NON-AFRICAN DRAMA
OSCAR WILDE: The Importance of Being Earnest
Examine the satire in the play
Explanation
Satire occurs in a variety of situations in the play. Gwendolen is extraordinarily obsessed with the name ‘Ernest’, rather than with earnestness itself. This attitude of hers shows how members of the society set so much store by appearances and affectations. Wilde uses Lady Bracknell’s interrogation of Jack to satirize the values of a society which puts premium on social connections and downplays good character. Marriage in this society is based on wealth rather than on good behaviour. Lady. Bracknells’ list of eligible suitors does not include Jack who, presumably, has no name and no fortune.
Satire is also at work in the revelation scene. The inadvertent swapping of the baby with the manuscript of a mere novel is evidence of society’s misplaced priority. The scene in which Jack woos Gwendolen shows the reverse of the assumptions about gender roles. Decorum requires that young women be weak and passive while men are supposed to be active, competent and authoritative. Yet, Jack stammers ineffectually and Gwendolen actively controls the whole business of the proposal. The rigid nature of Victorian conventions is exposed as Gwendolen insists that Jack start the whole marriage proposal over again in the conventional way. The same essentially applied to the Cecily Algernon relationship.