Analysis of Male Characters- The Importance of Being Earnest- Response 2

 Analysis of male characters

The first character that is introduced in the play is Algernon Moncrieff.  The first scene of the play is set in Algernon apartment, and the stage directions describe the room as being “luxuriously and artistically furnished” (Wilde 2). From the beginning he seems to be a frivolous character, and his character sets the tone for the beginning of the play.  For example he discusses the subject of family life with his manservant, Lane in the discussion below

LANE
 I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.

ALGERNON
 Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?

LANE
 I believe it IS a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little experience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person.

ALGERNON 
[Languidly.] I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.

While this may seem to be a serious subject, the way that Algernon treats it shows the levity of his treatment. According to an article the main characters of The Importance of Being Earnest.  “Algy exemplifies wit, satirizes the world around him, and views his own life as art’s highest form” (Bradford). It almost seems that Algernon is the clown of the play.

John Worthing seems to contrast with Algernon Moncrieff in many ways.  Even the serious tone of the name John Worthing contrasts with the elaborate and decorated Algernon Moncrieff.  Jack seems to try to put on a serious and moralized front.  When Jack is explaining his position of guardianship to Algy, he claims, “When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects. It’s one’s duty to do so” (Wilde 3).  In this instance Jack sees that he should behave morally, but he does not put on that behavior on all the time.

While Algy and Jack seem to be quite different they are actually quite similar.  For example, they both live double lives.  Algy goes “Bunburying.”  Bunburying is the idea of having a fake person that provides you with an excuse to get out of things you do not want to do.  Algy uses Bunburying to have fun. While Jack is appauled about this concept he actually participates in it aswell. He has created a person named Earnest, who allows him to go to town whenever he feels. 

Even though Jack and Algy seem to fight a lot, the way that they fight makes them seem like close friends or even brothers.  According to an article about this same topic,  “Although we do not find out that they are brothers until the end of the last scene of the play, we can see a brotherly relationship between them throughout the whole play”(Miller).  For example, when Algy reveals that he found Jack’s cigarette case, He plays a game of keep away with him.  This mix between teasing and playfulness highlights the fraternal relationship.  While I’m still reading I will be looking for signs of this relationship.

Works Cited

Bradford, Wade. ""Earnest" Male Character Analysis - Male Characters in "The

Importance of Being Earnest"" Plays / Drama. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/maleearnest.htm>.

Miller, Anna. "The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: Act 1." The

Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. 30 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/being_earnest/2/>.

What predictions do you have for what will occur next?

The writer of this play, Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854, and went to Trinity College in Ireland.  He won the Newdigate prize for his poem Ravenna.  He became involved in the Aesthetic Movement, that had for its motto “Arts for Arts Sake.”  After college, he became a social personality and was known for his wit and charm.  In addition to this play, his other well known work is The Picture of Dorian Gray. Early in 1895, Wilde got into legal trouble with the Marquess of Queensbury, who was the father of Wilde’s lover Lord Alfred Douglas.  During this trial, Wilde was arrested for homosexual offenses and was sentenced to two years hard labor. After this sentence, Wilde hit a low in popularity and success, and he died shortly after.  (http://www.online-literature.com/wilde/)

The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, opens with Algernon Moncrieff discussing the night’s events with Lane, Mr. Moncrieff’s manservant. From their conversation, I can see that the play is not very practical or serious. For example, Algernon’s line “And speaking of the science of life, have you got the cucumber sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell,” shows errors in logic of the characters.  In my opinion, the science of life does not logically have anything to do with cucumber sandwiches.  Another example of this play being illogical is an exchange between Algernon and Jack:

                         

JACK     (pulling off his gloves) When one is in town on amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people.  It is excessively boring.

ALGERNON    And who are the people you amuse?

JACK    (airily) Oh neighbours, neighbours.

ALGERNON    Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire?

JACK    Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.

In this exchange Jack says he amuses his neighbors, but yet at the same time, he says he does not speak to any of them.  I find it really difficult to amuse people without speaking to them.  This is another example of the nonsense existing in the play.  A third example would be when Algernon states “Well in the first place, girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don’t think it right.” This statement seems to be both illogical and trivial.  I feel that these examples along with the subtitle of the play “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” seems to support the idea that the beginning of the play is not very serious.  Due to this observation, I can predict that the plot, tone, and characters of the play  are probably going to be impractical and not serious. As I finish reading the play, I will look for these characteristic in the plot, tone, and characters.