The Importance of Being Earnest

Context
The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy written by Oscar Wilde, which
debuted in London on February 14, 1895. It is famous because of the critic it
presents of the Victorian society and the way wealthy people used to live at
the time. The Victorian Era was a period of time between 1837 and 1901 and
is considered the highest point of the industrial revolution in Britain as well as
the highest point of the British Empire. During this time keeping up
appearances was extremely important, there were so many rules of etiquette
that several books were published so people would know how to behave. Also
during the Victorian period, marriage was about protecting your resources,
and keeping those desires or impulses that were socially unacceptable under
control.
Themes and Content
In this extract two main themes can be found: respect and reputation and
marriage. First of all, in the Victorian upper-class society, men need to be
outstanding, rich, and from a good family. So characters tend to use lies in
order to reach these expectations and maintain their status and reputation.
The prestige surrounding the name Ernest is the perfect example of the
importance of maintaining a reputation in this society and Wilde presents a
strong critic on that matter. In this extract it is easily identified that Gwendolen
only cares about reputations so its natural that when Jack finds out that his
real name is Ernest, she seems beyond excited. ( Gwendolen. Ernest!My

own Ernest! I felt from the first that you could have no other name!).
Furthermore, marriage is considered as an obligation and a way of
maintaining a social position or status. In this extract as well as in the whole
play, it can be identified the importance Lady Bracknell give to marriage and
choosing the right person for it. ( LadyBracknell.[Meditatively.]Icannotat

thepresentmomentrecallwhattheGeneralsChristiannamewas.ButI
havenodoubthehadone.Hewaseccentric,Iadmit.Butonlyinlateryears.
AndthatwastheresultoftheIndianclimate,andmarriage,andindigestion,
andotherthingsofthatkind.) In this particular quote Lady Bracknell is
criticizing the Captains judgment when it comes to marriage and implies it
was the reason for his eccentricity.
Audience and Purpose
The audience for the whole play is the Victorian society since its main
purpose is to present a critic of the essence of this specific society. This play
also criticizes how shallow people were until the point where social positions
could determine the happiness of a person; this can be seen in the next
quote, (Jack.[RushingovertoMissPrism.]Isthisthehandbag,Miss

Prism?Examineitcarefullybeforeyouspeak.Thehappinessofmorethan
onelifedependsonyouranswer.)

Structure
This extract consists of 60 lines and is part of the third act of the play and it
presents to the audience a dialogue between Jack, Algernon, Lady Bracknell,
Gwendolen and Miss Prism. The short lines delivered by each character
makes this extract more exciting and a key point of the plot since all the
problems introduced in the climax start to solve.
Stylistic Devices
In this extract some stylistic devices can be found including puns and some
symbolism. A pun that can be easily identified in this extract is when Jack
finally discovers that his real name is Ernest, which actually makes him an
earnest or honest person; the next quote shows this more precisely,( Jack,

quietlydownandspeaksquitecalmly.]Ialwaystoldyou,Gwendolen,my
namewasErnest,didntI?Well,itisErnestafterall.Imeanitnaturallyis
Ernest.)The same pun is used at the end of the extract when Jack realizes
the importance of being earnest and the importance of being named Ernest.
Tone
The tone in this extract and in the play in general can be described as bright,
spicy, high-spirited and obviously funny and ironic. The tone can be described
in that way due to the fact that the play is a comedy, which implies irony in
order to criticize the Victorian society.
Plot Development
This extract is really important to the way the plot develops along the play
given that this extract represents the most significant part of the falling action.
In this extract the conflict between all the characters is finally solved and Jack
realizes the importance of being earnest as well as the importance of having
the name Ernest.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this extract symbolizes one of the most significant parts of the
play due to the fact that all the essence of the play is represented in it. The
context is really important in this play since the play is purely a critic of the
victorian upper class, which was characterized for all the rules of etiquette
people had to follow. Also the main themes of the play, marriage and the
importance of a good reputation, can be easily identified in this extract; as well
as some of the puns that make this play an ironic comedy. Finally, this extract
is a key part of the plot and without it the play would not make any sense.