensberry left a calling card
in Wildes mailbox, accusing Wilde of being
homosexual.
Wilde decided to take legal action and sued
Queensberry for libel, a step that would
backfire. While Queensberry was acquitted, Wilde
was tried and convicted of homosexual practices,
and subsequently sentenced to two years hard
labor, in what was called the trial of the
century,
27Wilde and his Play
- Upon his release in 1897, Wilde moved to Paris.
With broken spirit and empty pockets, he lived
out the remainder of his life in poor health,
relying on the charity of friends. - On Nov. 30, 1900, at the age of 46, Wilde died of
cerebral meningitis. During the height of Wilde's
controversial trial and imprisonment, Earnest
closed down.
It was revived in 1902, without the disgraced
playwright's name on the program. Only in a 1909
revival after his death, was Wilde's name
returned to the bill, and the play had the long
and commercially successful theatrical run that
it deserved.
28And alien tears will fill for himPitys long
broken urnFor his mourners will be outcast
menAnd outcasts always mourn
(Wildes tombstone)
29The Dramatis Personae
Jack Worthing
Algernon Moncrieff
ward of
Y
Gwendolen Fairfax
Cecily Cardew
aunt of
mother of
Lady Bracknell
30- A "comedy of manners" is defined as A comedy
concerned with the social actions and behavior of
members of a highly sophisticated, upper-class
society.
31Genre Notes
- Oscar Wilde, rather than focusing on the lower
classes or social conditions, chose to satirize
the life of the English aristocracy, a world with
which he was personally familiar. - His characters are typical Victorian snobs they
are often arrogant, dont seem to work at all,
are overly proper, formal and concerned with
money.
32- One of the ways Wilde's wit manifests itself is
in puns Running throughout the entire play is
the double meaning behind the word earnest, as a
male name and as an adjective for seriousness. - Wilde saw earnestness as being a key ideal in
Victorian culture. Much of British society struck
him as dry and conservative, and so concerned
with the maintenance of social norms that it had
become almost inhuman. The Importance lightly
shows the limitations and unhappiness produced by
such a way of life.
33- Also fundamental to Wilde's wit is his use of
epigrams short, witty sayings. - We see this type of humor at work, for instance,
as Jack announces that he has come to town to ask
Gwendolen to marry him and Algernon responds "I
thought you had come up for pleasure? I call that
business. I really don't see anything romantic in
proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. The
very essence of romance is uncertainty. If I ever
get married, I'll certainly try to forget the
fact."
34- The Importance has many goalsIt pokes fun at
the aristocracy, the literary world, marriage and
love, English manners and customs, women and men
in modern society. - Furthermore, it does so in a lighthearted fashion
while creating some of the most memorable
characters in the history of English theater. It
has always been a huge commercial success because
both its humor and its themes are as timely today
as they have ever been.
35It is awfully hard work doing nothing.
(Algernon, Act I)
"