Comedy was a genre of drama, which was prominent at the time of presentation of

“Importance of Being Earnest”. Oscar Wilde, with the mindset of comedy of merriment, has
written this play. On one hand, the play is ironical and full of satire; but at the same time, on
the other hand its comedy is enjoyable. Definitely, the comedy of this play is not
wholly based on actions but mainly on its witty dialogues. Although the play is farcical
comedy, yet it is pleasant for the people who have good sense of humor. In order to laugh
on the remarks and dialogues of the characters, prior mindset is not necessary. Oscar Wild,
very cleverly, has chosen such dialogues, which are ironical. The difference
between the meaning of dialogues and reality makes the play more amusing.The dialogues
simultaneously are amusing, witty, sarcastic, cynical and epigrammatic, which make the play
a superfluous comedy. As chief interest of the play lies in its interchanging arguments,
therefore, let us spread light on some of the paradoxical dialogues of the play.
Not all the dialogues of the play are required to be mentioned here but some of the important
are necessary for the utmost purpose to prove that the play is comedy of merriment. The
paradoxical dialogue between Algernon and Jack, in Act-I is much amusing when Algernon
utters that “Divorces are made in heaven.”It is truly paradoxical but at the
same time, it is ironical. Not divorces but marriages are made in heaven. Conversation
between both these characters goes on and another paradoxical statement has been made
by Algernon. He says; “Girls never marry the men they flirt with.”If, Oscar Wilde, for the
purpose of satire has used this dialogue then well and good as the girls of Victorian
society did not marry with the person, whom the flirt with but usually flirtation causes the
marriage between two couples. Act-II of the play is full of paradoxical statements. While
discussing about the category of novels, Cecily says to Miss Prism; “I don’t like novels that
end happily. They depress me so much.” Again, the statement is opposite to the
reality because it is not the happy ending of any novel, which makes a person sad but
unhappy ending, which frustrates the mood of a person. On another occasion, Gwendolen
makes satirical remark. She says; “I am glad to say that I have never seen a spade. It is
obvious that our social spheres have been widely different.” Moreover, every remark of
Lady Bracknell is facetious. Her remarks about Algernon that he has nothing but his debts to
depend upon is sardonic and cynical. She, while referring his own condition, on an occasion
says that “When I married Lord Bracknell I had no fortune of any kind. But I never dreamed
for a moment of allowing that to stand in my way.” Apart from the
dialogues, actions of the characters are also hilarious. For instance, Algernon’s visit to
Jack’s house in the guise of Earnest is full of amusement. In the same act, when Jack
announces the death of his imaginary friend, is also full of amusement. Miss Prism’s act of
shuffling Jack and novel’s manuscript is also farcical and creates humor. The actions of
both ladies, on their first meeting, are also laughable. Furthermore, the plot of play is
extraordinarily comical. With development in plot, amusement of spectators increases. Apart
from the major characters and their dialogues, the utterance of dialogues from the mouth of
minor characters is amazingly crafted by the writer. For instance, when Lady
Bracknell attends the tea party with Algernon and asks for the cucumber sandwiches, which
has been promised by him, Algernon blamed his servant and asks that why there are no
cucumber sandwiches. The servant, without hesitation covers the repute by saying that
cucumbers were not available in the market despite knowing that his master has
eaten all the sandwiches. Likewise, at the end of play, Jack, after knowing that Miss Prism,
inadvertently, instead of him, put manuscript in the bag, tried to hug Miss Prism, while
considering him as his mother is also enjoyable. This hilarious action of Jack does not end
here but he goes father while giving speech of redemption and double standards of
society as he considers that Miss Prism has committed adultery. In fact, every single line as
well as action of the play is enjoyable. Thus, these elements are enough to describe this play
as a comedy of merriment. Keeping in view the above-mentioned discussion regarding the
play, it is clear that the play belongs to the category of comedy plays and its
comedy is merriment but this statement is not entirely true. The primary purpose of the writer
was not only to laugh with the audience but also to satirize the Victorian society. Oscar Wilde
in hidden meanings wanted to give awareness to the people regarding their follies and
attitude, especially the attitude of upper middle class. If the play is a
comedy and people laugh on every dialogue of the characters, then it is the secondary
purpose as the chief aim of writing this play is to satirize the behavior of people of Victorian
society. Thus, saying that the play is mere a comedy of merriment is not justified. To
conclude, unquestionably, the play is the funniest play of Oscar Wilde. He crafted this
play very beautifully in order to amuse the audience.Ancient Romans and Greeks were fond
of comedy plays and according to them, comedy plays are those, which have happy
conclusion but this play is different from them as from start to climax, we severely find any
serious moment in the play. Usually comedy plays are written for the purpose of
enjoyment but Oscar Wilde, while using the ironical, sarcastic, epigrammatic and paradoxical
remarks, also satirizes the society. No doubt, the play is definitely a comedy of merriment
but it is harsh to say that the play is not merely a comedy of merriment. It can be the
secondary purpose of the play but main purpose of the writer is to aware the
society for their stupidities, foolishness as well as double standards. Oscar Wilde's play The
Important of Being Earnest can be seen as a comedy of manners. The play is categorized as
a farce due to its outrageous storyline and exaggerated characters. It satirizes the upper
class, depicting them as ridiculous for their folly.Click to see full answer Also
to know is, is The Importance of Being Earnest a comedy of manners?The importance of
being earnest is referred to as a comedy of manners because it ironically describes the
conduct of the Victorian upper class. Wilde who is the author of the play had an intention of
exposing the norms and values of the upper class individuals of the Victorian
society and to prove them as shame.Likewise, what elements of Restoration comedy are in
The Importance of Being Earnest? Restoration refers to the reestablishment of English
royalty and culture after the Puritans emigrated to America. As a result, Restoration Comedy
contains elements like satire, sarcasm and sagacity, which can be observed in
the arguements between Algernon and Jack. Consequently, is The Importance of Being
Earnest a comedy or tragedy? The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for
Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make
The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play. The
successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his
downfall.Why do Gwendolen and Cecily want to marry an Ernest?Both Gwendolen and
Cecily want to marry a man called Ernest, so it is important for Jack and Algernon to be
named Ernest. ALSO earnest means honest, so the title stresses the importance of being
honest, which Jack and Algy are not. Algernon (Algy) – a figure of dandy; careless, likes to
dress nice, leads a double life, in love with Cecily Jack/John Worthing – in love with
Gwendolen, leads a double life, has imaginary brother Earnest Bunbury – Algernon’s
imaginary friend; Bunburying – Algernon’s term for leading a double life Lady Bracknell –
Gwendolen’s mother, a hypocrite, cares only about money and appearance Gwendolen – in
love with Jack just because she thinks his name is Earnest, has a shallow view of love
Cecily – a girl in Jack’s custody, wants to marry Algernon because she thinks his name is
Earnest, has a shallow view of love Chasuble – represents the hypocrisy of Church
COMEDY OF MANNERS The Importance of Being Earnest can be regarded as a satire,
farce, parody, but it is mostly a comedy of manners. This play criticizes the upper class,
ridicules their behavior, flaws, and pretensions, which can be seen especially in the
character of Lady Bracknell – she is an example of Victorian hypocrisy, she cares only about
money and appearance, for her marriage is business and love is not important, she has no
regard for sick or handicapped people. Dialogues are witty and contain sarcasm and irony.
Characters are stock, they don’t represent individuals, but certain types of people; Wilde
criticizes the whole society by making caricatures of characters. Through humor, Wilde
shows how ridiculous the behavior of Victorians is. Life of aristocracy is based on
hypocrisy(e.g. Lady Bracknell doesn’t accept Jack as her son-in-law under the excuse that
his origin is unknown, but when she finds out that he is actually very rich, that doesn’t bother
her), superficiality and artificiality. READ: Umberto Eco’s The Name of the
Rose: Comedy & CarnivalesqueMoney and property have primary importance. As it is said
in the play: ‘We live in an age of surfaces.”, all characters are shallow and don’t care about
real values in life, such as earnestness or love. The scenes are cleverly constructed –
situations are ridiculous and surreal(which provokes humor), there is a lot of
coincident(e.g. Gwendolen and Cecily find out that they are both engaged to a man named
Ernest). MARRIAGE/LOVE In this play, marriage is represented as a matter of business, not
pleasure or love. That can be seen in Lady Bracknell’s conversation with Jack, who wants to
marry her daughter, it looks like a business interview, she questions him
about his income and social position. Gwendolen wants to marry Jack because she thinks
his name is Ernest, not carrying if he really possesses the qualities that comprise
earnestness, she also doesn’t care how her marriage will look like, is she going to be happy
with Ernest, but that her proposal is done according to tradition. Algernon is cynical
about marriage, for him it is only an unavoidable obligation until he falls in love. Jack thinks
marriage should be a pleasure (perhaps because he’s already in love). Miss Prism’s attitude
is that all respectable men should get married – bachelors permanently become temptations
for women if they stay single, it is their duty to stop leading women astray,
young women are ”green”, they should wait to marry until they are mature enough to value
their husbands. Miss Prism embraces responsibility and duty – for her marriage is a social
responsibility. Cecily believes in happily-ever-after but doesn’t understand the seriousness of
marriage because of her youth. Help Us Fix his Smile with Your Old Essays,
It Takes Seconds! -We are looking for previous essays, labs and assignments that you aced!
-We will review and post them on our website. -Ad revenue is used to support children in
developing nations. -We help pay for cleft palate repair surgeries through Operation Smile
and Smile Train. Related Posts In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask
that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Oscar
Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest takes place in the Victorian Era and follows Jack
Worthing, a man who creates a fake identity named Earnest in order to escape his home life
and win the heart of Gwendolyn Fairfax, an aristocrat from London. It also
follows Jack’s friend Algernon Moncrieff, who later also pretends to be named Earnest in
order to marry Jack’s ward Cecily Cardew. Both Gwendolen and Cecily have a silly belief
that they are destined to marry a man named Earnest. Turn in your highest-quality paper Get
a qualified writer to help you with “ The Importance of Being Earnest: A
Comedy ” Get high-quality paper NEW! AI matching with writer Lady Bracknell, the play’s
antagonist, tries to control their relationships by pointing out that an aristocrat in society must
uphold their position in society through marriage. Wilde deliberately makes the characters
and the conversations between them humorous and entertaining to
appeal to the audience. In the Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde consistently uses
humor to highlight the Victorian society’s notions on the institution of marriage. Wilde helps
the audience better understand Victorian values by hilariously painting an unflattering picture
of the aristocracy’s ridiculous views on marriage. Lady Bracknell is
perhaps Wilde’s most outrageous character in the play, as she tries to take control over each
engagement that takes place. When Lady Bracknell is informed of Cecily’s engagement to
Algernon, her response towards her is cold. She immediately begins asking probing
questions such as ‘Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the
larger railway stations in London?’ Lady Bracknell is gravely concerned about the impact that
Algernon’s marriage to a woman of lower status could do to her family’s reputation. The
conversation becomes amusing when Jack informs her of Cecily’s family’s wealth and
status. Lady Bracknell comically responds, ‘A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred
and thirty thousand pounds! And in the funds! Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive
young lady, now that I look at her’ (Wilde, 1894). Lady Bracknell’s dramatic change in tone
towards Cecily and Algernon’s engagement is comedic. In a matter of a few seconds, she
went from disproving of Cecily to agreeing happily to the engagement purely
because of her greed. She is suddenly supportive of the marriage only when she learns that
Cecily comes from a respectable family with an inheritance in her name. Marriage, a typically
serious topic, is discussed lightly by Lady Bracknell, who discusses several selfish reasons
for marriage besides the love between two people. Wilde creates this
hilarious contrast in Lady Bracknell’s attitude to reveal the Victorian era’s warped priorities
regarding marriage. He creates a character with such eccentric opinions to highlight the
absurdities in the mindset of aristocrats. Through Lady Bracknell’s humorous responses, she
reveals her true opinions on marriage, which is marriage for wealth and
social status. Gwendolen’s standards for marriage are absurd in a way that is much different
than Lady Bracknell’s. She is less concerned with wealth and status, but instead infatuated
with the name Earnest. Gwendolen says to Jack, ‘The moment Algernon first mentioned to
me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you.’ In
this line, Gwendolen tells him that just his name was enough for her to fall in love with him.
Their conversation becomes even more humorous when Jack asks her what she thinks of
the name Jack. She responds, ‘Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if
any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations . . . I
have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain’
(Wilde, 1894). The pure irony of her saying she never wants to marry a man named Jack,
when she is in love with a man whose real name is Jack, is Wilde’s way of poking fun at the
silly nature behind her thoughts. The utter ridiculousness of what Gwendolen says
emphasizes Victorian society’s skewed views on marriage. Her concept of love and marriage
revolves around a name, instead of their actual personality and compatibility together. The
way she speaks about always wanting to marry a man named Earnest is comical and
humorous because there’s no logic behind her reasoning. Someone’s name itself
shouldn’t matter for a commitment as important as Marriage. Wilde uses this ironic and
funny interaction to point out how skewed Victorian society’s requirements for marriage are.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde presents a very humorous approach to
commenting on the ideals of marriage in Victorian society. The title of the play
itself is satire, as the two people who go by the name of Earnest are far from being Earnest
until the end of the play. Wilde creates the most preposterous characters, such as Lady
Bracknell, to exaggerate the importance of money and reputation to aristocrats in Victorian
society. The conversations between the characters are ironic, and point out
their skewed requirements for love and marriage. Through Wilde’s use of comedy in the
play, he was able to comment on Victorian society’s beliefs about marriage in a light and
entertaining manner, ridiculing them for prioritizing names, wealth, and reputation before
love. Turn in your highest-quality paper Get a qualified writer to help you with “