maybe it is important to be Earnest

This past week in AP literature we have been reading and analyzing Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest. This play is absolutely hilarious, Oscar Wilde’s puns and word play is phenomenal. The play begins in Algernon’s English flat; Algernon anticipates the arrival of his friend Ernest. Once Ernest arrives, it is revealed that Ernest is attracted to Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolyn and intends to propose when her and her mother, Lady Bracknell come to Algernon’s place to ask Algernon if he would like to join them for dinner. Algernon mocks Ernest’s beliefs about marriage, Algernon believes that marriage is death of all freedom and that true love doesn’t really exist. After some more banter about marriage, Ernest asks about a cigarette case that he had left at an earlier visit, Algernon recalls the case but then notices that Ernest’s name is not on the case, the case has a message saying “to my favorite uncle jack,” so Algernon pushes the matter and it is revealed that Ernest has been living a double life. In the city Ernest is known as Ernest, in the city he can live a reckless life, where as in the country he is known as Jack who has be a responsible guardian for his niece, Cecily. Algy takes interest in this double life and claims that he too lives a double life, whenever he doesn’t want to  dine with Lady Bracknell he merely tells her the is friend “Bunburry” is ill and he has to go take care of him. Eventually Lady Bracknell and Gwendolyn arrive and Algernon separates him and his aunt from Gwendolyn and Ernest, in order for Ernest to propose, this is where Gwendolyn states that she is in love with his name and that she always knew that she would marry someone named Ernest. Lady Bracknell enter the room in a rage to see the proposal and separates Gwendolyn from Ernest and sits down to have a talk about Ernest’s past and to determine whether or not Ernest is a suitable match for her daughter.

In this play Oscar Wilde make two blatant criticisms about the Victorian era, one being the criticism of marriage and the other is gender roles within society. Obviously Algernon is Oscar’s voice when it comes to the negative ideas about marriage, he believes that marriage is merely a constricting force. Algernon believes that all of the fun in life is taken away when one embark in marriage. Wilde also flips the gender roles, with the characterization of Lady Bracknell Wilde makes the female character strong and influential. Gwendolyn asserts herself with the proposal, she tells Ernest that he is going to propose an she is going to say yes, Ernest had almost ask permission before he asked her. Lady Bracknell just purely represents power, she has a voice and controls all of the men around her, and example being her husband she actually takes away her husbands voice, when at this time it was the other way around.