Throughout the play, Ernest is a name that encompasses qualities of the ideal man: deeply trustworthy, truly loving, honorable and passionate, and absolutely sincere. Rather than a form of the name Ernest, the title implies earnestness as a quality one should seek to acquire, as in being honest, sincere, sober, and serious. Wilde seems to have been toying with audiences by giving the play a title with more than one meaning. Oscar Wilde builds a farcical-albeit realistic-world of Victorian social mores by using double entendre, aphorisms, and witty repartee. Of course, courting and liaisons ensue, but not without complications. Jack bends the truth to include an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from the country to party among urban socialites, while urbane Algernon uses a similar technique (Bunburying) that provides him opportunities for taking adventures in the country. Filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom, The Importance of Being Earnest tells the story of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff who use clever deception and truth-bending to accommodate their social pursuits. The Importance of Being Earnest has proven to be Oscar Wilde’s most enduring-and endearing-play.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |