The Importance of Being Ernest is ostensibly a play about four young people becoming two engaged couples, with a splash of farcical mistaken identity along the way, but it can also be read as an expression of gay identity and expereince in Victorian England.
For those of you who haven't ... Read review
Advantages: wity, clever, good to read or to watch. Disadvantages: out of context it makes less sense.
The Importance of Being Ernest is ostensibly a play about four young people becoming two engaged couples, with a splash of farcical mistaken identity along the way, but it can also be read as an expression of gay identity and expereince in Victorian England.
For those of you who haven't read it (and you should,) a bit about the plot. It was first published in 1899 and apparently Wilde said of it "It hhas as its philosophy ..... ... ...seriously, and all the serious things in life with sincere and studied triviality."
Algernon and Jack are two well to do young men in London. Algernon has a fictitious friend called Bunbury, who is conveniantly ill and in need of assistance any time events come up that Alergnon has no desire to attend. Jack lives in the country, but has invented an unruly younger brother, to give him excuses to visit London, where he can meet ... more
The Importance of Being Ernest is ostensibly a play about four young people becoming two engaged couples, with a splash of farcical mistaken identity along the way, but it can also be read as an expression of gay identity and expereince in Victorian England.
For those of you who haven't read it (and you should,) a bit about the plot. It was first published in 1899 and apparently Wilde said of it "It hhas as its philosophy ..... that we should treat all the trivial things in life seriously, and all the serious things in life with sincere and studied triviality."
Algernon and Jack are two well to do young men in London. Algernon has a fictitious friend called Bunbury, who is conveniantly ill and in need of assistance any time events come up that Alergnon has no desire to attend. Jack lives in the country, but has invented an unruly younger brother, to give him excuses to visit London, where he can meet Gwendolen, daughter of Lady bracknell, Algernon's aunt. Algernon discovers that Jack's real name is Jack, and not "Ernest" as he claimed, and that Jack has a pretty little ward who lives in his country house.
Algernon pretending to be ERnest, the unruly younger brother of jack, sets off to the country to have a looka t the ward, cecily, who has imagined herself to be quite in love with him for some time. Gwendolen also arrives, looking for "Ernest" (Jack) and a cat fight ensues, which is very funny. Lady bracknell arrives to retrieve her errant daughter, and the fact that bother girls have set their hearts on marrying a man called ERnets, and that neither man appears ot be called Ernest, comes to light. But then, there is the question of Jack's uncertain parentage, and what has Miss Prism, his ward's tutor, to do with all of ths? After much silliness and revelation, the happy couples get to live together ever after. Although Wilde is only too clear about their chances "In married life, three is company, and two none."
So, in this lay of hetrosexual love, what room can there be for gay references? Well, quite a bit.
Both men live double lives, with two identities, one in the town, one in the country, and these double lives both depend on the existence of a fictional other man. The name "Bunbury" is certainly evocative, and rather suggestive. Furthermore, Mr Bunbury is always ill, and during the Victorian era, homosexuality is associated with illness and deviance. Furthermore, when it becomes expediant to d so, Jack decides to kill off his younger brother, by having him die of an illness whilst in Paris.
Durning one scene, Jack and Algernon conume muffins on the stage. Now, I noly have the wisodm of my tutros of some years ago to go on here, but apparently, muffins, for a Victorian, would have cetrtain sexual overtones, and the indulgence in muffins, would indicate certain things. (I leave you to draw your own conclusions.)
It turns out that Jack and Algernon are in fact brothers, a curious feature of a curious plot, make of it what you will. In Wilde's play, the mating game is a carefully played out ritual largely devoid of sexual refernce, but the reality of the time, and of Wilde's own gay liassons were significantly different. In many ways it is a very trivial pice, but as a satire of the time it is sharp - the characters are all characatures, capable of sending themselves up at any moment, and through them Wilde omments brutally on the vanities of his age. That on must have style is only too clear "If I am occasionally a little overdressed, I make up for it by being always immensly overeductaed."
One criticism frequrntly lveled against the play is that there is no respite between the jokes - every line is loaded and as a reader or audience, you have little time to revcover before the next line is upon you. I have to say I do not find this to be a weakness in the play, as there is always something new to find in a re-reading.
Read out of context, much of the humour is lost, because society has changed, and while the rules and conventions are just as laughable, they are different. It is well worth reading a litle more serious Victorian fiction, just so that you can get a feel for the people Wilde is poking fun at.
...that runs through many of the pretensions of the Victorian social elite in regards to marital eligibility in quick succession. All of Wilde's work deals with morals, ethics and social conventions and this is no exception. However, the major difference with this particular piece in contrast to his others is that it borders on the ridiculous in regards to the superficial level it touches upon without any real discussion or critique of social values. ... ...in their characteristics. From the carefree John Worthing (Jack) who leads a double life as a jovial bachelor in the city and the grave yet fair uncle to his ward Cecily Cardew to the second lead character Algernon Moncrieff who lives a life of 'Bunburying' which is basically cavorting between town and country using the excuse of a sick friend that he is obligated to visit; a sick friend that really doesn't exist. Due to requests from their lady ...
ladyofsorrow 07.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde
Advantages: Very Funny very fast Disadvantages: A little to victorian in places
The Importance of being Ernest boasts one of the silliest plots I have ever heard of. Basically it involves two men pretendig to be other people called Ernest in order to woe the women they love. There are other complications such as the matter of one of them oly being a foundling etc, but in the main that's it.
Luckily Oscar Wilde is a genius and his play is full of extremly funny lines and puns. The situation is victorian and so some of the humour ... ...this doesn't detract from the play.
The characters are all very convincing, and Wilde has a perfect grasp of conversation that makes many of the lines seem unscripted or simply overheard snatches of converstaion. The play has a fast pace as the plot begins to overwhelm the two men at its centre and despite early appearences the female characters remain in command to the end.
It lacks the subtlty or seriuos undertones of his other plays but it is ...
Telute 20.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde
Set in the upper class environment during the Victorian period, this may put people off from reading it. But actually it is quite easy to read once you get into the formality of late Victorian speech, which really adds to the imagery of the play.
It is hilarious in a subtle manner and I love the argument between the two women. Two upper class women argue and throw insults at each other at such level of elegance it truly is amazing how they could ... ...pointless in a way that the guys are pretending to be someone else in order to win the affections of their crush. Sounds pretty childish? Yes quite. But I love it! If strange humour and the conquest of love is your thing, go on, just take a peek at this play.
Cucumber sandwich anyone? ...
ReiKo 12.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde
This is one of the funniest things to ever come on the English speaking stage. It is a work of genius and has incessant and unrivalled humour. The word play is evident from the title down to the most unimportant lines uttered by the butler. The scenario is a comedy of errors and the intrigues and misunderstandings on the stage produce comic scene after comic scene. The Algernon figure is the archetype of a fin de siecle dandy and the presentations ...
lewiscrofts 17.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde
Advantages: Educated, amusing, gripping Disadvantages: Too short
The Importance of Being Earnest is a gentle introduction to the world and words of Oscar Wilde. He captivates his audience from the first line, and creates vivid and interesting characters intended to entertain, inspire and envigorate. Wilde uses words as his tools not only to create a piece of highly entertaining and humerous fiction, but also to make the reader or audience think about what is being said. A particularly amusing example of this involves ... ...Jack spends his life in the city, to avoid the stifling responsiblities of his home life in the country, and escapes to the city on occasion under the guise of Ernest, a fun-loving, important and well-known man with little responsiblity and a reputation to maintain. His friend Algernon refers to this activity as "Bunburying", so named after a similar pretence he himself plays when chooses to visit a fictional friend in the country called Bunbury, ...
JBird13 11.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde
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Advantages: Funny. Disadvantages: Prehaps not to everyones taste.
The play is a satire on 19th century Mayfair society and as the title suggests the play is about the importance of being called Ernest.
I have the penguin popular classics version of the book, which has a brief history of OscarWilde, his life and works. Wilde quarrelled with Marquess of Queensberry and this led to Wildebeing imprisoned for two years from 1894 to 1896 for homosexual offences. He was born in 1854 and died in exile in France in 1900.
The play centres around the exploits of Algernon Moncrieff and John Worthing and their prospective fiancés Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Throw in a governess (Miss Prism), an aunt (Lady Bracknel), butler, manservant and a reverend and you have the recipe for one of the funniest plays ever.
John and Algernon have both told their fiancés they are called Ernest, and this is ...
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