Theme Importance Of Being Earnest

Aestheticism, Performance and The Importance of Being Earnest

Algernon and Jack

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

-Jack Worthing, Deed 2

"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing."

– Gwendolen Fairfax, Act III

"Gwendolen, information technology is a terrible thing for a human to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking zip simply the truth. Can y'all forgive me?"

-Jack Worthing, Deed Three

Abstract

This paper links Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Existence Earnest, to aestheticism, the movement to which Wilde belonged. It explores the thought of functioning, specifically, how the main characters' personalities both change and remain unchanged within these performances. The first goal is to constitute Algernon and Jack equally reverse characters who are both artificial because they both put on a performance, or pretend to exist Ernest. It then aims to demonstrate that artificiality should be morally neutral because every human being is required to be artificial in life. Afterward coming to this realization, nosotros 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 whatever degree of artificiality they display.

Background Information

The Importance of Being Earnest, is truly a production of its time, an artistic attestation to the values of the artful motion. It was first performed at the St. James' Theatre in London on Feb 14th, 1895. This era, the end of the Nineteenth Century, is typically described as fin de siècle– a French discussion that literally means the end of the century, but which implies much more. Bergonzi notes that the phrase was "applied to a broad 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 way of operation, as it took effort to "shock" others. Their reason for doing so was mostly to disrupt, or annul, 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.

Functioning

Operation is a central theme in The Importance of Beingness Earnest. Both of Wilde's main characters, Jack and Algernon, atomic number 82 double lives, which means that they are each pretending to be someone they are not, or performing. Jack creates a younger, troublesome blood brother for himself, named Ernest, whom he pretends to be in the city. Afterwards discovering Jack'due south hush-hush, Algernon also takes on the role 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 frequently.) Substantially, both Jack and Algernon become actors in their ain lives and take to craft split up performances for these additional roles. When they practise become these alternative characters, however, they practise not completely abandon their onetime 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-class, is both idle and indulgent. He never attends to his responsibilities nor does he go along his commitments. In fact, he ofttimes uses Bunbury equally a ways of escaping dinner parties which he has promised to attend. Wilde uses Algernon equally a means of criticizing the elite of his society and to condemn the old Victorian values to which aestheticism was strongly opposed. In gild to exercise so, he has Algernon evangelize many hypocritical lines, such equally, "[the lower orders] seem, as a class, to take absolutely no sense of moral responsibility" (Wilde 184). Such a statement would accept been extremely ironic at the time, as it was the upper classes to which Algernon belongs, that were identified equally suffering from moral deposition (Huggins 589-590).

Algernon is besides a charming, playful character, which implies that he has a sure knack for performance. His amuse comes in the grade of many brilliantly witty statements that are intended to both "shock" and amuse his audience. In Act One, he declares, "You lot don't seem to realize, that in married life three is visitor and ii is none" (Wilde 190). Algernon implies that in lodge to take a successful union, one must accept some other person on the side. He is referring to his own "bunburying," which ways 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 infidelity without really 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, before admitting that he suspected Jack of being a "bunburyist" all along (188). He is deeply tickled by Jack's unsuccessful attempts to conceal the truth and is unaffected past Jack's discomfort.

When Algernon acts equally Ernest, these personality traits intensify. Upon his arrival in the country, it is made articulate that he will go along to neglect his responsibilities. He says to Jack'southward ward, Cecily, "I have a business concern appointment that I am anxious… to miss" (209). He besides continues to treat life in a playful, little manner. When Cecily calls him her Uncle Jack's "wicked" brother, Algernon denies it (208). Subsequently sensing that Cecily is quite disappointed that this is not truthful, Algernon quickly retorts, "Oh! Of form I accept been rather reckless!" (209) With this interaction he exposes both his power to adapt quickly and to say precisely what ane 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 utilise in wooing her. He tells her, "I want you to reform me. You lot might make that your mission, if you don't mind, cousin Cecily" (209-210). Algernon's attempts to charm Cecily reemphasize his selfish nature, as he does so without Jack's permission. Furthermore, he is fully aware that Jack intends to "kill off" Ernest, yet he disregards the difficulties his arrival will crusade Jack in doing and then.

Moreover, Algernon'due south affections for Cecily seem implausible as they accept only met. In professing his intent to ally her, he completely negates the cynical remarks he previously made about marriage. Therefore, Algernon's tendency 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 love 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 love and admits that she has felt this way since her Uncle Jack commencement started talking almost how "wicked" he was. She has even 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 make whatever appeals to them about at the fourth dimension their own truth, and furthermore, they are delighted by the dramatics and the performance involved in conveying on an unwelcome dear thing. Their resolve to create their own reality is emphasized when Cecily asks Algernon, "I hope your hair curls naturally, does it?" He replies "Yes, darling, with a little assist from others" (219). Rather than pointing out the obvious contradiction in his response, Cecily just responds, "I am then glad" (220). Therefore, Algernon's personality traits bear over into his operation as Ernest. Though he pretends to be more "wicked" than he really is, he maintains most of his ain 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 almost the consummate opposite. Wilde emphasizes their opposing natures by having Jack contradict many of Algernon's more than ridiculous statements. For example, Algernon claims, "The just way to behave to a woman is to make beloved to her, if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is obviously." Jack replies, "Oh, that is nonsense" (186). Jack repeats this retort frequently throughout the Start Human action, which in turn, causes the audience to place him as their source of sense.

Jack even expresses a sure reluctance to continue living a double life. He claims that he will "kill off" his blood brother Ernest, as before long equally Gwendolen accepts his marriage proposal. Algernon, however, says that "Naught will induce [him] to office with Bunbury…" (190). These lines show that Jack understands the consequences of conveying on such a lifestyle and that he desires to exist truthful with Gwendolen, whereas Algernon refuses to have himself and his lifestyle seriously. Jack is also sincere in his angel for Gwendolen. He professes his love but after courtship her for an acceptable amount of time, which makes his assertion much more dependable than Algernon's.

When it comes to caring for Cecily, Jack is very responsible. Non but does he outline a strict form of study for her, but he also provides a perfect instance of sobriety with his own demeanor. In fact, her teacher, Miss Prism, claims to "know no i who has a college sense of duty and responsibility" (205). Still, Jack is non an untouchable, stoic effigy in her life. He shows tenderness and full general concern for Cecily. For example, in Human action Two, Jack refuses to shake Algernon's mitt. He eventually overcomes his ain pride and does so, merely only after Cecily says that she will never forgive him if he doesn't (215).

When Jack acts as Ernest, he lets loose a little, but nonetheless manages to maintain his respectability. For example, when Lady Bracknell separates Gwendolen and Jack, the phase directions point that they "blow kisses to each other behind Lady Bracknell's back" (196). Such an action seems foolish for a respectable man similar Jack, but the audience can over-wait this instance simply because his love for Gwendolen comes across 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). We can see from these lines that he is much more carefree as Ernest and not weighed downwards by the pressure of providing a good example for Cecily. Different Algernon, however, Jack is non over-indulgent. He only comes to town later on he has attended to his duties in the land.

Jack also loses some of his composure in portraying Ernest. When being badgered by Lady Bracknell, who wishes to discern whether or not he is a suitable friction match for Gwendolen, he initially remains calm but is nonetheless house in his responses. For case, when Lady Bracknell says that his lack of family unit history is unsuitable, he responds, "May I ask y'all then what you would advise me to practise? I need hardly say I would do anything in the world to ensure Gwendolen's happiness" (199). He refuses to surrender his pursuit of Gwendolen, simply still questions Lady Bracknell in a polite fashion. Somewhen Jack does lose his temper with her, which causes her to storm out of the room indignantly (199). By this betoken, yet, Lady Bracknell has become so ridiculous in her inquiries that i can hardly blame Jack for getting upset. Therefore, when Jack acts as Ernest, he is slightly more playful, indulgent, and less composed, yet he is still respectable.

In performing, or in acting as Ernest, both Jack and Algernon alter their personalities, yet they do not fully abandon their original personalities. Essentially, Jack and Algernon are ii very different characters; they are almost opposites. This fact will be of import in trying to discern the morality of each character.

Artificiality & Morality

Performance, or pretending to be something that one is not, is a blazon of artificiality. Therefore, though Jack and Algernon are two very different characters, each is artificial equally they both pretend to be someone they are not– Ernest. Furthermore, we tend to view artificiality as a negative attribute, even deeming it as "immoral" since it requires one to be dishonest. 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 Utilise of the Young , are equally follows, "The offset duty in life is to exist as artificial every bit possible. What the second duty is no one has as yet discovered." He justified such an assertion through the artful belief that life should imitate art. Essentially, this means that each person becomes an role player and the world becomes a stage on which he must perform. A swain aesthete, Arthur Symons, remarked that "[Wilde'south] intellect was dramatic, and the whole human being was not so much a personality equally an mental attitude… without being an creative person, he maintained the attitude of an artist, and information technology was precisely in his attitudes that he was near sincere" (Miyoshi 24). Every word that Wilde spoke and every activeness he took was carefully planned out in club to portray himself in the manner he desired. He felt information technology was important to exercise control over ane's own image, and he did so by embracing artificiality, or by becoming a primary of performance.

Though we may not all be masters of operation, we are all performing even so. Therefore if it is impossible to be accurate, how tin can i be deemed immoral for being bogus? Wilde and the aesthetes would have resolved this issue by calling for a complete dissever between artificiality and morality. For them, artificiality was morally neutral. They arrived at this conclusion by manner of the aesthetic belief that art should exist autonomous, or separate from any type of moral pedagogy. Vernon Lee explains, "to appreciate a work of art means, therefore, to appreciate that work of art itself, as distinguished from appreciating something outside it, something accidentally or arbitrarily connected with it" (qtd. in Evangelista v). Algernon and Jack's performances, as well equally all of ours, are a grade of art, and equally a result, should non exist subjected to any type of moral judgment.

Within the play, Wilde arrives at this conclusion by having Jack question whether or not ane is truly capable of being honest and accurate. When Jack is forced into admitting that he never had a brother named Ernest, he says, "It is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the kickoff time in my life that I accept e'er been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind" (227-228). Beyond the obvious humor in these lines, there is a serious philosophical argument being made. Jack transcends his ain character and speaks for all of humanity. He is simply repeating Algernon's before assertion that "the truth is rarely pure and never simple" 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 matter every bit complex every bit the truth. Substantially, artificiality, a form of dishonesty, is a universal trait of humanity.

Therefore, Jack and Algernon must exist judged for what lies below their artificialities– their personalities. As discussed above, Jack possesses all the traits of a moral effigy. He is sensible, responsible, and sincere. On the other hand, Algernon is the immoral effigy. He is idle, indulgent, playful and selfish. Wilde solidifies Jack's morality by having all of his lies become truths at the end of the play. He finds out that he is actually Algernon's older brother and that his proper name was meant to have been Ernest. Therefore, his ii major lies, the creation of a blood brother and his function-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 understanding that the but manner to be natural is to exist artificial.

Clips from the Southward Declension Repertory's product of The Importance of Being Earnest. Specific examples of performance as discussed above begin around the 00:57 mark.

References:

Algernon and Jack photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Bergonzi, Bernard. The Turn of a Century; Essays on Victorian and Mod English Literature . New York: Barnes & Noble, 1973. Print.
Evangelista, Stefano. British Aestheticism and Ancient Hellenic republic: Hellenism, Reception, Gods in Exile. Dandy Uk: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Print.
Huggins, Mike J. "More Sinful Pleasures? Leisure, Respectability and the Male Middle Classes in Victorian England." Journal of Social History 33.3 (2000): 585-600. JSTOR. 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 Of import of Existence Earnest video clips courtesy of South Coast Repertory. Video can exist found on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthCoastRepertory
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. New York: Modern Library, 2003. Impress.