The Importance of Being Earnest Summary. A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London.
The Importance of Being Earnest play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.
 |
| The Importance of Being Earnest Summary |
The Importance of Being Earnest Summary
The play begins in the flat of wealthy Algernon Moncrieff (Algy) in London's fashionable West End. Algernon's aunt (Lady Bracknell) and her daughter (Gwendolen Fairfax) are coming for a visit, but Mr. Jack Worthing (a friend of Algy's) arrives first. Algernon finds it curious that Jack has announced himself as "Ernest." When Jack explains that he plans to propose marriage to Gwendolen, Algy demands to know why Jack has a cigarette case with the inscription, "From little Cecily with her fondest love."
Jack explains that his real name is Jack Worthing, squire, in the country, but he assumes the name "Ernest" when he ventures to the city for fun. Cecily is his ward. While devouring all the cucumber sandwiches, Algernon confesses that he, too, employs deception when it's convenient. He visits an imaginary invalid friend named Bunbury when he needs an excuse to leave the city.
Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive. Algernon explains that he cannot attend Lady Bracknell's reception because he must visit his invalid friend, Bunbury, but he offers to arrange the music for her party. While Algernon distracts Lady Bracknell in another room, Jack proposes to Gwendolen. Unfortunately, she explains that she really wants to marry someone named Ernest because it sounds so solidly aristocratic.
However, she accepts his proposal, and he makes a mental note to be rechristened Ernest. Lady Bracknell returns and refutes the engagement. She interrogates Jack and finds him lacking in social status. On her way out, Lady Bracknell tells Jack that he must find some acceptable parents. Gwendolen returns for Jack's address in the country. Algernon overhears and writes the address on his shirt cuff. He is curious about Cecily and decides to go "bunburying" in the country.
In the second act, the scene shifts to Jack Worthing's country estate where Miss Prism, Cecily Cardew's governess, is teaching Cecily in the garden. Miss Prism sings Jack's praises as a sensible and responsible man, unlike his brother Ernest, who is wicked and has a weak character. She teaches Cecily that good people end happily, and bad people end unhappily, according to the romantic novel Miss Prism wrote when she was young.
The local vicar, Canon Chasuble, arrives and, sensing an opportunity for romance, takes Miss Prism for a walk in the garden. While they are gone, Algy shows up pretending to be Jack's wicked brother Ernest. He is overcome by Cecily's beauty. Determined to learn more about Cecily while Jack is absent, Algernon plans to stay for the weekend, then make a fast getaway before Jack arrives on Monday. However, Jack returns early in mourning clothes claiming that his brother Ernest has died in Paris.
He is shocked to find Algy there posing as Ernest. He orders a dogcart — a small horse-drawn carriage — to send Algy back to London, but it is too late. Algernon is in love with Cecily and plans to stay there. When Jack goes out, Algernon proposes to Cecily, who gets out a diary and letters that she has already written, explaining that she had already imagined their engagement. She has always wanted to marry someone named Ernest, so Algy, like Jack, needs to arrange a rechristening.
Just when it seems that Jack and Algernon couldn't get into worse trouble, Gwendolen arrives, pursuing Jack, and discovers that his ward, Cecily, is unpleasantly beautiful. In conversation, they discover that they are both engaged to Ernest Worthing. A battle follows, cleverly carried out during the British tea ceremony. The situation is tense. Jack and Algernon arrive, and, in attempting to straighten out the Ernest problem, they alienate both women. The two men follow, explaining that they are going to be rechristened Ernest, and the women relent and agree to stay engaged.
Lady Bracknell shows up demanding an explanation for the couples' plans. When she discovers the extent of Cecily's fortune, she gives her consent to her engagement to Algernon; however, Jack's parentage is still a stumbling block to her blessings. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he will not agree to Cecily's engagement until she is of age (35) unless he can marry Gwendolen.
Dr. Chasuble arrives and announces that all is ready for the christenings. Jack explains that the christenings will no longer be necessary. Noting that Jack's present concerns are secular, the minister states that he will return to the church where Miss Prism is waiting to see him. Shocked at hearing the name "Prism," Lady Bracknell immediately calls for Prism and reveals her as the governess who lost Lady Bracknell's nephew 28 years earlier on a walk with the baby carriage. She demands to know where the baby is.
Miss Prism explains that in a moment of distraction she placed the baby in her handbag and left him in Victoria Station, confusing him with her three-volume novel, which was placed in the baby carriage. After Jack asks for details, he quickly runs to his room and retrieves the handbag. Miss Prism identifies it, and Lady Bracknell reveals that Jack is Algernon's older brother, son of Ernest John Moncrieff, who died years ago in India. Jack now truly is Ernest, and Algernon/Cecily, Jack/Gwendolen, and Chasuble/Prism fall into each others' arms as Jack realizes the importance of being earnest.
You may also like to read: The Crucible Story Summary
The Importance of Being Earnest Themes
Deception and the Art of Living a Double Life: At the heart of the play lies the constant theme of deception, with characters like Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff leading intricate double lives. Jack pretends to be named Ernest in the city to escape the responsibilities of his country life, while Algernon invents an invalid friend named Bunbury to escape social obligations. This playful exploration of deception and the masks we wear in society raises questions about authenticity, identity, and the gap between who we are and who we present ourselves to be.
The Pursuit of Marriage and the Absurdity of Social Conventions: Marriage is a central driving force in the play, with characters like Gwendolen and Cecily fixated on the idea of being engaged to someone named Ernest. Their shallow obsession with this superficial detail satirizes the Victorian marriage customs and social expectations of the time. The play's humor stems from the absurdity of these conventions and the characters' blind adherence to them, highlighting the hypocrisy and superficiality of Victorian society.
The Importance (or Unimportance) of Earnestness: The title itself is a playful paradox, as the characters constantly discuss the importance of being "earnest" (both serious and sincere) while engaging in trivial pursuits and witty paradoxes. This theme underscores Wilde's critique of Victorian earnestness, highlighting how a rigid adherence to seriousness can often mask hypocrisy and a lack of genuine feeling. The play ultimately suggests that authenticity and true connection are more valuable than the pretense of seriousness.
The Power of Language and Wit: Wilde's mastery of language is on full display in "The Importance of Being Earnest." The play is filled with witty epigrams, clever puns, and paradoxes that both entertain and satirize Victorian society. Language becomes a tool for characters to navigate social situations, mask their true intentions, and ultimately gain the upper hand. The play celebrates the power of language and wit, showcasing how words can be used to both build and undermine social constructs.
The Pursuit of Triviality and the Absurdity of Life: Despite its exploration of social critique and philosophical themes, "The Importance of Being Earnest" ultimately embraces the joy of the absurd. The play revels in its nonsensical situations, exaggerated characters, and witty exchanges, inviting the audience to laugh at the inherent ridiculousness of life and societal expectations. This focus on the trivial and the nonsensical highlights Wilde's belief that finding humor and pleasure in the everyday, even in the face of absurdity, is essential to living a fulfilling life.
You may also like to read: The Importance of Being Earnest Quotes
Questions and Answers about The Importance of Being Earnest Plot
What is the main lesson of The Importance of Being Earnest? Wilde does not make us look very far; he puts his message right there in the title: The Importance of Being Earnest. At its heart, this play is simply about dishonesty - our dishonesty both with others and with ourselves, both of which Wilde shows to be problematic through the antics of his characters.
What is the twist in The Importance of Being Earnest? ClimaxGwendolen and Cecily discover that both Jack and Algernon have been lying to them and that neither is really named “Ernest.” Falling actionMiss Prism is revealed to be the governess who mistakenly abandoned Jack as a baby and Jack is discovered to be Algernon's elder brother.
What is the main conflict in The Importance of Being Earnest? CONFLICT. The major conflict in this play is that Jack wants to marry Gwendolen, who believes his name is really Ernest-and loves him for that, and that he cannot because Lady Bracknell does not approve of Jack's background.
Who is the real Ernest in The Importance of Being Earnest? Ernest is the name Jack goes by in London, which is where he really goes on these occasions—probably to pursue the very sort of behavior he pretends to disapprove of in his imaginary brother. Jack is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, the cousin of his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff.
What is the symbolism in The Importance of Being Earnest? In sum, the symbol of The Importance of Being Earnest is the name of “Earnest” which refers to suppression from social expectation which it can lead to the theme of this play which is hypocrisy. The hypocrisy reflects Victorian society in a way of they treated and reacted to the classes.
What is the irony in The Importance of Being Earnest? The majority of the humor in The Importance of Being Earnest stems from dramatic irony: the audience is always aware that Ernest does not exist and that Jack and Algernon are both pretending to be him, but the other characters are not. This dramatic irony is at its most palpable during the two parallel proposal scenes.
What does Ernest symbolize in The Importance of Being Earnest? Similar to Bunbury, Ernest represents deception, fiction, and escapism, but also idealism. While Algernon and Jack attempt to masquerade as the real Ernest, he is just as fictional as Algernon's Bunbury.
Is The Importance of Being Earnest a tragedy? Based on this definition, The Importance of Being Earnest is definitely a comedy.
Who is the most important character in The Importance of Being Earnest? The play's protagonist. Jack Worthing is a seemingly responsible and respectable young man who leads a double life. In Hertfordshire, where he has a country estate, Jack is known as Jack.
Who is the villain in The Importance of Being Earnest? This story is a bit unusual, as it is more rooted in satire than anything else, in that its antagonist is Lady Bracknell. This is because she opposes the main intentions of the protagonist. Her refusal to allow her daughter to marry the main character is from where much of the plot stems.
Who are the two main characters in The Importance of Being Earnest? Jack Worthing (Ernest), a young gentleman from the country, in love with Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon Moncrieff, a young gentleman from London, the nephew of Lady Bracknell, in love with Cecily Cardew. Gwendolen Fairfax, a young lady, loved by Jack Worthing. Lady Augusta Bracknell, a society lady, Gwendolen's mother.
How is The Importance of Being Earnest a satire? The Importance of Being Earnest acts as satire as it comedically exposes the social issues of Victorian society. Wilde uses his characters to point out the hypocrisy and ignorance in which Victorian values were rooted.
Who is Lane in The Importance of Being Earnest? Lane is Algernon Moncrieff's butler. We first see him arranging the tea-table in Algy's rooms, whilst Algy is offstage playing the piano. Whilst this is a minor role, Lane is important in the establishment of the tone of the play.
Who is hypocritical in The Importance of Being Earnest? Jack Worthing tells Doctor Chasuble and Miss Prism about the death of his brother Ernest, and they express conventional condolences, including comments on the evil ways of the deceased. Their hypocritical piety appears even more ridiculous by the audience's awareness that Ernest does not actually exist.
Who are the character foils in The Importance of Being Earnest? They are both rich. They are both beautiful. And they're both outrageously in love with the name Ernest. The only things that really distinguish the two women are Cecily's relatively younger age and sharper wit.
Does importance of being earnest have a happy ending? Unexpectedly, Miss Prism confesses that she lost a general Moncrief's child years ago, and this child is Jack. So here is the happy ending, Jack's real name is Ernest Moncrief, Algernon is his younger brother, and nothing comes in the way of love.