The importance of being earnest door Oscar Wilde

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Writer: Oscar Wilde
In the nineteenth century.

Title explanation:

The importance of being Earnest means how important it is to be fair. The title largely refers to the main character Jack, who has lied about everything in his life. But in the end he realize that lies always come true, so it’s better to live without lies.

The play is about the main character Jack, who lives in Woolton and goes to his friend Algernon in London. He met a girl there, named Gwendolen Fairfax. He felt in love with her and asked Algernon, the uncle of Gwendolen, to marry her. Algernon said that that was okay if Jack would tell him more about the girl Cecily, who lives in Woolton. Than Gwendolen arrived and Jack asked her to marry him. Jack had told Gwendolen his name was Ernest, to impress her. Gwendolen’s mom wanted to know more about Jack’s life, before they were going to marry each other. Jack told her he was found somewhere as a baby, so he don’t know anything about his real parents. Lady Fairfax told him he couldn’t marry her daughter anymore unless he knows more about his parents. Than Jack goes back to Woolton, and sees that Algernon has already asked Cecily to marry him and she said yes. But Algernon told Cecily he was Jacks brother named Ernest too. Later in the play Cecily and Gwendolen met each other and find out they both marry a man named Ernest. Jack and Algernon had both lied about their names and life. They told their girls that they lied about it so they could be with the ladies. So Gwendolen and Cecily felt honored and were not mad anymore. Than lady Fairfax and miss Bracknell came on stage and told Jack he was the sun of miss Bracknell’s sister, so in the end turned out that Algernon was really a brother of Jack. Than they could marry their girls and knew that fairness is really importance in life.

*Personages:

* Jack is de hoofdpersoon uit het verhaal. hij is als baby gevonden op een treinstation. Om een vrouw haar hart te verover noemt hij zichzelf Ernest. Hij zet goed door en bereikt daardoor uiteindelijk toch zijn doel.
*Algernon Moncrief: woont in Londen en verzint een verhaaltje over een vriend die ziek is en waar hij vaak heen gaat. Hij vertoont ook veel leugenachtige trekjes net als zijn uiteindelijke broer.
*Gwendolen Fairfax: De vriendin van Jack. Ze denkt dat jack Ernest heet.
*Cecily Cardew: Jack is haar voogd en ze is erg benieuwd naar zijn broer "Ernest" die uiteindelijk Algernon blijkt te heten.
*Miss Primm: De privé lerares van Cecily. Ze is de oppas van Jack geweest en had hem op het perron laten staan toen hij net geboren was, maar daar wordt nooit wat van gezegd.