Welcome to the World of Wilde!

Welcome to your study of Oscar Wilde’s most famous play, The Importance of Being Earnest. If you enjoy quick wit, ridiculous plot twists, and people getting very upset over sandwiches, you are in for a treat! This play is a masterpiece of the Drama section of your Edexcel AS Level course.

We are going to look at how Wilde uses humor to poke fun at the serious (and sometimes silly) rules of Victorian society. Don't worry if some of the language feels a bit "fancy" at first—once you get the hang of the jokes, you’ll see it’s not much different from a modern-day sitcom. Let's dive in!

1. What is this Play Actually About? (The Plot)

At its heart, this is a story about two friends, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who lead double lives to escape their social responsibilities. This is a concept Wilde calls "Bunburying."

The Main Conflict: Both men fall in love with women (Gwendolen and Cecily) who claim they can only love a man named Ernest. Since neither man is actually named Ernest, they both pretend to be! This leads to a series of hilarious misunderstandings when everyone ends up at the same country house in Act 2.

Quick Review: The "Bunbury" Analogy

Imagine you have a fake "Aunt Susan" who lives three towns away. Whenever your parents ask you to clean your room or go to a boring family dinner, you say, "Oh, I can't! Aunt Susan is very ill and I must go visit her!" Instead, you go out with your friends. That is exactly what Bunburying is. It’s a "get out of jail free" card for social events.

Key Takeaway: The play is a Farce—a type of comedy that uses highly improbable situations, physical humor, and ridiculous coincidences to make the audience laugh.

2. The "Who's Who" (Key Characters)

Understanding the characters is vital for your exam. Here is a simple breakdown:

  • Jack Worthing: The protagonist. He is "Ernest" in town and "Jack" in the country. He represents the struggle between trying to be respectable and wanting to have fun.
  • Algernon Moncrieff: Jack’s best friend. He is witty, selfish, and loves food (especially muffins and cucumber sandwiches). He represents Aestheticism—the idea that life should be about beauty and pleasure, not boring rules.
  • Lady Bracknell: The "villain" (though a very funny one). She is the ultimate symbol of Victorian Upper-Class Snobbery. She only cares about money, titles, and social standing.
  • Gwendolen Fairfax & Cecily Cardew: The two love interests. They are obsessed with the name "Ernest" and represent how shallow society can be.
Memory Aid: The "B" in Bracknell

Think of Bracknell as the Barrier. She is the wall standing in the way of the young lovers because she cares more about their bank accounts than their feelings.

Key Takeaway: Characters in this play are often "types" rather than deep, realistic people. Wilde uses them to represent different parts of Victorian society.

3. Key Themes to Discuss in Your Essays

To get those top marks, you need to talk about the meanings behind the jokes. Here are the big three:

A. Marriage and Social Status

In the Victorian era, marriage wasn't just about love; it was a business deal. Lady Bracknell treats Jack’s proposal like a job interview!
Example: She asks Jack about his income and his parents. When he reveals he was found in a handbag at a train station, she is horrified—not because he was abandoned, but because it’s "socially inconvenient."

B. The Trivial vs. The Serious

This is Wilde’s biggest trick. He makes serious things (like marriage, death, and religion) seem trivial (unimportant), and trivial things (like the name "Ernest" or how to eat a muffin) seem serious.

C. Hypocrisy and Secret Identities

Everyone in the play is "performing." They act one way to look good in public but have secret lives (like Bunburying) to satisfy their real desires. This suggests that Victorian "morality" was mostly just an act.

Key Takeaway: Wilde is using Satire. This means he is using humor and irony to criticize the stupidity and unfairness of the upper classes.

4. Wilde’s "Secret Weapon": The Epigram

You will notice that the characters say very clever, short things that sound like "quotes." These are called Epigrams or Aphorisms.
Example: "I can resist everything except temptation."

How to analyze them: When you see a character say something that sounds backwards or contradictory (a Paradox), they are usually pointing out how silly a social rule is.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't just list the funny quotes! You must explain why Wilde used them. Is he making fun of men? Women? The rich? Religion?

Did you know? At the time the play was written, Wilde was one of the most famous men in London. However, shortly after it premiered, he was arrested for "gross indecency" (due to his sexuality) and his career was ruined. This makes the play's themes of "secret identities" and "hiding from society" feel much more personal and tragic.

5. Dramatic Devices (How it works on stage)

Because this is a Drama component, you must talk about how the play is performed. It’s not just a book!

  • Dramatic Irony: This is when the audience knows something the characters don't. For example, we know Jack and Algernon are both lying about being "Ernest," but the girls don't. This creates tension and comedy.
  • Props: Think about the handbag. It’s just a bag, but it represents Jack’s lack of family history and his low social status. The cigarette case is another prop that "reveals" Jack’s secret identity to Algernon.
  • Stage Directions: Look at how characters move. Do they turn their backs on each other? Do they eat greedily? This tells the audience about their power and their personality.

Quick Review:
1. Farce = Ridiculous plot.
2. Satire = Making fun of society.
3. Epigram = A short, witty saying.
4. Irony = Saying or doing the opposite of what is expected.

6. Context: The Victorian Era

To understand the play, you need to understand the 1890s.
1. Strict Class System: You were born into a class and it was very hard to move up.
2. The "Ideal" Man/Woman: Men were expected to be serious and hardworking. Women were expected to be "The Angel in the House"—pure, obedient, and interested in tea and sewing.
3. Aestheticism: This was a movement Wilde belonged to. Their motto was "Art for Art's Sake." They believed art shouldn't have to teach a moral lesson; it should just be beautiful and fun.

Key Takeaway: The play is a subversion of Victorian values. It takes everything the Victorians thought was important and laughs at it.

Final Tips for Success

Don't worry if the play feels "lightweight" at first. That is exactly what Wilde wanted! Your job as a student is to show the examiner that underneath the cucumber sandwiches and the jokes about handbags, there is a very sharp critique of how society treats people.

  • Step 1: Identify the joke (The Epigram/Farce).
  • Step 2: Identify what Victorian value is being mocked (Marriage/Class/Morality).
  • Step 3: Explain why this would be funny or shocking to a 1895 audience compared to a modern one.

You've got this! Just remember: "To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up."