Wilde

1.) After having read "The Importance of Being Earnest", I must say that I am a little disappointed. Everyone lives happily ever after?! Everyone the entire play was deceiving, and manipulating everyone else; all too prepare us for the huge finale where...everyone is ok with it and loves each other. However, I think that Jack and Algernon, although idiots who were about as smooth as sandpaper, really made the play enjoyable with their hilarity. Despite being somewhat disappointed, I think that if acted properly, this could be a very funny play to see preformed.


2.) The dialogue of the characters in "The Importance of Being Earnest" is essential in the development of the identity of each character. Each character has a mirror of themself in the form of another character in the play whose lives and actions in the play parallel one another almost perfectly. These actions can be seen in Jack and Algernon with their relationships with nonexistent people in order to maintain their personal desired lives. The parallel actions are evident between Cecily and Gwendolen who both are obsessed with the name Ernest and are able to fall in love simply because of the name. Lastly, Mrs. Bracknell and Miss Prism both share a similar secret from the past that they have hidden from their families are counterparts of one another. With these mirroring experiences and behaviors, Wilde uses unique dialogue and attitude for each of the characters, enabling the reader to distinguish the characters from the others in the play.

With the actions of the characters being so similar, the dialogue enables the characters create their own distinct identity. In Act I, we are introduced to Jack who thinks of himself as quite a gentleman, and Algernon, who has no problem wittingly defending himself from Jack’s criticisms for not being one. The conversations between Jack and Algernon throughout the play, and the way in which they interact with the surrounding cast is rather amusing and at times hilarious. As for the ladies, they are differentiated easily with conceited and pretentious quotes from Gwendolen such as, “I am always smart! Am I not, Mr. Worthington?” followed with (in response to being called perfect), “Oh! I hope I am not that. It would leave no room for developments, and I intend to develop in many directions” (9). This separates her from the seemingly meek and innocent little cousin of Jack, Cecily. Wilde’s sometimes far fetched conversations amongst the characters creates a humorous setting in which the characters can ironically function while being both harmonious and conflicting.