Victorian drama, comedy of manners, and one of the most popular plays by O. Wilde dealing with the major themes of late Victorian time.

1. Oscar Wilde
1854-1900
The Importance
of
Being Earnest
(1895)

2. THEATRES AND PLAYGOERS IN THE
VICTORIAN AGE
 Number of potential playgoers increased
 New attitude of the audience: sitting silently
 Theatres became fashionable
Interior of Drury Lane before it was destroyed by a fire

3. 19th century DRAMA
COMIC ENTERTAINMENTS
 Divorced from reality
 Stereotyped formula:
comedy+telling an
entertaining story
 Melodramas and musical
comedies
 It continued to amuse and
flourish
MOVEMENT TOWARDS
REALISM
 Influenced by Ibsen
(Norwegian “Doll’s House”
1879)
 Contributed to intellectual,
moral, political debates
 New dramatic possibilities
 Deals with social, domestic,
personal problems (e.g.
problem of sex) vs severe
Vict. censorship
 Realism on stage: “New
problem-play”

4. The WELL-MADE PLAY
between 19th and 20th centuries
Characterized by a set of strict rules to be followed in order
to capture the spectator’s interest:
1. EXPOSITION : introduction to the situation
2. COMPLICATION : to make the play move along
3. CLIMAX/CRISIS : when events/feelings are apparently
collapsing
4. DENOUMENT : resolution of events

5. PLAYHOUSES
in the Victorian Age
Many new theatres were built or rebuilt (e.g. Covent Garden)
Gas -lighting was adopted
In 1880: electricity replaced gas-lighting
Spectators’ attention was focused on the stage
SCENERY: modern interior ordinary rooms with real
furniture, doors that opened, etc…
Historical accuracy of costumes

6. … birth of a MODERN THEATRE
 Theatres were smaller
 Actors: more delicate style of performance
 Stage: more realistic effects + curtains + a sort
of “box” (room missing the fourth wall)
 No direct contact between spectators and
actors
 Stage directions: longer; more detailed; they
establish the background scenery, time of
action, describe actions or gestures, noises and
music, convey author’s comments
 Scenic illusion more naturalistic

7. Oscar Wilde’s plays
From 1892 to 1895 Wilde wrote 4 plays.
 First 3 plays:
- Lady Windermere’s Fan
- A Woman of No Importance
- An Ideal Husband
they are society-dramas and have common
themes (e.g. “a woman with a past”) +
follow the well-made play structure
 1895: last play The Importance of Being
Earnest
 1895: year that put an end to Wilde’s career
as a playwright (accused of moral
behaviour)
 1900: Wilde dies in Paris alone and in
misery

8. The new COMEDY OF MANNERS
 Ironic and comic satire on social customs of the
Victorian upper middle class
 Tone: brilliant, satirical
 Cliché and stereotypes of high society are
bitterly criticised
- traditional values of seriousness and triviality
are inverted
- Victorian morality, hypocrisy and superficiality
and exaggerated prudery are criticised

9. The Importance of Being Earnest
 Satirical comedy or “social play” : aimed at
mocking and satirizing Vict. upper class or
aristocracy; serious problems are treated with
lightness, whereas futile matters are treated with
seriousness.
 Style: language full of humour, wit (ironic
remarks), aphorisms, epigrams, puns (play on
words), paradoxes to catch the audience’s
attention
Dialogues : are brilliant and sparkling
 Artist’s aim: no sentimentality and morality. He
attacks and ridicules the frivolity, absurdity,

10. Wilde’s originality ...
- contributed to the rebirth of Victorian drama
- showed an ANTI-VICTORIAN attitude (attack
and criticism of Victorian values)
- had a provoking attitude (satire, irony, wit)
- particularly interested in female characters:
funny, comic.
- great use of brilliant language
- Continues to dazzle audiences

11. The Importance of Being Earnest
CHARACTERS
JACK WORTHING
- has got secrets: lied about
Mr Ernest
- aristocratic circle
- a bit snobbish, loves
smoking
- loves Gwendolen
- not interested in politics
- in town: appears frivolous
and superficial
- in countryside: serious
ALGERNON MONCRIEFF
 Jack’s friend
 Gwendolen’s cousin
 Intelligent, smart man
 Ironical and cynical:
makes most of the
humorous comments in
the play
 Treats life like a game
 Marriage is seen as a
business

12. CHARACTERS
LADY BRACKNELL
- Algernon’s aunt and
Gwendolen’s mother
- high social class woman
living in the city
- severe and stiff
- arrogant and dominant
- has very little opinion of
men
- materialistic: gives great
importance to money
MISS PRISM
- Cecily’s governess and
her educator as well
- kind-hearted woman
- knows everything about
Jack’s hidden past
- unmarried but in love with
Dr Chausable

13. CHARACTERS
GWENDOLEN
FAIRFAX
- Lady Bracknell’s
daughter
- educated, fashionable
and sensitive girl
- quite sure of herself,
not shy
- she’s in love with
Ernest Worthing and
loves him because of
CECILY CARDEW
- Thomas Cardew’s
daughter and Jack’s step-
sister
- strong will, simple but
graceful
- born and raised up in the
country
- after meeting “Ernest”
Worthing (Algernon) she
falls in love with him

14. CHARACTERS
DR CHAUSABLE
- a priest in Jack’s
country
- he will help Jack and
Algernon be
christened with the
name Ernest
- he’s in love with Miss
Prism

15. Main Themes
1. Satire on the upper class
2. Triviality of Marriage and importance of Wealth
3. Victorian manners
4. Life of leisure
5. “Bunburying”

16. Themes...
1. Upper class
- has lost its values
- mainly focussed on personal
benefits and interests (see
Lady Bracknell)
- without responsabilities (see
Algernon)
- materialistic and superficial
2. Marriage and wealth
- marriage is just a contract
- not based on serious love
and mutual understanding
- see: Gwendolen and Cecily:
they want to marry a man
named “Ernest” which is
enough to spend life with

17. Themes...
3. Victorian manners
- are showed to make
people aware of their
absurdities
- negative and frivolous
side of this society
- see: L. Bracknell: old lady
interested in money;
Algernon: young man
who wants to remain
bachelor and enjoy a life
without responsibilities;
Cecily and Gwendolen:
4. Life and leisure
- characters have a
luxurious life even if
jobless
- they want respect but
without doing anything
good for themselves and
society
- see Jack: doesn’t do
anything; Algernon has
got debts but doesn’t
care; Chausable is a
religious man but doesn’t

18. Themes...
5. Bunburying
- refers to the imaginary
friend of Algernon that
he uses to make it
possible to get out of
social engagements
and to lead a
DOUBLE LIFE
Connected with the
hypocrisy of Victorian
- Ernest Jack
- Bunbury Algernon
Appearance: virtuous
men
vs
Reality: false and
superficial

19. Bunbury
vb, -buries, -burying or -buried
to create a fictitious scenario that provides an excuse for avoiding unwanted
engagements.
[Coined by Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)]

20. “Nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury,
and if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely
problematic, you will be very glad to know Bunbury. A man
who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious
time of it.”
This is what Algernon says to Jack, when Jack tells him that
when he marries Gwendolen he will be able to kill off his
imaginary brother.
Algernon means that marriage needs a double life!
Otherwise a marriage won’t be successful. (Dark humour)

21. Some famous aphorisms and epigrams
in the play….
APHORISM: a concise observation that contains a general
truth.
EPIGRAM: satirical statement with a funny twist , unexpected
ending
 “Few parents nowadays pay any regard to
what their children say to them. The old-
fashioned respect for the young is fats dying
out” (Gwendolen)
 “Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it
and the bloom is gone. Fortunately, in England
at any rate, Education produces no effect