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The Importance of Being Earnest 35625 Views
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Description:
Oscar Wilde was a beast when it came to wordplay. Oh, maybe that's why Shmoop loves him so much—we're pretty wilde, too.
Transcript
- 00:04
The Importance of Being Earnest, a la Shmoop. Everyone wants a little variety in their life.
- 00:10
31 flavors of ice cream. Underpants for each day of the week. And something other than
- 00:15
tuna casserole for dinner.
- 00:17
But isn’t there anything to be said for “same old, same old?”
- 00:21
In the satire, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde keeps it green by recycling his
Full Transcript
- 00:28
characters. Sort of.
- 00:31
Best buds Jack and Algernon <Al-jer-non> have a lot in common. They’re both rich, they’re
- 00:36
both in love, and they both make the same lame-brained mistakes.
- 00:41
Exhibit A: Jack creates a fake brother named “Ernest,” as a handy alibi for weekend
- 00:47
benders.
- 00:48
Exhibit B: Algernon also pretends to be Ernest, so he can meet ladies.
- 00:54
Which brings us to Exhibit C: Jack and Algernon’s better halves end up thinking they’re in
- 00:58
love with the same man… Ernest. Having a little trouble keeping the characters
- 01:06
straight?
- 01:06
Yeah, us too.
- 01:08
Did Oscar Wilde just copy and paste the same character?
- 01:11
Why does he make Jack and Algernon so similar? Maybe it was for comedic effect.
- 01:16
Algernon and Jack don’t take any bowling balls to the family jewels, but they still
- 01:22
manage some Youtube-worthy gaffes.
- 01:24
Plus, they’re both big on talking, which is an excuse for Wilde to whip out his witty
- 01:28
one-liner epigrams.
- 01:31
Wilde really enjoys a good farce.
- 01:33
Jack and Algernon’s shenanigans include fighting over pastries, flirting with each
- 01:37
other’s female relatives, and that whole “fake person” scam.
- 01:41
One “Ernest” is pushing it, but here we’re talkin’ a seriously, Ernest-happy alternate
- 01:46
universe. Or maybe Wilde was trying to say that one
- 01:49
of these things is NOT like the other.
- 01:51
Jack and Algernon seem like twin BFFs, but when they argue, we see that each is crazy
- 01:56
in his own special way.
- 01:58
Sure, Jack invented an imaginary sibling to help him escape responsibility, but at least
- 02:03
he worries about the future. Algernon? Not so much.
- 02:05
And while Jack tries to look like a role model, Algernon concentrates on looking sharp. And
- 02:10
making trouble.
- 02:12
Algernon and Jack are foils for each other—and we don’t mean the kind you use to cover
- 02:17
the lasagna.
- 02:18
More like the compare/contrast kind. With less ricotta.
- 02:22
Here’s a third perspective… maybe Wilde cloned his characters to make a statement
- 02:27
about the snobby Victorian upper classes… it’s not you, it’s them.
- 02:33
Names are everything in this play. “Ernest” is much less attractive when he turns out
- 02:38
to be plain old Jack and/or Algernon. Well, okay, Algernon’s still pretty fancy.
- 02:42
And Jack could be Brad Pitt for all Lady Bracknell cares… if he wants to marry Gwendolen, he’d
- 02:48
better scrounge up a family tree to prove his worth. …
- 02:50
A handbag isn’t going to cut it.
- 02:51
It also helps if you’re made of money. Lady Bracknell isn’t super-thrilled with Algernon’s
- 02:56
fiancée, Cecily, until she hears that cash cowbell.
- 03:01
No one in this play seems to care too much about personality.
- 03:03
It doesn’t matter if Jack cuts in line at Disneyland, and Algernon finally buys that
- 03:08
puppy-kicking machine… money and pedigree will get them what they want.
- 03:12
So why did Wilde make Jack and Algernon almost-but-not-quite the same?
- 03:17
Is he aiming for our funny bones?
- 03:19
Is he a fan of the foil?
- 03:21
Or is he picking a fight with British society?
- 03:23
We earnestly want to know.
- 03:26
Shmoop amongst yourselves.
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