![]() ![]() Wilde seems to be saying that in Victorian society people seem unaware of the difference between trivial subjects and the more valuable affairs of life. Much of what Algernon says is hopeless triviality, beginning a motif that Wilde will follow throughout the play: Society never cares about substance but instead reveres style and triviality. In fact, as Algernon and Jack discuss marriage and Gwendolen, food becomes a symbol for lust, a topic not discussed in polite society. Self-gratification is ammunition against the repressive Victorian values of duty and virtue. After introducing Algernon, Wilde turns him into a comic figure of self-gratification, stuffing his mouth with cucumber sandwiches. His fashionable apartment in a stylish locale immediately tells the audience that they are watching a comedy about the upper class. Both characters are also recognizable to the upper- and middle-class audiences as stock figures.Īlgernon is a stylish dandy - a young man very concerned about his clothes and appearance - in the pose of the leisure-class man about town. Both Jack and Algernon are living their lives through masks deliberately, their double lives parallel Wilde's living as a married man with a clandestine homosexual life. His humor has multiple layers of meaning: social criticism of the upper and middle Victorian class values, references to the homosexual community and its culture, use of locales and landmarks familiar to his upper-class audience, and epigrams - short, witty sayings - and puns that not only provide humor but also reinforce his social critique.įirst, Wilde must introduce his characters and setting. He makes fun of all the Victorians hold sacred, but in a light-hearted, amusing wordfest. The many layers of meaning work together to entertain and to provoke thought. Wilde sets the tone for hilarious mischief in this first scene. After speculating on marriage and the need to have an excuse to get away, the two agree to dine together at the fashionable Willis', and Jack enlists Algernon's assistance in distracting Lady Bracknell so that Jack can propose to Gwendolen. ![]() Similarly, Algernon confesses that he has invented an imaginary invalid friend, named Bunbury, whom he visits in the country when he feels the need to leave the city. Thomas Cardew when he was a baby and that he is a guardian to Cardew's granddaughter, Cecily, who lives on his country estate with her governess, Miss Prism. Algernon calls his bluff, and Jack confesses that he was adopted by Mr. ![]() At first he lies and says the cigarette case is from his Aunt Cecily. In the country, however, he is known as Jack Worthing, squire, with a troubled brother named Ernest. Jack claims that he has made up the character of Ernest because it gives him an excuse to visit the city. Jack announces that he plans to propose marriage to Gwendolen, but Algernon claims that he will not consent to their marriage until Jack explains why he is known as Ernest and why he has a cigarette case with a questionable inscription from a mysterious lady. Jack Worthing (a friend of Moncrieff's and known to him as Ernest) arrives first. While Algernon (Algy, for short) plays the piano, his servant (Lane) is arranging cucumber sandwiches for the impending arrival of Algernon's aunt (Lady Bracknell) and her daughter (Gwendolen). The curtain opens on the flat of wealthy Algernon Moncrieff in London's fashionable West End.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |