The Importance of Being Earnest Essay Example
ESSAY – THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Writers are often influenced by the ideologies upheld by society during the historical context in which they were writing in and texts can often challenge these ideologies, or uphold them, or even do both. Oscar Wilde’s, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a dramatic comedy of manners that takes place in polite wealthy Victorian society. Wilde successfully funnels the snobbery and superficiality of London’s elite during the 1890’s and has both challenged and upholds certain ideologies placed on marriage, class and social etiquette.
The Importance of Being Earnest draws emphasis on how the aristocracy didn’t see marriage as an organ of love but merely a device to increase social standing and gain affluence. The reader is invited to see this through the portrayal of Lady Bracknell who epitomizes this particular belief, “You could hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter – to marry into a cloak room and form an alliance with a parcel.” These lines in particular excellently uphold this certain ideology upheld by the Victorian society during the 1890’s as they saw marriage as a way to form an ‘alliance’ with other families of the same socio-economic status. This is also reinforced in Act 3 where Lady Bracknell doesn’t consent to Algernon’s and Cecily’s engagement until she finds out that Cecily has a vast personal fortune. The audience is clearly left under the impression that marriage and the social values of the aristocracy such as wealth and social standing were tied together in ways in order to achieve or sustain social stature. Arguably, the reason behind this practice was to ensure that a family could retain their affluence and the daughters like Gwendolen or sons were seen to be better off if they married someone of the same class. Lady Bracknell embodies this belief upheld on marriage by the wealthy class of London and thus the text is upholding this certain ideology placed
Writers are often influenced by the ideologies upheld by society during the historical context in which they were writing in and texts can often challenge these ideologies, or uphold them, or even do both. Oscar Wilde’s, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a dramatic comedy of manners that takes place in polite wealthy Victorian society. Wilde successfully funnels the snobbery and superficiality of London’s elite during the 1890’s and has both challenged and upholds certain ideologies placed on marriage, class and social etiquette.
The Importance of Being Earnest draws emphasis on how the aristocracy didn’t see marriage as an organ of love but merely a device to increase social standing and gain affluence. The reader is invited to see this through the portrayal of Lady Bracknell who epitomizes this particular belief, “You could hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter – to marry into a cloak room and form an alliance with a parcel.” These lines in particular excellently uphold this certain ideology upheld by the Victorian society during the 1890’s as they saw marriage as a way to form an ‘alliance’ with other families of the same socio-economic status. This is also reinforced in Act 3 where Lady Bracknell doesn’t consent to Algernon’s and Cecily’s engagement until she finds out that Cecily has a vast personal fortune. The audience is clearly left under the impression that marriage and the social values of the aristocracy such as wealth and social standing were tied together in ways in order to achieve or sustain social stature. Arguably, the reason behind this practice was to ensure that a family could retain their affluence and the daughters like Gwendolen or sons were seen to be better off if they married someone of the same class. Lady Bracknell embodies this belief upheld on marriage by the wealthy class of London and thus the text is upholding this certain ideology placed