Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Earnest is a "trivial comedy for serious people". This play is filled with humor and meaningless fights over unimportant matters, which Wilde uses to mock the characters, or the rich Victorian society. It truly reflects the real importance of being earnest. Earnest is a word that means honest and sincere. One thinks of a person as being earnest when they are selfless, humble, thoughtful, and overall good people. In contrast, the characters in this work are vastly opposite. They are obsessed with appearance and status, fake, dishonest people who care only about trivial matters when there are real problems in life. Arguments over food, objects with nothing other than material value, and many other things shows how immature and ridiculous these people really are. The obsession with appearance and status is constantly seen. Cecily and Gwendolen are only concerned with marrying Ernest because of his name, and Lady Bracknell cannot accept Ernest because he does not have ancestors of prestige. Wilde uses events such as these in the play to show how wrong this kind of behavior is, and how people show be earnest and true rather than life a life full of idiocy and pettiness.
"GWENDOLEN. You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too far.
CECILY. To save my poor, innocent, trusting boy from the machinations of any other girl there are no lengths to which I would go" (38).
This is one of the passages that I found completely ridiculous. Two women have just found out that they are engaged to the same man, and are arguing over one giving the other cake rather than bread and butter and sugar in her tea. This just points out how idiotic their manners are. To be fighting over something so meaningless instead of saying what is on their minds shows how obsessed they are with appearance and how materialistic their lives are. Also, Miss Cardew might be going to far by doing that? If she is going too far then, how would a severe offense be viewed as? This passage just baffles me and reflects how immature and superficial these two women are.
I enjoyed this play. It was great to read and laugh at the ridiculous things the characters said and did. I also thought it carried a great message. The importance of being earnest so huge because it is being a better person then the characters in the work are. Wilde mocks these characters to show how wrong it is to be materialistic, dishonest, and to obsess over meaningless things and how people view you. It is wrong and can end in confusion and deception, which is what ultimately happens in end of the play. This can open the eyes of some that live in this way, and I'm sure it was controversial in the era that it was written in. I thought the play was great and a really entertaining read.
"GWENDOLEN. You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too far.
CECILY. To save my poor, innocent, trusting boy from the machinations of any other girl there are no lengths to which I would go" (38).
This is one of the passages that I found completely ridiculous. Two women have just found out that they are engaged to the same man, and are arguing over one giving the other cake rather than bread and butter and sugar in her tea. This just points out how idiotic their manners are. To be fighting over something so meaningless instead of saying what is on their minds shows how obsessed they are with appearance and how materialistic their lives are. Also, Miss Cardew might be going to far by doing that? If she is going too far then, how would a severe offense be viewed as? This passage just baffles me and reflects how immature and superficial these two women are.
I enjoyed this play. It was great to read and laugh at the ridiculous things the characters said and did. I also thought it carried a great message. The importance of being earnest so huge because it is being a better person then the characters in the work are. Wilde mocks these characters to show how wrong it is to be materialistic, dishonest, and to obsess over meaningless things and how people view you. It is wrong and can end in confusion and deception, which is what ultimately happens in end of the play. This can open the eyes of some that live in this way, and I'm sure it was controversial in the era that it was written in. I thought the play was great and a really entertaining read.
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