Due Wednesday, November 27th - "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde - Act III
Overview and Directions:
If you have not done so, please compose and post the previous blog response for Acts I and II.
Finish reading the play.
Watch the London production of Act III from 2015, below. It will give you a taste of the live performance and pacing.
For this post, please choose 1-2 of your favorite quotations from the play and discuss, in detail, why you love the lines and/or exchanges. Be sure to make connections to the themes addressed in the previous blog: Aestheticism, religion, education, marriage, relationships, social standing, or any combination of the aforementioned.
Have fun with this post. When you return, we will begin a creative writing assignment in the spirit of Oscar Wilde. I look forward to your responses.
"You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would allow our only daughter-a girl brought up with the utmost care-to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?" -Lady Bracknell.
Well, transactions and sexism aside, this line is very funny! Considering her uncertainty about her daughter's engagement to a "parcel," if Lady Bracknell had a son, she'd be keeping him away from these...
Even a century after Jane Austen was in business, arranged marriages were common, especially among aristocrats, and any spontaneous engagement was heavily questioned.
Lady Bracknell: Gwendolen! the time approaches for our departure. We have not a moment to lose. As a matter of form, Mr. Worthing, I had better ask you if Miss Cardew has any little fortune? Jack: Oh! about a hundred and thirty thousand pounds in the Funds. That is all. Goodbye, Lady Bracknell. So pleased to have seen you. Lady Bracknell: [Sitting down again.] A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred and thirty thousand pounds! And in the Funds! Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her. This exchange between Lady Bracknell and Jack I find very humorous. Lady Bracknell did not allow Algernon to take Cecily's hand because she thought Cecily had no importance of any kind being a ward in a country house and all. However when informed that she has 130,000 pounds in her funds Lady Bracknell seems to have a change in opinion. If not for the money Lady Bracknell would've continued to walk away which is probably what Wilde intended to show. He wanted to make fun of Victorian society and their obsession with money and heritage. That marriages at that time was based on money rather than love which Wilde did not believe in. He wanted to promote the idea of beauty/art to Victorian society through his plays.
Jack: Algy’s elder brother! Then I have a brother after all. I knew I had a brother! I always said I had a brother! Cecily,—how could you have ever doubted that I had a brother? This line is my favorite in Act 3 because it has so much humor applied into it. The whole play Jack pretended to have a brother Ernest, then near the end he denies that he has ever had a brother to find out that he does in fact have one. Unlike the other modern literature of his time, Wilde does not want his plays and books to have secret themes and ideas, instead he wants to show exactly what he means. This is because he solely believes in his ideas of aestheticism literature which is to focus on the beauty and art of the play instead of hidden meanings. And it is very beautiful, as a reader it was very satisfying to see how the whole entire play played out.
I think my most enjoyable quote from the play is “Jack: Oh! one doesn’t blurt these things out to people. Cecily and Gwendolen are perfectly certain to be extremely great friends. I’ll bet you anything you like that half an hour after they have met, they will be calling each other sister. Algernon: Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first”(12). I find this a funny quote because it’s some more foreshadowing of what is to come later in the book because it literally plays out just like Algeron says. When gwendolen and Cecily first meet they start fighting but then when they find out they have been deceived they then call themselves sister, and by the end they have become sister in laws.
Lady Bracknell: Both? To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune— to lose both seems like carelessness.(1.540) This line between jack and Lady Bracknell is very comical to me. Lady Bracknell is essentially telling Jack that he must have done something wrong to have both of his parents pass away. Jack tells her that he doesn't have either parents, according to lady bracknell, to loose one parent is okay and often a tragedy for the person. But to have lost both seems to be careless as if there is a pattern and they are doing something wrong. On the surface this comment appears very comedical but in depth it seems very rude and blunt. Lady Bracknell also clearly doesn't seem to understand that Jack was left as a little baby and doesn't understand the situation, adding to the humor. This quote also relates back to the themes Oscar Wilde explores in the book, i see this quote of Oscar Wilde commenting on social class. The very harsh comments throughout this scene from Lady Bracknell shows how she sees Jack as different and below because of where he comes from, his upbringing and his current economical state. - Troy Kennedy
Oscar Wilde incorporates so much humor in his work, “The Importance of Being Earnest”. It is present throughout the entirety of the play, often between Algernon and Jack. However, he also extends that humor to the interaction between their fiancees, Cecily and Gwendolen. During their meeting at the beginning of Act 3, the conversation started with Gwendolen’s remark, “What a very sweet name! Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.” (24). Then about a page later, her impressions changed in an instant, “From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right.” (25). It is very comedic how quickly her impressions of people change in the length of half of a short conversation. She literally flipped inside out in the blink of an eye. It all happened so quickly that makes it even funnier. Perhaps this was Oscar Wilde’s way of making fun of the standards in society, first impressions and such, but it was very well done.
Algy: You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like. I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose. Bunbury is perfectly invaluable. If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s to-night, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week. This is one of my favorite lines because I just find it funny. Both Jack and Algy have different identities, Earnest and Bunbury, I particularly find Bunbury much more funny. Earnest is just someone Jack uses as another identity but Algy makes Bunbury a whole new person. Algy describes Bunbury as an unhealthy rascal and uses this identity to get out of situations. He also uses the name as a verb calling his antics as Bunbury: Bunburying, as well as an adjective: A Bunburyist. Bunbury is a whole religion to Algy and I find it hilarious.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as any one who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins. I like this line a lot because of how blunt Algy is being and its relatableness. A lot of people turn to food for comfort; I tend to keep eating what’s in front of me at my pace until it’s gone (although it doesn’t show). This line is also a commentary on how Wilde didn’t care much for society’s thoughts on him, as Algy cares for food and little about what else is going on around him. -Nabilah
"I thought you had come up for pleasure?... I call that business." When Jack tells Algernon that he is in town to propose to Gwendolen, Algernon calls it business not pleasure that makes it seem like work which shows that his perspective of marriage is not enjoyable. He believes that marriage doesn't have to be romantic. He thinks similar to Lady Bracknell. He believes that marriage ruins love. "And of course a man who is much talked about is always very attractive. One feels there must be something in him, after all. I daresay it was foolish of me, but I fell in love with you, Ernest." Cecily had a different view of love and marriage than the other characters. She dreams about her perfect engagement with Algernon in her diary and said that she was engaged with him for three months. She has also been raised in a family where marriage is duty so she is not sure how love and marriage go together.
Jack: “How you can sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless." I like this quote because it perfectly displays how this play is a comedy. This is a very funny exchange between Jack and Algernon, and I specifically like it because it makes a scene that should be very serious into a funny and memorable scene. After Gwendolyn and Cecily figure out about the lie that Earnest and Earnest have made they are very angry and go inside. Algernon then starts eating all the muffins that were left outside. I think that Algernon symbolizes himself in this, that he does not care what people think of him and that he is going to do what he wants to make himself happy.
Cecily: You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest. [Algernon rises, Cecily also.] There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.
After Algy confessed his love for Cecily, she reveals her infatuation with the name Ernest. This mirrors the scene in the beginning when Gwendolyn was also infatuated with the same name. The irony of the situation is that Algy isn’t named Ernest and neither is Jack. Like the beginning scene, Algy makes a hypothetical to attempt to break the truth to her. This is one of my favorite scenes in the play because the humor is derived from the absurdity of the situation. It mainly connects with relationships and how deceit and secrecy lie in between. Algy’s pseudonym has lead him into a predicament. Deceiving significant others always end poorly and this might reflect Wilde’s current situation with his wife.
Lady Bracknell: May I ask if it is in this house that your invalid friend Mr. Bunbury resides?
Algernon: [Stammering.] Oh! No! Bunbury doesn’t live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead.
Lady Bracknell: Dead! When did Mr. Bunbury die? His death must have been extremely sudden.
Algernon: [Airily.] Oh! I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon.
Lady Bracknell: What did he die of?
Algernon: Bunbury? Oh, he was quite exploded.
Lady Bracknell: Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. If so, he is well punished for his morbidity.
…
Lady Bracknell: He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice. And now that we have finally got rid of this Mr. Bunbury, may I ask, Mr. Worthing, who is that young person whose hand my nephew Algernon is now holding in what seems to me a peculiarly unnecessary manner?
My favorite scene in The Importance of Being Earnest has to be the conversation between Algernon and Lady Bracknell about Bunbury’s passing. Everything about this scene is absurd. How Algernon is stammering since Bunbury isn’t real. The dialogue clearly illustrates how Algy is coming up with an excuse on the spot. “I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon.” Lady Bracknell response is even more absurd. She shows no consideration for the health of Bunbury and goes as far as saying that she’s “glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action.” This response may illustrate the noble’s perception of the lower class. Wilde may be commenting on the indifference that noble’s show to people of lower class. The character of Lady Bracknell is a representation of nobility as a whole.
What I really enjoyed while reading and watching the importance of being earnest was not only mentioning the glimpses of what that time period was like for the characters but also having Wilde commentary through his characters towards about the way society was put into place back then. In Act 3, when Gwedolen introduces herself to Cecily, she mentions if Cecily knew of her father. During this time in Victorian society, those who were in control of property and the household were men: many back then were dominant of their views, whether it was on marriage, status, or property they’ve owned. Even Gwendolen mentions is that “home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man.” But what’s interesting about that line is that she also mentions that it can be “[certain that] once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate… And I don’t like that. It makes men so very attractive.” (24) In these quotations, its funny how Wilde not only puts these lines in for Gwendolen’s character but also he’s putting his views and ideas in his literature. When Gwendolen alludes to the fact that men with feminine qualities and characteristic isn’t right, she then proceeds to say that it makes men very attractive. In a sense, Wilde not only mentions on societal views on homosexuality but also gives us a glimpse his true feelings about his love and lust for men through his female characters. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy his works even more because he puts his personal thoughts and feelings into his literature and make it his own.
Oscar Wilde’s play was quite a Journey and very fun to read. It proved to me that humor is timeless as even something written over 100 years ago can be funny. My favorite character has to be Lady Bracknell because she’s the epitome of the upper class stereotype. She’s also very easy to trick as she quickly accepts Algy’s explanation about bunbury:
Lady Bracknell. What did he die of?
Algernon. Bunbury? Oh, he was quite exploded.
Lady Bracknell. Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. If so, he is well punished for his morbidity.
While obviously this was meant to be taken in jest by the reader, it’s oddly believable because it’s expected of women at this point in history to blindly accept anything told to them. Maybe this was supposed to be some message about how women were brought up or maybe it was just some joke about how stupid lady Bracknell is. Either way this is probably my favorite line from my favorite character.
One of my favorite quotations from the play in act 3 is when Miss Prism was recounting the handbag situation in front of everyone. It took everyone a while to realize that Jack was the one involved in that situation relative to Miss Prism. Everyone had to drag it out of Miss Prism one syllable at a time. Prism begins by saying she left the handbag in the cloakroom in a larger railway station in London. She then goes on to say “Victoria, the Brighton line.” Once thereafter we know that Jack is the son of Miss Prism due to the scene described above. This is a big indication of what Wilde was making fun of in terms of relationships. The fact that someone waits until the end of an episode of their life to realize that their own parent(s) has been right there in front of them the whole time, and them never knowing it until later. Overall relationships was a main topic that Wilde continued to address through the play.
Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy? This is my favorite line of the play. What Lady Bracknell is saying is so audacious that it is comedic. The fact that she believes the fate of one's parents affects his fitness as a spouse represents the ignorance of those of the upper class during the Victorian era. It shows Lady Bracknell’s opinion of the purpose of marriage and how she feels about opinion. She not only puts an excessive amount of effort into her family’s appearance, but focuses on completely irrelevant factors in doing so.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as any one who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins. [Rising] I also enjoy this line because of its comedic appeal. While the previous line was funny because of its audacity, this line is funny because of its timing. The exchange about muffins between Algy and Jack is comedic relief in a time of frustration. I also think its funny because many readers can relate to the idea of indulging in comfort foods in times of sadness or panic.
Quote #1 “Lady Bracknell: Few girls of the present day have any really solid qualities, any of the qualities that last, and surfaces…There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of profile.”
I liked this quote because it’s funny, as well as being social commentary. Lady Bracknell seems constantly preoccupied with society and the societal benefits of any choice or alliance. She views Cecily’s beauty as something having social possibilities instead of worrying about her personality. Through this interaction, Wilde is able to make an assertion about London society at the time, and the absurdity of how these marriage evaluations were conducted and decided upon.
Quote #2 “Jack: I say it's perfectly heartless you're eating muffins at all, under the circumstances.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in a really great trouble, as anyone who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins. [Rising]
Jack: [Rising] Well, that is no reason why you should eat them all in that greedy way. [Takes muffins from Algernon.]
Algernon: [Offering tea-cake] I wish you would have tea-cake instead. I don't like tea-cake.”
This quote is funny simply because of the fact they are talking about muffins when everything is falling apart is a bit absurd. The conversation devolves into the two grown men fighting over muffins, as the women they have lied to, and still want to marry, look on from inside the house. The timing of this scene also serves as comic relief as the previous reveal was quite intense. The discussion is comedic, but also breathes lightness back into the play.
My favorite quote from the whole play was an outrageous statement that lady Bracknell made when she exclaimed, “Lady Bracknell: He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice”. The lady Bracknell’s character throughout the play is used to comment on the upper class’ stubborn and headstrong ways. He makes fun of them by making her slow to pick up on things that seem obvious to the audience. Wilde’s use of lying in the play also ties into his aesthetic belief of romanticism over realism. Both Algernon and Jack are always lying and seem to always be able to get away with it. When he is questioned about Bunbury Algernon stammers, “Algernon: [Stammering] Oh! No! Bunbury doesn't live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead”. He is forced to keep up the lie he made up all the way in act 1. He is glorifying lying by making Algernon and Jack always get away with their deceits.
Jack: I have lost both my parents.Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy?Jack: I am afraid I really don’t know. The fact is, Lady Bracknell, I said I had lost my parents. It would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to have lost me . . . I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was . . . well, I was found. I like this quote because Oscar Wilde really makes the importance of social class very comedic. Christine R
One of my favorite lines from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is when Lady Bracknell is talking to Algy about Bunbury dying. Algy is trying to cover himself by saying that Bunbury died because the doctors told him to. This seems so unbelievable but Lady Bracknell responds with “He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice.” This line is one of my favorites because of how satirical it is. She is so oblivious to what is actually going on that it just seems to make fun of her and the people of her class. I think that Oscar Wilde uses this to comment on how unaware people like Lady Bracknell are in this time. The wealthy class of this era was very ignorant to the problems of others.
"You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would allow our only daughter-a girl brought up with the utmost care-to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?" -Lady Bracknell.
ReplyDeleteWell, transactions and sexism aside, this line is very funny! Considering her uncertainty about her daughter's engagement to a "parcel," if Lady Bracknell had a son, she'd be keeping him away from these...
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8-uGCDGWHQ
DeleteIn fact, I can see it already: Oscar Wilde reviews Corpse Bride.
DeleteYes, that's what I'm going to do.
DeleteEven a century after Jane Austen was in business, arranged marriages were common, especially among aristocrats, and any spontaneous engagement was heavily questioned.
DeleteAnnoying, isn't it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gstRzkg8ZX0
DeleteFor the last time, make love, not profit!
DeleteLady Bracknell: Gwendolen! the time approaches for our departure. We have not a moment to lose. As a matter of form, Mr. Worthing, I had better ask you if Miss Cardew has any little fortune?
ReplyDeleteJack: Oh! about a hundred and thirty thousand pounds in the Funds. That is all. Goodbye, Lady Bracknell. So pleased to have seen you.
Lady Bracknell: [Sitting down again.] A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred and thirty thousand pounds! And in the Funds! Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her.
This exchange between Lady Bracknell and Jack I find very humorous. Lady Bracknell did not allow Algernon to take Cecily's hand because she thought Cecily had no importance of any kind being a ward in a country house and all. However when informed that she has 130,000 pounds in her funds Lady Bracknell seems to have a change in opinion. If not for the money Lady Bracknell would've continued to walk away which is probably what Wilde intended to show. He wanted to make fun of Victorian society and their obsession with money and heritage. That marriages at that time was based on money rather than love which Wilde did not believe in. He wanted to promote the idea of beauty/art to Victorian society through his plays.
Jack: Algy’s elder brother! Then I have a brother after all. I knew I had a brother! I always said I had a brother! Cecily,—how could you have ever doubted that I had a brother?
This line is my favorite in Act 3 because it has so much humor applied into it. The whole play Jack pretended to have a brother Ernest, then near the end he denies that he has ever had a brother to find out that he does in fact have one. Unlike the other modern literature of his time, Wilde does not want his plays and books to have secret themes and ideas, instead he wants to show exactly what he means. This is because he solely believes in his ideas of aestheticism literature which is to focus on the beauty and art of the play instead of hidden meanings. And it is very beautiful, as a reader it was very satisfying to see how the whole entire play played out.
I think my most enjoyable quote from the play is “Jack: Oh! one doesn’t blurt these things out to people. Cecily and Gwendolen are perfectly certain to be extremely great friends. I’ll bet you anything you like that half an hour after they have met, they will be calling each other sister.
ReplyDeleteAlgernon: Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first”(12). I find this a funny quote because it’s some more foreshadowing of what is to come later in the book because it literally plays out just like Algeron says. When gwendolen and Cecily first meet they start fighting but then when they find out they have been deceived they then call themselves sister, and by the end they have become sister in laws.
Lady Bracknell: Both? To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune— to lose both seems like carelessness.(1.540)
ReplyDeleteThis line between jack and Lady Bracknell is very comical to me. Lady Bracknell is essentially telling Jack that he must have done something wrong to have both of his parents pass away. Jack tells her that he doesn't have either parents, according to lady bracknell, to loose one parent is okay and often a tragedy for the person. But to have lost both seems to be careless as if there is a pattern and they are doing something wrong. On the surface this comment appears very comedical but in depth it seems very rude and blunt. Lady Bracknell also clearly doesn't seem to understand that Jack was left as a little baby and doesn't understand the situation, adding to the humor. This quote also relates back to the themes Oscar Wilde explores in the book, i see this quote of Oscar Wilde commenting on social class. The very harsh comments throughout this scene from Lady Bracknell shows how she sees Jack as different and below because of where he comes from, his upbringing and his current economical state. - Troy Kennedy
Oscar Wilde incorporates so much humor in his work, “The Importance of Being Earnest”. It is present throughout the entirety of the play, often between Algernon and Jack. However, he also extends that humor to the interaction between their fiancees, Cecily and Gwendolen. During their meeting at the beginning of Act 3, the conversation started with Gwendolen’s remark, “What a very sweet name! Something tells me that we are going to be great friends. I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.” (24). Then about a page later, her impressions changed in an instant, “From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right.” (25). It is very comedic how quickly her impressions of people change in the length of half of a short conversation. She literally flipped inside out in the blink of an eye. It all happened so quickly that makes it even funnier. Perhaps this was Oscar Wilde’s way of making fun of the standards in society, first impressions and such, but it was very well done.
ReplyDeleteAlgy: You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like. I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose. Bunbury is perfectly invaluable. If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s to-night, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite lines because I just find it funny. Both Jack and Algy have different identities, Earnest and Bunbury, I particularly find Bunbury much more funny. Earnest is just someone Jack uses as another identity but Algy makes Bunbury a whole new person. Algy describes Bunbury as an unhealthy rascal and uses this identity to get out of situations. He also uses the name as a verb calling his antics as Bunbury: Bunburying, as well as an adjective: A Bunburyist. Bunbury is a whole religion to Algy and I find it hilarious.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as any one who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins.
ReplyDeleteI like this line a lot because of how blunt Algy is being and its relatableness. A lot of people turn to food for comfort; I tend to keep eating what’s in front of me at my pace until it’s gone (although it doesn’t show). This line is also a commentary on how Wilde didn’t care much for society’s thoughts on him, as Algy cares for food and little about what else is going on around him.
-Nabilah
"I thought you had come up for pleasure?... I call that business."
ReplyDeleteWhen Jack tells Algernon that he is in town to propose to Gwendolen, Algernon calls it business not pleasure that makes it seem like work which shows that his perspective of marriage is not enjoyable. He believes that marriage doesn't have to be romantic. He thinks similar to Lady Bracknell. He believes that marriage ruins love.
"And of course a man who is much talked about is always very attractive. One feels there must be something in him, after all. I daresay it was foolish of me, but I fell in love with you, Ernest."
Cecily had a different view of love and marriage than the other characters. She dreams about her perfect engagement with Algernon in her diary and said that she was engaged with him for three months. She has also been raised in a family where marriage is duty so she is not sure how love and marriage go together.
Jack: “How you can sit there, calmly eating muffins when we are in this horrible trouble, I can’t make out. You seem to me to be perfectly heartless."
ReplyDeleteI like this quote because it perfectly displays how this play is a comedy. This is a very funny exchange between Jack and Algernon, and I specifically like it because it makes a scene that should be very serious into a funny and memorable scene. After Gwendolyn and Cecily figure out about the lie that Earnest and Earnest have made they are very angry and go inside. Algernon then starts eating all the muffins that were left outside. I think that Algernon symbolizes himself in this, that he does not care what people think of him and that he is going to do what he wants to make himself happy.
-Bryant
Cecily: You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love some one whose name was Ernest. [Algernon rises, Cecily also.] There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest.
ReplyDeleteAfter Algy confessed his love for Cecily, she reveals her infatuation with the name Ernest. This mirrors the scene in the beginning when Gwendolyn was also infatuated with the same name. The irony of the situation is that Algy isn’t named Ernest and neither is Jack. Like the beginning scene, Algy makes a hypothetical to attempt to break the truth to her. This is one of my favorite scenes in the play because the humor is derived from the absurdity of the situation. It mainly connects with relationships and how deceit and secrecy lie in between. Algy’s pseudonym has lead him into a predicament. Deceiving significant others always end poorly and this might reflect Wilde’s current situation with his wife.
Lady Bracknell: May I ask if it is in this house that your invalid friend Mr. Bunbury resides?
Algernon: [Stammering.] Oh! No! Bunbury doesn’t live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead.
Lady Bracknell: Dead! When did Mr. Bunbury die? His death must have been extremely sudden.
Algernon: [Airily.] Oh! I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon.
Lady Bracknell: What did he die of?
Algernon: Bunbury? Oh, he was quite exploded.
Lady Bracknell: Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. If so, he is well punished for his morbidity.
…
Lady Bracknell: He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice. And now that we have finally got rid of this Mr. Bunbury, may I ask, Mr. Worthing, who is that young person whose hand my nephew Algernon is now holding in what seems to me a peculiarly unnecessary manner?
My favorite scene in The Importance of Being Earnest has to be the conversation between Algernon and Lady Bracknell about Bunbury’s passing. Everything about this scene is absurd. How Algernon is stammering since Bunbury isn’t real. The dialogue clearly illustrates how Algy is coming up with an excuse on the spot. “I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon.” Lady Bracknell response is even more absurd. She shows no consideration for the health of Bunbury and goes as far as saying that she’s “glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action.” This response may illustrate the noble’s perception of the lower class. Wilde may be commenting on the indifference that noble’s show to people of lower class. The character of Lady Bracknell is a representation of nobility as a whole.
What I really enjoyed while reading and watching the importance of being earnest was not only mentioning the glimpses of what that time period was like for the characters but also having Wilde commentary through his characters towards about the way society was put into place back then. In Act 3, when Gwedolen introduces herself to Cecily, she mentions if Cecily knew of her father. During this time in Victorian society, those who were in control of property and the household were men: many back then were dominant of their views, whether it was on marriage, status, or property they’ve owned. Even Gwendolen mentions is that “home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man.” But what’s interesting about that line is that she also mentions that it can be “[certain that] once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate… And I don’t like that. It makes men so very attractive.” (24) In these quotations, its funny how Wilde not only puts these lines in for Gwendolen’s character but also he’s putting his views and ideas in his literature. When Gwendolen alludes to the fact that men with feminine qualities and characteristic isn’t right, she then proceeds to say that it makes men very attractive. In a sense, Wilde not only mentions on societal views on homosexuality but also gives us a glimpse his true feelings about his love and lust for men through his female characters. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy his works even more because he puts his personal thoughts and feelings into his literature and make it his own.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde’s play was quite a Journey and very fun to read. It proved to me that humor is timeless as even something written over 100 years ago can be funny. My favorite character has to be Lady Bracknell because she’s the epitome of the upper class stereotype. She’s also very easy to trick as she quickly accepts Algy’s explanation about bunbury:
ReplyDeleteLady Bracknell. What did he die of?
Algernon. Bunbury? Oh, he was quite exploded.
Lady Bracknell. Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr. Bunbury was interested in social legislation. If so, he is well punished for his morbidity.
While obviously this was meant to be taken in jest by the reader, it’s oddly believable because it’s expected of women at this point in history to blindly accept anything told to them. Maybe this was supposed to be some message about how women were brought up or maybe it was just some joke about how stupid lady Bracknell is. Either way this is probably my favorite line from my favorite character.
One of my favorite quotations from the play in act 3 is when Miss Prism was recounting the handbag situation in front of everyone. It took everyone a while to realize that Jack was the one involved in that situation relative to Miss Prism. Everyone had to drag it out of Miss Prism one syllable at a time. Prism begins by saying she left the handbag in the cloakroom in a larger railway station in London. She then goes on to say “Victoria, the Brighton line.” Once thereafter we know that Jack is the son of Miss Prism due to the scene described above. This is a big indication of what Wilde was making fun of in terms of relationships. The fact that someone waits until the end of an episode of their life to realize that their own parent(s) has been right there in front of them the whole time, and them never knowing it until later. Overall relationships was a main topic that Wilde continued to address through the play.
ReplyDeleteLady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy?
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite line of the play. What Lady Bracknell is saying is so audacious that it is comedic. The fact that she believes the fate of one's parents affects his fitness as a spouse represents the ignorance of those of the upper class during the Victorian era. It shows Lady Bracknell’s opinion of the purpose of marriage and how she feels about opinion. She not only puts an excessive amount of effort into her family’s appearance, but focuses on completely irrelevant factors in doing so.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in really great trouble, as any one who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins. [Rising]
I also enjoy this line because of its comedic appeal. While the previous line was funny because of its audacity, this line is funny because of its timing. The exchange about muffins between Algy and Jack is comedic relief in a time of frustration. I also think its funny because many readers can relate to the idea of indulging in comfort foods in times of sadness or panic.
Quote #1
ReplyDelete“Lady Bracknell: Few girls of the present day have any really solid qualities, any of the qualities that last, and surfaces…There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of profile.”
I liked this quote because it’s funny, as well as being social commentary. Lady Bracknell seems constantly preoccupied with society and the societal benefits of any choice or alliance. She views Cecily’s beauty as something having social possibilities instead of worrying about her personality. Through this interaction, Wilde is able to make an assertion about London society at the time, and the absurdity of how these marriage evaluations were conducted and decided upon.
Quote #2
“Jack: I say it's perfectly heartless you're eating muffins at all, under the circumstances.
Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me. Indeed, when I am in a really great trouble, as anyone who knows me intimately will tell you, I refuse everything except food and drink. At the present moment I am eating muffins because I am unhappy. Besides, I am particularly fond of muffins. [Rising]
Jack: [Rising] Well, that is no reason why you should eat them all in that greedy way. [Takes muffins from Algernon.]
Algernon: [Offering tea-cake] I wish you would have tea-cake instead. I don't like tea-cake.”
This quote is funny simply because of the fact they are talking about muffins when everything is falling apart is a bit absurd. The conversation devolves into the two grown men fighting over muffins, as the women they have lied to, and still want to marry, look on from inside the house. The timing of this scene also serves as comic relief as the previous reveal was quite intense. The discussion is comedic, but also breathes lightness back into the play.
My favorite quote from the whole play was an outrageous statement that lady Bracknell made when she exclaimed, “Lady Bracknell: He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice”. The lady Bracknell’s character throughout the play is used to comment on the upper class’ stubborn and headstrong ways. He makes fun of them by making her slow to pick up on things that seem obvious to the audience. Wilde’s use of lying in the play also ties into his aesthetic belief of romanticism over realism. Both Algernon and Jack are always lying and seem to always be able to get away with it. When he is questioned about Bunbury Algernon stammers, “Algernon: [Stammering] Oh! No! Bunbury doesn't live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead”. He is forced to keep up the lie he made up all the way in act 1. He is glorifying lying by making Algernon and Jack always get away with their deceits.
ReplyDeleteJack: I have lost both my parents.Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness. Who was your father? He was evidently a man of some wealth. Was he born in what the Radical papers call the purple of commerce, or did he rise from the ranks of the aristocracy?Jack: I am afraid I really don’t know. The fact is, Lady Bracknell, I said I had lost my parents. It would be nearer the truth to say that my parents seem to have lost me . . . I don’t actually know who I am by birth. I was . . . well, I was found.
ReplyDeleteI like this quote because Oscar Wilde really makes the importance of social class very comedic.
Christine R
One of my favorite lines from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is when Lady Bracknell is talking to Algy about Bunbury dying. Algy is trying to cover himself by saying that Bunbury died because the doctors told him to. This seems so unbelievable but Lady Bracknell responds with “He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians. I am glad, however, that he made up his mind at the last to some definite course of action, and acted under proper medical advice.” This line is one of my favorites because of how satirical it is. She is so oblivious to what is actually going on that it just seems to make fun of her and the people of her class. I think that Oscar Wilde uses this to comment on how unaware people like Lady Bracknell are in this time. The wealthy class of this era was very ignorant to the problems of others.
ReplyDelete