Zarilli claims that playwrights in the early 19th century often, “turned to history for inspiration” (Zarilli, 281). Oscar Wilde, in The Importance of Being Earnest, however, takes a slightly different approach. Through a highly satirical and ironic play, he comments on current life in Victorian England. Prior to the late 19th century, when The Importance of Being Earnest was written, Zarilli explains that imperialism and a fascination with the exotic dominated theater stages (Zarilli, 280-282). Imperialism or historical plays worked to transcend the elite out of England and, “excite audiences about the temptations of an exotic” (Zarilli, 280). With the strict moral and social codes of the Victorian era, theater could act as a form of release, a time when one could laugh at the crude, smile at the scantily clad body of the “exotic,” and make fun of the rigidity of the time. As explained by Schiller in the Zarilli reading, “theatre and the other arts are necessary to the health of a society” (Zarilli, 285). Therefore, theater almost seems to exist as an outlet for a need to be immoral, ironic, and hypocritical in an otherwise strictly organized and righteous Victorian era.
From the sexualization of cucumber sandwiches to the fixation on “being earnest/Ernest,” word play and innuendo dominate The Importance of Being Earnest. By using word play, Wilde is able to provide commentary on the condition of the time without being overtly inappropriate. For example, the obvious word play with Ernest vs. earnest weaves in an out of the play. Jack creates a second persona “Ernest” who he pretends to be in order to win over Gwendolen, who is absurdly hung-up on the name “Ernest,” and, in doing so, is decidedly NOT “earnest.” Yet in the end, when he finds out that his name was Ernest all along, the fact that his name is actually Ernest seems to trump the truth: that he’d been lying for almost the whole play. Here, the absurdity of the situation mirrors the absurdity with which Victorian culture placed value on social status. Similarly to the characters in the play, Wilde proposes that Victorian England might be more concerned with being “Ernest” as opposed to earnest. In other words, as Wilde poignantly suggests, “ The truth is rarely pure and never simple” (Wilde, Act I, Line 179, pp. 779) and sincerity is over-rated.
The Importance of Being Earnest also works to satirize the private and public lives of the Victorian elite. “Jack in the country and Ernest in the city” (Wilde, Act I, Line 169-170, pp. 779) is repeated throughout the play. It suggests that Victorian elite often create a public and private persona for themselves, as if putting on a theatrical production for friends and society. With the strict moral code of Victorian England, Wilde might be suggesting a need for an immoral outlet in an alter ego. Cecily is infatuated by the immoral; she loves that Algernon might be nefarious and even calls him, “my wicked cousin Ernest” (Wilde, Act II, Line 106, pp. 792). To this, he emphatically defends himself expressing that he isn’t wicked at all. Cecily immediately shows disappointment stating, “I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and really being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy” (Wilde, Act II, Lines 110-112, pp. 793). This quote is not only highly ironic, as Algernon is in fact living a double life, but shows a fascination with the immoral: that she’d rather him actually be wicked as opposed to just pretending. This turns Victorian values on its head by placing importance on immorality, possibly suggesting that Victorian society is more immoral than they would like to admit.
Combining both the Zarilli reading and The Importance of Being Earnest I began to question:
Why is comedy so necessary in theater and media? To what degree does comedy make us uncomfortable? Is it important that it makes us feel awkward? How do you think The Importance of Being Earnest would have been received in an audience of Victorian elite?
Zarilli suggests that art can “heal the division between reason and feeling” – to what extent is this reflected in The Importance of Being Earnest?
Is reality enough to keep us entertained? The Importance of Being Earnest uses word play, innuendo, hypocrisy, and irony to create a completely absurd and hilarious play that comments on the condition of the time. But can reality, simply as it is, captivate us? Consider this in connection with the ridiculousness that is reality television today.
– Laura Plimpton