Is the Importance of Being Earnest a Satirical Play? Essay

With the definition of a satire being, the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or irony to expose and criticize peoples stupidity, it is ludicrous to even propose that The immensity of organism Earnest is anything early(a) than a satirical play, as the causes relishing in the top(prenominal) class of the strait-laced period unknowingly mock their own habits acquired to them due to the luxury they are spoilt with. Despite this, it is apparent(a) that the use of satire is feckless and lacks a moral crest of view, in contrast with the moral lodge expressed through satire in other straight-laced plays such as Mrs Warrens Profession, which exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of the genteel class. Ergo, we acknowledge that the play is an invention of a truly sound work of triviality has neither ancestors nor descendants and was unique to its genre at that period of time, to that degree the frivolousness of the plot results in the audience freely and rattling laughs without q uite being sure what it is laughing at hence The Importance of Being Earnest is indisputably satirical, but a satire that has lost its sting. Lady Bracknells view of marriage is expressed through her account of visiting Lady Harbury, I hadnt been there since her poor husbands death. I never saw a woman so altered she looks quite twenty years younger she implies marriage is a burden and that life is only regained one time freedom from marriage is embraced. Such opinions are heavily satirical and ironic as Lady Bracknell is herself married, and so by praising the widower she mocks herself. It is spare from this that Wilde is ridiculing the epitomes of the upper class and their absurd attitudes to marriage, however the ridiculousness of represent by Wilde in the play, especially when the arranged marriage radical is summed up by Lady Bracknell, An use should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant as the case may be illustrates how famine the satire is of a m oral point of view, as Lady Bracknell continues to protest that Gwendolen will proceed with an arranged marriage despite the cruelness of her intentions.The women are portrayed as sheltered, uneducated, and some as dominating figures over the men in their lives Jamie Crawfords interpretation of the role of women in The Importance of Being Earnest alludes that the demeanour of the female characters is exceedingly antipodal to what would be expected in the Victorian era, A wifes duties to tend to her husband were considered crucial cornerstones of social constancy by the Victorians. There is strength to this argument as conveyed by Cecilys language when addressing Algernon, Oh dont cough Earnest. When one is dictating one should speak fluently and non cough. Besides, I dont know how to spell a cough. The juxtaposition of Cecily instructing Algernon in order to appear domineering Oh dont cough Earnest and her rebellion against receiving an education I dont know how to spell a cough elaborates the unorthodox nature of the female characters Wilde has incorporated. Thereupon, Wildes portrayal of the relationships between men and women in The Importance of Being Earnest is majorly satirical of the conventional, as by reversing the roles of authority it derides the power men traditionally incite over women. On the contrary, Robert J. Jordan implies Wildes use of satire when illustrating social differences between men and women has lost its sting as the question suggests, by indicate of even if this satiric device is structural in the play it can hardly be a satire of great power, as the attitudes to women were modernising significantly at the period the play was written. Consequently we observe Wildes failing in presenting a satirical view of womens role in Victorian society he was simply delineating the changes he perceived around him, thus supporting Eduoard Roditis interpretation and questioning whether The Importance of Being Earnest belongs to a different g enre of comedy. Previous to Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest, Victorian comedies consisted mostly of high and low comedy and of afoul(ip) or vulgar jokes, dirty gestures, and sex. Hence, it is possible to suggest that contradictory to Edouard Roditis interpretation, the Importance of Being Earnest carries a moral point of view in the situation it does not exploit sex or internal preferences to effectuate drollery Wilde provokes laughter through mistaken identities and the consequences of bunburying perhaps to allude that his opinions it that sexuality is not a laughing matter. Providing this interpretation is true, it is acceptable to assume that the reasoning behind the negative criticisms the drama received when first written were due to the fact critics felt appalled that a piece of writing could prove successful without it consisting of any sexual nature and hence deemed The Importance of Being Earnest as, dull in comparison to other plays read over the years.Howbeit, s ome critics state that the word earnest became a code-word for homosexual, as in Is he earnest?, in the same counsel that Is he so? and Is he musical? were also employed, suggesting that The Importance of Being Earnest is an expression of Wildes hatred for marriage and his fondness of homoeroticism as he praises the idea of being Earnest. This undoubtedly contradicts the idea that the drama is unique from other plays of its time in the fact it lacks sexual content, and indicates that whilst The Importance of Being Earnest may carry the tone of satire as Roditis argument suggests, it incontrovertibly is a form of Blue Comedy, as the moral tone traditionally associated with satirical comedy is not present, Wilde is forcing his opinions on the reader without a sufficient moral behind his beliefs. The fact the Importance of Being Earnest consists of 3 acts implies a significant beginning, middle and ending where previous feuds have been resolved and each character is content. If we are to consider the drama as conforming to a traditional Victorian play which tended to be of an improving nature with a central moral lesson at heart, what is evidently nontraditional of The Importance of Being Earnest is the rewarding of characters that have committed wrong doings supporting Edouard Roditis interpretation that the drama lacks a moral point of view. If we analogize The Importance of Being Earnest with An Ideal Husband, we note the significance of the final exam act of An Ideal Husband in delivering the moral that that the principles of Mabel and pierces relationship demand that they defy society and revolt against what is traditionally expected of a marriage in order to achieve happiness, a final act which The Importance of Being Earnest lacks. Accordingly, it was perhaps Wildes intention to ensure that The Importance of Being Earnest was unique by refusing to incorporate morals in order to suggest that true virtue is either dead, or is confined to the lower classe s, as supported by Algernons satirical comment, They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility. The relationship between Algernon and his servant passageway is a further example of Wilde pull down social norms by ridiculing potent characters in their own domiciles. Lane ignorantly mimics Algernon when they are discussing marriage, as despite Algernons evident refusal to discuss the matter Lane continues to revive the conversation, Is marriage so demoralizing?I have only been married onceI dont know that Im interested in your family life.. No, Sir. It is not a very interesting subject, a witty satire of the traditional relationship of servant and master. Nevertheless the idea that satire throughout The Importance of Being Earnest has effectively lost its sting is still prevalent in the persiflage of Algernon and Lane, as Algernon is a character that severely lacks depth he is regularly mentioned as eating in the drama, Eating as usual I see, Algy which i nfers that he yearns for something to fill a ludicrous emptiness, possibly the lack of permanent company in his life as supported by Adam Ruhlands interpretation, Algernons readiness to lie active his food consumption reveals that he is well aware that he eats other peoples food when he feels cornered, stressed, or sad. The fact Algernon is well aware of his reliance on food to provide comfort delineates his ignorant attitude towards love and marriage. It is Lanes willingness to provide Algernon with food that brings most the lack of a moral point of view to their satirical relationship and supports Edouard Roditis interpretation, as he is perceptive and observes Algernons piteous behaviour nevertheless refuses to encourage a change in him. The Importance of Being Earnest is above all an exercise in wit. There is nothing to be intimate from it, no moral, no message defines Wildes play perfectly it is a pointless facade that attempts to provide a satirical view of Victorian soci ety, yet due to the willingness of characters to obey the restrictions accompanied with belonging to the upper class, fails miserably. Characters such as Miss Prism and Chasuble suggest the existence of another life beneath Victorian correctness through their flirtatious mannerisms, I shall see you both no doubt at Evensong? yet their refusal to further their relationship due to evident class differences, I think, dear Doctor depicts how Wildes satirical element has most definitely lost its sting due to lack of moral point of view as the characters adhere to the conventions mocked by the satire, diminishing its efficacity. 1 . Oxford University Press Definitions http//oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/satire 2 .http//www.enotes.com/mrs-warrens-profession 3 . Roger Sale The Hudson Review, Vol.56, No.3 Being Earnest. produce Autumn 2003 4 . Roger Sale The Hudson Review, Vol.56, No.3 Being Earnest. Published Autumn 2003 5 . Satire & Wit in Oscar Wilde by Danielle N.Baxl ey, published 28th March 2010 6 . Point, Counterpoint, Thrust Wildes Pun Burying in The Importance of Being Earnest by Jamie Crawford. 7 . http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Victorian_era 8 . Satire and Fantasy in Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest by Robert J. Jordan 9 . http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_in_the_Victorian_era Theatre in the Victorian era published 18th February 2013. 10 . Samantha (Bookworms and Tea) published March twenty-ninth 2011. 11 . http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest Theo Aronson, Published 23rd Feb 2013. 12 . http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_literature 13 . http//resources.mhs.vic.edu.au/earnest/background.htm The Norton Anthology of English Literature The Victorian Age, 2008. 14 . Adam Ruhland The Role of Food in The Importance of Being Earnest 15 . The Importance of Being Earnest Review- Roger Ebert, May 24th 2002