Cecily's schooling is a perfect opportunity for Wilde to comment on the grim, unimaginative education of England. When Jack one day confesses to Algernon that he wants to marry Gwendolen, Algy confronts him about the cigarette case presented by someone called Little Cecily. He then understands the game being played by Jack, who tells him that he takes up the name Ernest whenever he ventures into the city for fun. The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde is an excellent play which has many underlying themes and suggestions especially with regards to the Victorian era, during which this was written. Terms began being used like "purpose-driven," "seeker-sensitive," "church-growth movement . This entire idea of needing to be earnest was at the very top of the Victorian's code of conduct even though many . Act II: Part 1. Struggling with distance learning? Algernon Moncrief is an idle gentleman who has . What do allusion, parody, homage, and intertextuality have in common? Earnest is a play on words of the character name Ernest. The Brighton line. | SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. My metaphor was drawn from bees. Act 2 Vocabulary & Video w/ Closed Captioning. | Explanation and AnalysisEgeria and her Pupil: Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The subtitle of the play "A Trivial Comedy for . Joey (Katie Holmes) tries to write a heartfelt e-mail to Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and accidentally forwards it to the entire Worthington campus. But supposing it was something else? Does "The Importance of Being Earnest" positively portray aestheticism? Such novels were not deemed proper literature by Victorians, but were read in secret. In fact, he merely hides it to enjoy life, becoming an unruly person in London. Protagonist: Where a headache is usually used as an excuse for a lack of sexual interest, Miss Prism uses it as a reason to go on a walk alone with the minister. The Importance of Being Earnest is a capital-C Comedy. not. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from. mindset. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. 28. Because in the polite society of . Removing #book# The packed-in audience rollicked with laughter at the on-stage caricatures. The Importance of Being Earnest: Directed by Anthony Asquith. What are some allusions in The Count of Monte Cristo? An Iu allusion to this latter circum stance, tlio Boiton correspondent of tho Stand Mr. Ernest Worthing is engaged to me. [Aside]. Like Jack, the audience expects that Algernon will end upseducing (or indeed, "deflowering")the young, naive Cecily. Through this comment, Wilde highlights the superficial Victorian approach to courtship and marriage by having Cecily criticize the spelling in a love letter. What is "The Importance of Being Earnest" about? "Gorgon" refers to any of three monstrous sisters from ancient Greek mythology who were so grotesque that anyone who looked directly at them would immediately turn to stone. In turn, she praises him and states "I am glad to hear it. Merriman's humor is a foil or opposite for Jack's seriousness. The story of the play revolves around Jack Worthing, the main character and the guardian of the beautiful girl, Cecil Cardew, the granddaughter of Thomas Cardew. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. [Algernon. Meanwhile, Jack brings the handbag that she identifies and Jack cries out Mother to Lady Bracknell who proves to be his real aunt, the sister of his mother, and Algernon as his elder brother. Miss Prism is a prim woman, and much like the cut glass of a prism.