The Importance Of Being Earnest Essay

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The comedic genre is very simple in theory however, it has many complex portions to it’s schematic. This is no different is Oscar Wilde’s infernal comedy The Importance of Being Earnest. A major complex aspect of this play is the secrecy involving Ernest and the truthfulness of his origin and his lifestyle and this is due to a couple main reasons. The secrecy surrounding Ernest is used by Jack to give him certain advantages in both his country and city lives that then push the plot through a feeling of intrigue and a series of revelations. A major setting of this play is the city and this is where Jack uses the secrecy to gain the most advantages. He uses Ernest as a way to escape the responsibilities and get back into the life of a young,…show more content…
These revelations begin with an exchange between Cecily and Gwendolen with Cecily telling Gwendolen that her Ernest “is my dear guardian, Mr. John Worthing.” (page 63) and Gwendolen telling Cecily her Ernest “is my cousin, Mr. Algernon Moncrieff.” (page 64). This is when a tragic collapse of the structure occurs because Jack’s masterful plan is unraveling in front of him as the two most important girls in his life are angered and disappointed with him. However, the comedic pull of life occurs when Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell meet again and engage in a conversation that reveals who Jack’s real family is. Jack finds out that he is really Algernon’s older brother, which makes him Gwendolen’s cousin, and he begins to find out more about the patriarchal figures in his family. The peak of these revelations occur when he finds out his name is “Ernest after all.” (page 89) because that is his father’s name and the oldest brother obtains the father’s christened name. This is where Jack experiences a forceful pull of life because everything works out in his favor in the end of the play and occurs without him experiencing any
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