Thinking Activity on 'Importance of Being Earnest '

   Importance of Being Earnest:-

About Writer:-

Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900) Full Name :- Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills wild. Born :- 16 October 1854 Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland Died:- 30 November 1900 Paris, France Award and Honours :- Newdigate Prize (1878) Oscar Wilde was Irish wit, poet and dramatist whose reputation rests on his only novel, The picture of Dorian Gray (1891) and on his comic masterpiece Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).He was born of professional and literary parents. He was deeply impressed by the teaching of the English writers John Ruskin and Walter Pater. In the early 1880 when aestheticism was the rage and despair of literary London, Wilde established himself in social and artistic circles by his wheat and flamboyance. In his comic Opera patience Gilbert and Sullivan base the character Bunthrone , a "fleshy poet" partly on Wilde. Wild published at his own expense poems (1881) which echoed , too faithfully, his discipleship to the poets Algernon Swinburne,Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Keats. Importance of Being Earnest his most famous play. Wilde's greatest successes were his society comedies. His only remaining work was the Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898). He died suddenly of acute meningitis brought on by an ear infection. In his semiconscious final moments, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church, which he had long admired. Analyse the play ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ as a social critique. "The importance of Being Earnest" is a delightful comedy which contains a large number of elements combined together that is satire , humor and sentimental comedy. But the dominant one is the element of Satire.

It is no exaggeration to say that "importance of Being Earnest" is a social satire. Oscar Wilde has targeted the Victorian society of England in his own language. A lot of symbols are there in this place which have hidden meanings that are refreshing to the audience. In the Play many words, dialogue and all characters of the place satirizes Victorian society. Oscar Wilde through display tries to cover each and every aspect and manner of life spent by people of his own era. Notwithstanding he primarily focuses on class and shows us that if society has no morality then it would not survive. Oscar Wilde is aware of the general principle that it is time duty to every artist to surprise the society in case it is crossing its limits. As a result he has written this place to give some morality to the audience. From "Importance of Being Earnest" it seems that Oscar Wilde has full field his duty. It is an undeniable fact that "Importance of Being Earnest" is a social satire. This play is a direct attack on Victorian society. A satire differs from the "comic" in that "comedy" evokes laughter mainly as an end in itself whereas "Satire" "derides" because it uses laughter as a weapon for reformation. Therefore through social satire the writer aims at correcting the weaknesses, follies and absurdities of the society. The principal target of satire in the importance of being earnest is the English upper class of the time although we have a couple of satirical portraits of persons belonging to certain different levels of the society i.e. Dr. Chasuble (Rector)and Miss Prism (Governess). Daughter ridiculous the English aristocracy represented by Lady Bracknell, Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon, etc. Algernon has been portrayed as a satirical character in the Play. He is a typical representative of the English upper class of the time. He is shallowness, irresponsibility, extravagans and vanity have been exposed in a manner to make us laugh heartily. Algernon is a carefree fellow and if his servant drinks champagne, he takes the metal light heartedly. He throws large parties and on the other hand, he keeps helping on the same tune that he lacks money. He tells the check that he would get the price for restoring his cigarette case because he is hard up at this time. In fact he is in a state of indebtedness. Another trade of his personality is his gluttony. Check says about him that he is always hungry and keeps eating whether it is cucumber sandwich or muffins. He wants a check to invite him to dinner at an expensive restaurant. It seems that eating is his favourite hobby.

Algernon's dresses have been satirized by the author. He is a fashionable young man . His description about dresses makes us laugh a lot. Lady Bracknell describes to him that I'll give noo 'is nothing but he looks everything'. He also claims that he can play on piano skillfully. One ever dentist of his chalo message that at every party he wants to flirt with any woman. Undoubtedly, Algernon's Portrayal is satirical. Jack Worthing's character has also been portrayed satirically. Cat is representative of the top class, but he is a better specimen and wings our admiration. He is a responsible guardian and a serious young man in his conversation. Miss Prism says about him:"There is no room of triviality and idle merriment". Algernon is a light hearted, he is too serious. His serious look is ridiculous. Cecily says that her uncle Jack looks so serious as if to give an impression that he is unwell. Algernon says of him "He is the most earnest looking man". He makes errors of judgement and thinks that Gwendolen is a very intellectual kind of girl while she is a shallow character. He admires Cecily because she has an excellent appetite and no attention to her studies. Moreover he does not believe in telling the truth to a young and refined lady. Does the portrayal of the check is satirical in intention and effect. Gwendolen Fairfax is also a superficial and absurd character presented by the author saterically. For instance she is not capable of understanding how a person of importance can exist in the countryside. She has a foolish habit of writing a diary instead of retaining facts in her memory. When she makes a railway journey she carries her diary with her for nothing but to read sensational things. But her most enthusiastic absurdity is her love for the name "Earnest". She is of the view that earnest is a divine and musical name and it produce vibrations. It has always been her cherished ideal to love someone whose name is "Earnest". She marries the person named "Earnest". Cecily Cardew is another representative of the aristocratic class, although shr is a better specimen than Gwendolen. She amuses us by her failings and absurdities. She is least interested in Geography, Grammar and Political economy and regards them as "horrid". She is a diary recorder and records the minor details of her life, calling its contents,'the wonderful secrets'. She is beautiful but ridiculous and goes into raptures over the name 'Earnest'. She falls in love with the person whose name is 'Earnest' even without seeing him. She got engaged to him in her imagination and what a ring on his behalf. Aur absolutely further appears in her wanting to put down in her diary every word that her lover has to say in praise. The portrayal of Lady Bracknell is perhaps the most satirical. Through her character the foible of the upper class have been exposed. She is a class conscious lady. She claims to have a taste for music but she would like her nephew to make the selection of the numbers to be played at her party. Har principal absurdities are her snobbery, her class consciousness, her mercenary outlook of life, har suspicious nature and domineering temperament. The manner in which she cross examines to determine his suitability as her son in law shows both her suspicious nature and her domineering temperament. Both these traits appear again in the questions which she subsequently asks in order to determine the suitability of Cecily as a wife for Algernon. This second cross when examination shows also the importance of money in her eyes because as soon as she learnt Cecily certain qualities which she had not observed before. Her domineering nature appears also in the manner in which she exercises rigid control over her daughter and her own husband and this aspect of her personality is ridiculed by the author. Thus, Portrayal of Lady Bracknell exposes the feelings and absurdities of the English upper class. Another portrait in the play is that of Dr.Chasuble. This Portugal is a satire on clergymen. Clergyman is expected to inspire respect but Dr.Chasuble excites our mirth. Dr.Chasuble is ridiculed for his pompous manner of speaking, his hypocrisy and lack of real scholarship. His pompous manner of speaking is evident by one of his speeches. On seeing Jack in mourning clothes, Dr.Chasuble says to him ,

"Dear, Mr. Worthing,I trust this garb of Woe does not, betoken some terrible calamity…."

It is quite absurd on his part to claim that a particular sermon office can be adapted to any occasion, joyful or sorrowful. Another absurdity in his conversation of course when he makes a classical illusion drone from the Pagan authors. He is a Christian priest but he quotes pagan authors. He is hypocris your pears in the fact that he favours celibacy but he had sexual tendencies toward Miss Prism. He is all of spiritually therefore the author has fertilized his character in order to make us laugh. Miss Prism (Governess of Cecily Cardew) is also the target of Wilde's satire. She amuseous amused by her literary pretensions. She wanted to bring a three volume Novel and put it in a paramedical and put the baby in a handbag absentmindedly which was deposited at Victoria station.Thus, she breached her duty. She has moral potential also which she shows in her dislike of The wicked young younger brother of check working and in her feeling of joy at the reported death of that wicked fellow. She is a spinster but cherishes to marry Dr.Chasuble. Therefore, she goes for walks with Dr.Chasuble under one pretext or the other. Thus, the portrayal of Miss Prism is also satirical through which Oscar Wilde has directed his Satire to the lower classes of the society of the nineteenth century. Conclusion:- The importance of being earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the isocrates who play emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume The Identity of "Earnest" yet ironically they both are beginning their marital lives based on lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat whose four sister concept of marriage is based on wealth or status rather than love. Through farce and exaggeration Wilde reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper classicide looks upon as being important as said earlier or satirical peace usually has a didactic side to it. In this case Lady Bracknell learns that the same person she was criticizing is actually her own flesh and blood. In the Play some of the characters were leading a double life and that they were lying about it. The frequent use of lies and language with double meanings in the play suggest that there is duplicity in lying and that the truth has two sides, just like the characters in the play are dual and have two sides. Wild produced this critic in the theatres in London at the heart of society and at the heart of the British Empire. The play unmasks society and says something about reality.