The Importance of Being Earnest

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Image:Importance being earnest book.jpg The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy of manners by Oscar Wilde. It was first performed for the public on February 14, 1895 at the St. James' Theatre in London. The play, written in either three or four acts, depending on edition, is regarded by many critics and scholars as being the wittiest play in the English language.

It is set in England during the Victorian era, and its primary source of humour is based upon the main character John's fictitious younger brother Ernest. John's surname, Worthing, is taken from the town where Wilde was staying when he wrote the play.

Wilde's plays had reached a pinnacle of success and anything new from the playwright was eagerly awaited. The press were always hungry for details and would pursue stories about new plots and characters with a vengeance. To combat this Wilde gave the play a working title, 'Lady Lancing'. The use of seaside town names for leading characters, or the locations of their inception, can be recognised in all four of Wilde's society plays.

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Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Algernon, a wealthy young Londoner, pretends to have a friend named Bunbury who lives in the country and frequently is in ill health. Whenever Algernon wants to avoid an unwelcome social obligation, or just get away for the weekend, he makes an ostensible visit to his "sick friend." In this way Algernon can feign piety and dedication, while having the perfect excuse to get out of town. He calls this practice "Bunburying."

Algernon's real-life best friend lives in the country but makes frequent visits to London. This friend's name is Ernest...or so Algernon thinks. When Ernest leaves his silver cigarette case at Algernon's rooms, an inscription forces him to eventually disclose that his visits to the city are also examples of "Bunburying." In the country, "Ernest" goes by his real name, John Worthing, and pretends that he has a wastrel brother named Ernest, who lives in London. When honest John comes to the city, he assumes the name of profligate Ernest.

John wishes to marry Gwendolen, who is Algernon's cousin, but runs into a few problems. First, Gwendolen seems to love him only because she believes his name is Ernest, which she thinks is the most beautiful name in the world. Second, Gwendolen's mother is the terrifying Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell is horrified when she learns that John is a foundling who was discovered in a handbag at a railway station. Algernon soon gets the idea to visit John in the country, pretending that he is the mysterious brother "Ernest." Unfortunately, unknown to Algernon, John has decided to give up his Bunburying, and to do this he has announced the tragic death of Ernest.

A hilarious series of comic misunderstandings follows, as Algernon-as-Ernest visits the country (as a dead man, as far as the hosts are aware), and John shows up in his mourning clothes. There he encounters John's ward, Cecily, who believes herself in love with Ernest - the non-existent brother she has never met. The play contains many examples of Wilde's famous wit.

It has a small cast, which is as follows:

  • John Worthing ('Jack' in some versions)
  • Algernon Moncrieff
  • Lady Bracknell
  • Cecily Cardew
  • Gwendolen Fairfax
  • Miss Prism, Cecily's governess
  • Dr. Chasuble
  • Lane
  • Merriman

Image:Importance being earnest shot.jpg

The comedy has been successful even when performed in translation. The title being almost untranslatable ("Ernest" and "earnest" being homophones in English), it is then usually staged under the title Bunbury -referring to deceit in general. In Norway it is staged as Hvem er Ernest?, which means Who is Ernest?

Exceptions to this are Germany and The Netherlands. In Germany the reprint of the play and the 2002 movie are called "Ernst sein ist alles" (literally Being Earnest is all), keeping the pun of the original title. (Ernst being both a first name and a synonym for being serious in German). In The Netherlands it has been translated as Het belang van Ernst, in which the pun is also fully functional.





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Four-act version

When Wilde handed his final draft of the play over to theatrical impresario George Alexander it was complete in four acts. The actor manager of the St.James' Theatre soon began a reworking of the play. Whether to provide space for a 'warmer' or a musical interlude, as was often the bill, it is not entirely clear. However, Wilde agreed to the cuts and various elements of the second and third acts were combined. The "missing" extra act, coming between the current second and third, was heavily cut. The greatest impact was the loss of the character Mr Gribsby, a solicitor, who turns up from London to arrest the profligate "Ernest" (John) for his unpaid dining bills. Algernon - who is going by the name "Ernest" at this point - is about to be led away to Holloway Jail unless he settles his accounts immediately. The four-act version was first played on the radio in a BBC production and is still sometimes performed. The 2002 film includes the Gribsby scene from the missing act.

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Trivia

  • Lady Bracknell's phrase A handbag? has been claimed to be the single quotation in English drama that has given rise to the most varied readings, ranging from incredulous through scandalized to just plain baffled. There is scarcely an actress who has not tried to put her own personal stamp on it, but the most famous is that of Edith Evans in Anthony Asquith's film, who delivered the line loudly in a mixture of horror, incredulity and condescension.
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Movie versions

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Australian stage / television production

A production of "The Importance of Earnest" toured Australia and was so successful that a television version of the production was made. The cast starred Geoffrey Rush (John), Andrew Tighe (Algernon), Ruth Cracknell (Lady Bracknell), Rachel Szalay (Cecily), Jane Menelaus (Gwendolen), Monica Maughan (Miss Prism), Bob Hornery (Dr. Chasuble), and Gordon Chater (Lane and Merriman). When the television version was made, Jonathan Biggins appeared in the role of (John). The remainder of the cast was the same as for the stage version.

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External links

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