Oscar Wilde (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) ,19th century's most popular playwright, essayist and poet of London, he was born in Ireland in 1854. Oscar Wilde was influenced by many great poets such as Keats, Tennyson and Rosetti etc. The play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a trivial comedy of serious people is one of the most notable work of Wilde. This play sets in the Victorian period as the background, the rich crowd lived a life of pleasure and ease and this play has major motto such as marriage, humor and contemporary society. It is a Victorian melodrama and sentimental comedy and it is unique for its triviality. The actual strength of this masterpiece is its dialogue and element of satire.
Overview
Author: Oscar Wilde
Century: 19th century
Period: Victorian Age
Theme: The Constraints of Morality
Major characters: Jack, Algernon, Gwendolen, Cecily, Lady Bracknell
Plot Summary
Act I
Algernon is a young gentleman who is living a life of pleasure by doing nothing and his friend Jack who is also called as 'Ernest' who has come to meet Algernon's cousin Gwendolen and also he wishes to propose her. Jack is the hero of this play, he is consider as a serious mind noble person to the society but he lives a double life. Ernest( Jack) is the guardian of Cecily, childish and innocent girl who loves his uncle Jack's brother for his name 'Ernest' but Jack who forges that he has a bother named Jack in London, both are same none other than Jack. Jack propose to Gwendolen when she is away from his mother Lady Backnell, the woman who did a little inquiry and research in the background of Jack and avoids him in the thought of misunderstanding that he is not from a noble family. But Gwendolen is impressed by Jack and his name 'Ernest' in a childish way.
Act II
This act sets in Cecily's town, Algernon arrives there and pretends himself as Jack's brother Ernest, Cecily who had already fell in love with the name 'Ernest' welcomes him with pleasure. In the feel of guilt Jack wants to end his dual act role so he announced that his brother Ernest was died and he is unaware of the presence of his friend Algernon who presented himself as Ernest. Meanwhile Gwendolen ran away from her home and reached Cecily's place to marry the man called Ernest.
Lady Bracknell who reached the town in search of his daughter Gwendolen, there he found Algernon and Cecily got engaged to each other in the absence of Jack, the guardian of Cecily. Lady Bracknell finally recognized that Jack is the brother of Algernon who was aborted from the family about 28 years and that revealed Jack's father real name is Ernest. Finally the couples Algernon and Cecily, Jack and Gwendolen became happy of achieving the name Ernest. The play ends with the words of Jack "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Earnest."
Quotes from the play:
“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”
“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”
“I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.”
“Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.”
Books:
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