Oscar Wilde is a well known playwright, who writes a variety of plays, and is well know for his works. He was born on October 16, 1854, at Dublin Ireland. He was a great student at Trinity Collage, and in 1874 he had entered the Magdalen College, Oxford. There he had won the Newdigate Prize for his poem," Ravenna". He had written a variety of plays before he had become well known form his play "Lady Windermere's Fan". He went on to write two more plays, one of which is "The Importance of being earnest". However as all things do, good things must come to an end. he was sentenced to two years of hard labor for Homosexual offense. when was out of jail, in 1887, he had written one more poem ", The Ballad of Reading Gaol". He had died in Paris on November 30, 1900.
Plot Synopsis
The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is set in England during the late Victorian Era. It starts with in one of the main characters, Algernon, home. Jack has arrived to his home to propose Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen. Algernon refuses to Jack let him marry Gwendolen, until Jack explains why on his cigar-case, that he left in Algernon's home, there is an engraving bearing the name of Cecil. Jack is then forced to tell Algernon about that fact that he has been living a double life. that the country, he goes with the name of Jack, and pretending that he had brother named Ernest who lives in London that he needed frequent attention. Algernon then reveals that he does something very similar, he pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country and he “visits" him whenever he doesn't want to go a party, or other social obligations. Lady Braknell enters at the time, she’s the mother and Gwendolen, and asks Algernon to go to the party engagement thing. Algernon lures away Lady Braknell with the promise of music, leaving Jack, And Gwendolen alone, where Jack proposes to her. She says yes to this marriage; however Lady Braknell bursts in, while they proposed. She hears about this and begins to interview Jack. Everything is well, until she reaches the subject of family. Jack proceeds to tell her that he was found in a handbag, a perfectly ordinary hand bag, in the cloak-room at Victoria Station, the Brighton Line. Bewildered by this, she refuses him consent to the marriage between Jack and Gwendolen, despite of the previous consent. Afterword she left, Gwendolen sneaked back to say her "undying" love for him, and asked for the address for his country home. Algernon, who was not allowed to go the country home, wrote down the address, knowing that he would go there. Algernon went to Jack's country home as his "brother" Ernest; He meets Cecil and immediately falls in love with her. They engaged with each other without permission from Jack. However Jack bursts in, decided that he would kill off his fake brother Earnest, and says that his brother Earnest had dead from a severe cold. However he finds Algernon, who was acting as his "brother" Ernest, in his home, canceling his previous statement. Jack drags Algernon away and talks to him in the garden on why in the world is he were of all places. Meanwhile, Gwendolen visits "Earnest" home, and finds Cecil there. They both talk about their lover not knowing that there lovers share the same name. They constantly argued about the fact that they were the one who was married to Ernest, until they made both Jack and Algernon fess up to the truth, that Ernest was not their real name. Will these two couples ever get together after this "gross" deception? Read or watch the play to find out!
An Short part of the play "The Importance of being Earnest"
Literary Information
This play contains 75 pages, and is written in third person omniscient. It's genre is drama, satire, and a comity.
Literary Analysis
One of the theme's in this book is the triviality of the Victoria society, and the people it produces. For an example the single reason why Cecil and Gwendolen got married to their proposing suitors is because of their desirable name, Ernest. They could of cared less of their personality, and as well as temperament. "The only really safe name is Ernest"(129), Gwendolen, had said this when "Ernest"(Jack) had asked her if she could love him with any other name, IE: Jack. She blandly refused saying that “Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John."(129). this clearly shows the shallowness of the people at this time. Another theme is the name of the play itself, It has a pun, and it's what the book is clearly not illustrating. Take for an example the double lives of Jack, and Algernon. To be earnest mean showing depth and sincerity of feeling (dictionary.com), yet what they are doing is not showing sincerity as they are obviously lying , nor showing any depth of any kind as their reasons are quite shallow indeed. After all the only reason Algernon does it is to get out of Aunt Augusta's dinner parties (123).
Criticism
What I really like about this play was the fact that its humor can be understood by everyone, from the fact of the pure irony of the title relating to the character with in the book, to two girls fighting over that they are on who in engaged with Ernest, when the attentive audiences know it's really two people pretending to have the same name. It has various short and funny lines with in it , one of my favorite being,"Jack. For heaven's sake, don't try to be cynical. It's perfectly easy to be cynical. Algernon. My dear fellow, it isn't easy to be anything nowadays. There's such a lot of beastly competition about."(124). However at the same time it can be taken somewhat seriously, and there are many points with in this play that can be given a ponder. If I were to rate this plau out of five stars, it score would be 4.3 as it's one of the best plays i have ever read, but there are somethings that go against it like the fact that this book is not as relatable to people know then it had went it was first shown in operas. Still I consider this Oscars Wilde's best work.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar WildeAuthor Bio
Oscar Wilde is a well known playwright, who writes a variety of plays, and is well know for his works. He was born on October 16, 1854, at Dublin Ireland. He was a great student at Trinity Collage, and in 1874 he had entered the Magdalen College, Oxford. There he had won the Newdigate Prize for his poem," Ravenna". He had written a variety of plays before he had become well known form his play "Lady Windermere's Fan". He went on to write two more plays, one of which is "The Importance of being earnest". However as all things do, good things must come to an end. he was sentenced to two years of hard labor for Homosexual offense. when was out of jail, in 1887, he had written one more poem ", The Ballad of Reading Gaol". He had died in Paris on November 30, 1900.
Plot Synopsis
The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is set in England during the late Victorian Era. It starts with in one of the main characters, Algernon, home. Jack has arrived to his home to propose Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen. Algernon refuses to Jack let him marry Gwendolen, until Jack explains why on his cigar-case, that he left in Algernon's home, there is an engraving bearing the name of Cecil. Jack is then forced to tell Algernon about that fact that he has been living a double life. that the country, he goes with the name of Jack, and pretending that he had brother named Ernest who lives in London that he needed frequent attention. Algernon then reveals that he does something very similar, he pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country and he “visits" him whenever he doesn't want to go a party, or other social obligations. Lady Braknell enters at the time, she’s the mother and Gwendolen, and asks Algernon to go to the party engagement thing. Algernon lures away Lady Braknell with the promise of music, leaving Jack, And Gwendolen alone, where Jack proposes to her. She says yes to this marriage; however Lady Braknell bursts in, while they proposed. She hears about this and begins to interview Jack. Everything is well, until she reaches the subject of family. Jack proceeds to tell her that he was found in a handbag, a perfectly ordinary hand bag, in the cloak-room at Victoria Station, the Brighton Line. Bewildered by this, she refuses him consent to the marriage between Jack and Gwendolen, despite of the previous consent. Afterword she left, Gwendolen sneaked back to say her "undying" love for him, and asked for the address for his country home. Algernon, who was not allowed to go the country home, wrote down the address, knowing that he would go there. Algernon went to Jack's country home as his "brother" Ernest; He meets Cecil and immediately falls in love with her. They engaged with each other without permission from Jack. However Jack bursts in, decided that he would kill off his fake brother Earnest, and says that his brother Earnest had dead from a severe cold. However he finds Algernon, who was acting as his "brother" Ernest, in his home, canceling his previous statement. Jack drags Algernon away and talks to him in the garden on why in the world is he were of all places. Meanwhile, Gwendolen visits "Earnest" home, and finds Cecil there. They both talk about their lover not knowing that there lovers share the same name. They constantly argued about the fact that they were the one who was married to Ernest, until they made both Jack and Algernon fess up to the truth, that Ernest was not their real name. Will these two couples ever get together after this "gross" deception? Read or watch the play to find out!
An Short part of the play "The Importance of being Earnest"
Literary Information
This play contains 75 pages, and is written in third person omniscient. It's genre is drama, satire, and a comity.Literary Analysis
One of the theme's in this book is the triviality of the Victoria society, and the people it produces. For an example the single reason why Cecil and Gwendolen got married to their proposing suitors is because of their desirable name, Ernest. They could of cared less of their personality, and as well as temperament. "The only really safe name is Ernest"(129), Gwendolen, had said this when "Ernest"(Jack) had asked her if she could love him with any other name, IE: Jack. She blandly refused saying that “Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John."(129). this clearly shows the shallowness of the people at this time. Another theme is the name of the play itself, It has a pun, and it's what the book is clearly not illustrating. Take for an example the double lives of Jack, and Algernon. To be earnest mean showing depth and sincerity of feeling (dictionary.com), yet what they are doing is not showing sincerity as they are obviously lying , nor showing any depth of any kind as their reasons are quite shallow indeed. After all the only reason Algernon does it is to get out of Aunt Augusta's dinner parties (123).Criticism
What I really like about this play was the fact that its humor can be understood by everyone, from the fact of the pure irony of the title relating to the character with in the book, to two girls fighting over that they are on who in engaged with Ernest, when the attentive audiences know it's really two people pretending to have the same name. It has various short and funny lines with in it , one of my favorite being,"Jack. For heaven's sake, don't try to be cynical. It's perfectly easy to be cynical. Algernon. My dear fellow, it isn't easy to be anything nowadays. There's such a lot of beastly competition about."(124). However at the same time it can be taken somewhat seriously, and there are many points with in this play that can be given a ponder. If I were to rate this plau out of five stars, it score would be 4.3 as it's one of the best plays i have ever read, but there are somethings that go against it like the fact that this book is not as relatable to people know then it had went it was first shown in operas. Still I consider this Oscars Wilde's best work.You might also like:
Of Mice and Men Lady Windermere's Fan SalomeIf you liked Oscar Wilde's plays and poems check out these sites.
Oscar Wilde
Wikipedia-The Importance of being Earnest
Oscar Wilde Society
See these Wiki pages if you liked this book:
A Streetcar Named Desire
Of Mice and Men
Sources Cited
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of being Earnest and other plays
Oscar Wilde Society
Oscar Wilde