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.