Importance of Being Earnest in What Ways Could Characters Be Considered Works of Art

Aestheticism, Performance and The Importance of Beingness Earnest

Algernon and Jack

"I could deny it if I liked. I could deny anything if I liked."

-Jack Worthing, Human action II

"In matters of grave importance, mode, not sincerity, is the vital affair."

– Gwendolen Fairfax, Act Iii

"Gwendolen, information technology is a terrible thing for a man to detect out of a sudden that all his life he has been speaking nothing simply the truth. Can you forgive me?"

-Jack Worthing, Act Three

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Abstract

This newspaper links Oscar Wilde'southward play, The Importance of Being Hostage, to aestheticism, the motion to which Wilde belonged. It explores the idea of operation, specifically, how the primary characters' personalities both alter and remain unchanged within these performances. The first goal is to establish Algernon and Jack as contrary characters who are both artificial considering they both put on a performance, or pretend to be Ernest. It and then aims to demonstrate that artificiality should be morally neutral because every human being is required to be artificial in life. After coming to this realization, we are able to disregard the characters' artificial natures and finally conclude that Jack is moral and Algernon is immoral solely on the basis of their personalities, rather than on any caste of artificiality they display.

Groundwork Information

The Importance of Being Earnest, is truly a product of its time, an creative attestation to the values of the artful movement. It was first performed at the St. James' Theatre in London on February 14th, 1895. This era, the terminate of the Nineteenth Century, is typically described as fin de siècle– a French word that literally means the end of the century, merely which implies much more. Bergonzi notes that the phrase was "applied to a wide range of trivial behavior, provided it was sufficiently perverse or paradoxical or shocking" (19). In order to behave in this manner, many aesthetes adopted a conscious mode of performance, as it took effort to "stupor" others. Their reason for doing so was mostly to disrupt, or counteract, the strict morality that characterized the Victorian Age. The aesthetes, and many others, sought an alternative lifestyle, or one that was non subjected to the Victorian perception of morality.

Operation

Performance is a central theme in The Importance of Being Earnest. Both of Wilde'south main characters, Jack and Algernon, pb double lives, which means that they are each pretending to be someone they are not, or performing. Jack creates a younger, troublesome brother for himself, named Ernest, whom he pretends to exist in the city. Afterward discovering Jack's secret, Algernon also takes on the function of Ernest, though he is no stranger to the double life. (Algernon had already invented an invalid friend named Bunbury, whom he pretended to visit oftentimes.) Essentially, both Jack and Algernon become actors in their own lives and accept to craft separate performances for these boosted roles. When they exercise become these alternative characters, however, they do not completely abandon their old selves. Jack and Algernon retain many of they key aspects of their original personalities inside their performances.

Algernon Moncrieff: Intensely Wicked

Algernon, as a member of the upper-form, is both idle and indulgent. He never attends to his responsibilities nor does he keep his commitments. In fact, he frequently uses Bunbury equally a ways of escaping dinner parties which he has promised to nourish. Wilde uses Algernon as a ways of criticizing the elite of his society and to condemn the old Victorian values to which aestheticism was strongly opposed. In society to do and then, he has Algernon deliver many hypocritical lines, such as, "[the lower orders] seem, every bit a class, to accept absolutely no sense of moral responsibility" (Wilde 184). Such a argument would have been extremely ironic at the time, as information technology was the upper classes to which Algernon belongs, that were identified as suffering from moral degradation (Huggins 589-590).

Algernon is also a charming, playful character, which implies that he has a certain knack for performance. His charm comes in the form of many brilliantly witty statements that are intended to both "shock" and amuse his audience. In Deed One, he declares, "You don't seem to realize, that in married life iii is company and 2 is none" (Wilde 190). Algernon implies that in order to have a successful spousal relationship, one must take another person on the side. He is referring to his own "bunburying," which means that the third person is actually himself. It is this ambiguity that allows Algernon to pull off such an indecent statement. He is able to suggest the necessity of adultery without actually committing to his suggestion.

Another of Algernon's personality traits is selfishness. He allows his dear friend, Jack, to dig himself into a hole in regards to the cigarette case, earlier admitting that he suspected Jack of being a "bunburyist" all along (188). He is deeply amused by Jack'southward unsuccessful attempts to conceal the truth and is unaffected by Jack's discomfort.

When Algernon acts as Ernest, these personality traits intensify. Upon his arrival in the state, it is made clear that he will proceed to neglect his responsibilities. He says to Jack'south ward, Cecily, "I have a business appointment that I am broken-hearted… to miss" (209). He also continues to treat life in a playful, trivial way. When Cecily calls him her Uncle Jack'due south "wicked" brother, Algernon denies it (208). After sensing that Cecily is quite disappointed that this is not true, Algernon quickly retorts, "Oh! Of course I have been rather reckless!" (209) With this interaction he exposes both his ability to adapt quickly and to say precisely what one would like to hear, which are both indicative of strong improvisational skills. Since Algernon is aware that Cecily has shown an involvement in Ernest, he puts his skills to utilize in wooing her. He tells her, "I want you to reform me. You might brand that your mission, if you lot don't heed, cousin Cecily" (209-210). Algernon's attempts to charm Cecily reemphasize his selfish nature, as he does so without Jack'south permission. Furthermore, he is fully aware that Jack intends to "kill off" Ernest, however he disregards the difficulties his arrival will cause Jack in doing then.

Moreover, Algernon's angel for Cecily seem implausible as they have just met. In professing his intent to marry her, he completely negates the contemptuous remarks he previously made virtually wedlock. Therefore, Algernon's trend to indulge reaches a climax every bit he throws himself into more hypocrisy. Previously, he was eating and drinking freely, now he is professing his honey for another without restraint. Proving to exist the ideal match for Algernon, Cecily emphasizes Algernon's personality traits by mirroring them to an extent. For example, she claims to return his honey and admits that she has felt this way since her Uncle Jack first started talking nigh how "wicked" he was. She has fifty-fifty given herself gifts and letters from Ernest, which Algernon pretends to have sent, although both characters know that this is a complete fallacy. This shows that neither of the characters places much value on pursuing the truth. They brand whatsoever appeals to them nearly at the fourth dimension their ain truth, and furthermore, they are delighted past the dramatics and the performance involved in carrying on an unwelcome love affair. Their resolve to create their own reality is emphasized when Cecily asks Algernon, "I hope your hair curls naturally, does information technology?" He replies "Yes, darling, with a little assistance from others" (219). Rather than pointing out the obvious contradiction in his response, Cecily simply responds, "I am so glad" (220). Therefore, Algernon's personality traits carry over into his operation as Ernest. Though he pretends to be more than "wicked" than he really is, he maintains nigh of his own characteristics. His mode of performance is more of an amplification of his own personality rather than the crafting of an entirely new graphic symbol.

Jack Worthing: Unwittingly Hostage

Whereas Algernon is idle, hypocritical, playful, and selfish, Jack is nearly the complete opposite. Wilde emphasizes their opposing natures past having Jack contradict many of Algernon's more than ridiculous statements. For example, Algernon claims, "The but manner to behave to a woman is to brand love to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is manifestly." Jack replies, "Oh, that is nonsense" (186). Jack repeats this retort oftentimes throughout the Starting time Human action, which in turn, causes the audience to place him equally their source of sense.

Jack fifty-fifty expresses a certain reluctance to go along living a double life. He claims that he will "kill off" his blood brother Ernest, as before long as Gwendolen accepts his marriage proposal. Algernon, nevertheless, says that "Cypher will induce [him] to part with Bunbury…" (190). These lines bear witness that Jack understands the consequences of conveying on such a lifestyle and that he desires to be truthful with Gwendolen, whereas Algernon refuses to take himself and his lifestyle seriously. Jack is also sincere in his affections for Gwendolen. He professes his love only afterward courting her for an adequate amount of time, which makes his exclamation much more dependable than Algernon's.

When it comes to caring for Cecily, Jack is very responsible. Non but does he outline a strict course of report for her, but he also provides a perfect example of sobriety with his own demeanor. In fact, her teacher, Miss Prism, claims to "know no 1 who has a higher sense of duty and responsibility" (205). Still, Jack is not an untouchable, stoic figure in her life. He shows tenderness and general business concern for Cecily. For example, in Act Two, Jack refuses to milkshake Algernon'south hand. He somewhen overcomes his own pride and does so, just just subsequently Cecily says that she will never forgive him if he doesn't (215).

When Jack acts every bit Ernest, he lets loose a footling, only yet manages to maintain his respectability. For example, when Lady Bracknell separates Gwendolen and Jack, the stage directions indicate that they "blow kisses to each other behind Lady Bracknell'southward back" (196). Such an action seems foolish for a respectable man like Jack, but the audience tin over-look this instance merely because his love for Gwendolen comes beyond as sincere.

He even seems to mimic Algernon's indulgent personality to some extent. When Algernon asks why he is in London, Jack responds, "Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere?" (184). Nosotros tin meet from these lines that he is much more carefree as Ernest and not weighed down by the force per unit area of providing a adept example for Cecily. Different Algernon, however, Jack is non over-indulgent. He but comes to town after he has attended to his duties in the country.

Jack also loses some of his composure in portraying Ernest. When being badgered past Lady Bracknell, who wishes to discern whether or not he is a suitable match for Gwendolen, he initially remains calm but is withal business firm in his responses. For example, when Lady Bracknell says that his lack of family history is unsuitable, he responds, "May I ask you so what you would advise me to practice? I need inappreciably say I would do anything in the world to ensure Gwendolen'south happiness" (199). He refuses to give up his pursuit of Gwendolen, merely even so questions Lady Bracknell in a polite way. Somewhen Jack does lose his temper with her, which causes her to storm out of the room indignantly (199). By this point, however, Lady Bracknell has become so ridiculous in her inquiries that 1 can inappreciably blame Jack for getting upset. Therefore, when Jack acts as Ernest, he is slightly more playful, indulgent, and less equanimous, yet he is still respectable.

In performing, or in interim as Ernest, both Jack and Algernon alter their personalities, yet they do non fully abandon their original personalities. Substantially, Jack and Algernon are 2 very dissimilar characters; they are almost opposites. This fact will exist of import in trying to discern the morality of each character.

Artificiality & Morality

Operation, or pretending to be something that one is not, is a type of artificiality. Therefore, though Jack and Algernon are 2 very different characters, each is bogus every bit they both pretend to exist someone they are non– Ernest. Furthermore, nosotros tend to view artificiality every bit a negative attribute, even deeming information technology every bit "immoral" since information technology requires one to exist quack. Nether these constraints, both the disreputable Algernon and the respectable Jack would be immoral characters.

Wilde would disagree with this negative view of artificiality and with the consequential negative judgement of his characters. The opening remarks in his Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young , are as follows, "The first duty in life is to be as bogus equally possible. What the second duty is no one has equally yet discovered." He justified such an assertion through the aesthetic conventionalities that life should imitate art. Essentially, this ways that each person becomes an role player and the globe becomes a phase on which he must perform. A swain aesthete, Arthur Symons, remarked that "[Wilde's] intellect was dramatic, and the whole man was not and then much a personality as an mental attitude… without being an creative person, he maintained the mental attitude of an artist, and information technology was precisely in his attitudes that he was most sincere" (Miyoshi 24). Every discussion that Wilde spoke and every action he took was carefully planned out in order to portray himself in the manner he desired. He felt it was of import to exercise control over 1's own paradigm, and he did then by embracing artificiality, or by becoming a primary of performance.

Though nosotros may not all be masters of performance, we are all performing notwithstanding. Therefore if it is incommunicable to be accurate, how tin i be accounted immoral for being artificial? Wilde and the aesthetes would have resolved this issue by calling for a complete divide betwixt artificiality and morality. For them, artificiality was morally neutral. They arrived at this determination past way of the aesthetic conventionalities that art should be autonomous, or carve up from any type of moral teaching. Vernon Lee explains, "to capeesh a piece of work of fine art ways, therefore, to appreciate that work of art itself, as distinguished from appreciating something exterior it, something accidentally or arbitrarily connected with it" (qtd. in Evangelista v). Algernon and Jack'due south performances, too equally all of ours, are a course of art, and equally a issue, should non be subjected to any blazon of moral judgment.

Within the play, Wilde arrives at this decision past having Jack question whether or not one is truly capable of being honest and authentic. When Jack is forced into admitting that he never had a brother named Ernest, he says, "Information technology is very painful for me to exist forced to speak the truth. It is the kickoff time in my life that I accept ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am actually quite inexperienced in doing annihilation of the kind" (227-228). Across the obvious humor in these lines, there is a serious philosophical statement being made. Jack transcends his own character and speaks for all of humanity. He is merely repeating Algernon's earlier exclamation that "the truth is rarely pure and never uncomplicated" in a more personal and purposeful way (189). With these lines, Jack points out how absurd it is to be forced to tell the truth because humans are incapable of deciphering and pinpointing a thing as circuitous every bit the truth. Essentially, artificiality, a form of dishonesty, is a universal trait of humanity.

Therefore, Jack and Algernon must exist judged for what lies beneath their artificialities– their personalities. As discussed above, Jack possesses all the traits of a moral figure. He is sensible, responsible, and sincere. On the other hand, Algernon is the immoral figure. He is idle, indulgent, playful and selfish. Wilde solidifies Jack'due south morality by having all of his lies go truths at the terminate of the play. He finds out that he is actually Algernon's older brother and that his name was meant to have been Ernest. Therefore, his two major lies, the creation of a blood brother and his role-playing as that brother, become the truth. This revelation proves that the acts of being artificial and truthful are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as Jack ends up being honest despite his artificiality. In a classically Wildean fashion, the play leaves us with the paradoxical agreement that the just way to be natural is to be artificial.

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Clips from the S Coast Repertory's product of The Importance of Being Earnest. Specific examples of functioning as discussed to a higher place begin around the 00:57 mark.

References:

Algernon and Jack photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Bergonzi, Bernard. The Plough of a Century; Essays on Victorian and Mod English Literature . New York: Barnes & Noble, 1973. Print.
Evangelista, Stefano. British Aestheticism and Aboriginal Hellenic republic: Hellenism, Reception, Gods in Exile. Great Uk: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.
Huggins, Mike J. "More than Sinful Pleasures? Leisure, Respectability and the Male person Middle Classes in Victorian England." Periodical of Social History 33.3 (2000): 585-600. JSTOR. Spider web. 22 Feb. 2010. < http://world wide web.jstor.org/stable/3789212>
Miyoshi, Masao. The Theme of the Divided Self in Victorian Literature. Diss. New York University, 1963. Ann Arbor: Photocopy, 1968. Impress.
The Important of Beingness Earnest video clips courtesy of South Coast Repertory. Video tin can be found on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthCoastRepertory
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. New York: Mod Library, 2003. Impress.

Contributor: Delanie Laws

millerwatich93.blogspot.com

Source: https://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/the-importance-of-being-earnest/

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