Importance of Being Earnest

TOPIC OF THE BLOG:- 

This blog is a part of a Thinking Activity given by Dilip Barad Sir (Click here for Dilip Barad sir's Blog Site ). In this blog I tried to give justice to the comedy Play Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. 

OSCAR WILDE:-

Oscar's full name is Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde and also known as Sebastian Melmoth. He was born on 16 October 1845 in Dublin, Ireland and died on 30 November 1900 in Paris, France. He was an Irish Poet and Playwright.He was a spokesman for the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement in England, which advocated art for art’s sake, and he was the object of celebrated civil and criminal suits involving homosexuality and ending in his imprisonment (1895–97). (Beckson) 

Here are some of his famous works:- 

• A Woman of No Importance
• De Profundis
• Intentions
• Lady Windermere’s Fan
• Poems
• Ravenna
• Salomé
• The Ballad of Reading Gaol
• The Happy Prince and Other Tales
• The Importance of Being Earnest 
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• An Ideal Husband
• Dimensions
• The Canterville Ghost
• A House of Pomegranates
• The Duchess of Padua
• Vera; or, The Nihilists
• The Model Millionaire
• A Florentine Tragedy
• The Remarkable Rocket
• The Star-Child

Wilde was born of professional and literary parents. His father, Sir William Wilde, was Ireland’s leading ear and eye surgeon, who also published books on archaeology, folklore, and the satirist Jonathan Swift. His mother, who wrote under the name Speranza, was a revolutionary poet and an authority on Celtic myth and folklore. (Beckson)
IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST:-

The Importance of Being Earnest, has a full name; The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. It's written by Oscar Wilde and it's a three act play first played on 14 February, 1895. 

CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY:- 

There are so many Important Characters in this play:-

• John "Jack" Worthing
• Algernon Moncrieff
• Gwendolen Fairfax
• Cecily Cardew
• Lady Augusta Bracknell
• Miss Laetitia Prism
• Dr. Frederick Chasuble
• Lane
• Merriman

🍂JOHN "JACK" WORTHING:-

John is a protagonist of the play and is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax. From this line one can find that he comes this time to propose to her; "I am in love with Gwendolen". I have come up to town expressly to propose to her. Jack was discovered in a handbag in the cloakroom of Victoria Station by an old man who adopted him and subsequently made Jack guardian to his granddaughter, Cecily Cardew, at last this secret was revealed by Miss Prism. He lives a double life, first one as Jack in the country and as Earnest in the city. As a guardian to Cecily, he’s used to setting down rules, even guiding curriculum. He is more serious about keeping up his air of respectability. Wilde describes Jack's reaction as "irritable" three times in the play: when Algernon rushes him, when Lady Bracknell quizzes him on Cecily’s background, and when the same lady can’t remember his father’s first name. Jack is attracted to Gwendolen, a sensible, intellectual girl. Gwendolen is a sophisticated city woman, and her style and education make her desirable to Jack. 

🍂ALGERNON MONCRIEFF:-

Second hero of the play. Algernon is brilliant, witty, selfish, amoral, charming, idle, decorative bachelor, nephew of Lady Bracknell, cousin of Gwendolen Fairfax, and best friend of Jack Worthing. He has invented a fictional friend, Bunbury. In An Ideal Husband, the play Wilde wrote just before this one, a similar character appears. This character, Lord Goring, even has a scene with his butler that resembles Algernon's first scene with his butler, Lane. Wilde wrote that Lord Goring 'plays with life,' and the same can be said of Algernon. His character and thought for women reflects in his dialogues; "Well, in the first place girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don’t think it right." He is in love with Cecily Cardew, the ward of Jack Worthing. 

🍂GWENDOLEN FAIRFAX:-

Gwendolen is Lady Bracknell's daughter and cousin of algernon. She desires nothing but to marry someone named Ernest. Gwendolen is in love with Jack, whom she knows as Ernest. She is sophisticated, intellectual, cosmopolitan, and utterly pretentious. Gwendolen also has strong ideas about social protocol like her mother. She thinks Cecily is a country girl who doesn't know anything. We can see that in these dialogues of both; Cecily:- "Do you suggest, Miss Fairfax, that I entrapped Earnest into an engagement? How dare you? This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners. When I see a spade I call it a spade." Gwendolen:- "(Satirically) I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is obvious that our social spheres have been widely different."

🍂CECILY CARDEW:-

She is the granddaughter of the gentleman who found Jack when he was baby, and she is also a ward of Jack.  Like Gwendolen, she is also obsessed with the name Ernest. In her diary, she makes long entries recording romantic events that are entirely fictional. Cecily:- Worn out by your entire ignorance of my existence, I determined to end the matter one way or the other, and after a long struggle with myself I accepted you under this dear old tree here. The next day I bought this little ring in your name, and this is the little bangle with the true lover's knot I promised you always to wear. Algernon:- Did I give you this? It's very pretty, isn't it? When she and Gwendolen get confused over the Jake, Algernon and Earnest name, they both talk with each other as a revival but when they both get to know that the name of the both people are not Earnest they get in one team. Gwendolen:- I felt there was some slight error, Miss Cardew. The gentleman who is now embracing you is my cousin, Mr. Algernon Moncrieff. Cecily:- [Breaking away from Algernon.] Algernon Moncrieff! Oh! [The two girls move towards each other and put their arms round each other’s waists as if for protection.] Cecily:- Are you called Algernon? Algernon:- I cannot deny it. Cecily:- Oh! Gwendolen:- Is your name really John? Jack:- [Standing rather proudly.] I could deny it if I liked. I could deny anything if I liked. But my name certainly is John. It has been John for years. Cecily:- [To Gwendolen.] A gross deception has been practised on both of us. Gwendolen:- My poor wounded Cecily! Cecily:- My sweet wronged Gwendolen! Gwendolen:- [Slowly and seriously.] You will call me sister, will you not? [They embrace. Jack and Algernon groan and walk up and down.] 

WORKS CITED:-

• Beckson, Karl. "Oscar Wilde". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Oscar-Wilde.

In this blog I try to Cover up Four main Characters of the play.  

Note:- If you find any problem or question or suggestions please let me know ☺️ some of the information is collected from different sources, books and websites. 

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Photos:- 3