Importance of being Earnest

Short Questions Written by :Yasir Qadri

Why does jack say that an aunt be allowed to decide the matter for herself?

Algernon is badgering Jack about this aunt's strange antics. He wants to know why Jack's aunt calls
herself little Cecily and why she calls Jack her uncle. Jack insists that his aunt can decide to act and do
whatever she likes,That is a matter that surely an aunt may be allowed to decide for herself. You seem
to think that every aunt should be exactly like your aunt! That is absurd!

who was cecily and how was she related to jack?

Jack guardian to his granddaughter, Cecily Cardew.

How does wilde use the subject of cucumber sandwiches to reveal the characters of jack and algy?

I always thought the cucumber sandwiches were meant to help define the character of Algernon more
than anything else. Algernon is all about superficial appearances and a poster boy for the Victorian
leisure-class man who has too much money and a lot of time. He stuffs his face with cucumber
sandwiches using his indulgence as a badge of honor against Victorian rigid manners and courtesy.

What reason would Lane have for serving lots of champagne at Algernon's parties?

Algernon inquires why eight bottles of champagne have been consumed: he wonders what the reason is
for servants drinking so much wine in a bachelor’s home. Lane replies that the servants only get to drink
fine wine when they work for married couples.

what is lady bracknells view on ignorance?

Lady Bracknell fully supports the ignorance of both the middle and lower classes. She believes that
educating the populace of the poor and working classes would cause mayhem.... that it would be a
danger to the upper class if those in the lower classes could think for themselves.

Cecily and Gwendolyn both like the name Ernest for what reason?

Cecily and Gwendolyn both believe the name inspires "absolute confidence." The name, sounding like
"Earnest," seems to show only uprightness and honesty. Of course, this is the great irony of the play; as
Jack and Algernon have both falsified the name.

Compare and contrast cicily and Gwendolen?

Gwendolen and Cecily are two completely different sides of a woman. While Gwendolen is concerned
about appearances and the ways in which people view her, Cecily is innocent and beautiful, at one point
compared to a "pink rose." Gwendolen shows the reader the way in which people of her time period
(the Victorian Age) were concerned about things on the "surface" - she looks for a man named Ernest
because she thinks the name will ensure the kind of person he is. On the other hand, Cecily is a bit
devious, wanting to live in a fantasy world that creates the man she wants to love and then sets her up
to create fantasies around that man. Still, she is relatively innocent and more real than Gwendolen who
will, in all likelihood, grow up to be just like her mother, full of outrageous ideas but likable nevertheless.

What is "bunburyist" and how was that label created?

In context, bunburying in the opposite of truth to being earnest. The term was created by Wilde, who
intended it to mean the practice of a double life.

How does algernon contrive to separate lady bracknell from the lovers in act 1?

Algernon tells Lady Bracknell that he is unable to stay for dinner but expresses the desire to arrange
music for her reception the following Saturday. Thus, he appeals to her musical side, and they leave the
lovers to go to the music room.

How did Jack go from a baby in a handbag to a successful man?

Basically, Jack was an orphan who was adopted by a wealthy man named Thomas Cardew. Jack grows
up to be a major landowner and Justice of the Peace in Hertfordshire.

What is an example of inventiveness and an example of hypocrisy in Act Two?

Inventiveness can be found in the fact that Algernon takes on the role of Earnest in order to meet
Cecily.Jack is upset over Algernon's deceit, particularly because he is pretending to be the ficticious
Earnest. This would be seen as hypocritical because he is doing the same thing.

Who is Ernest?

Ernest, is reality, is John Worthing's imaginary brother.

Why does Cecily keep a diary?

Cicely keeps a diary about her fantasies which include boys.

what could Algernon really be saying when he remarks that Gwendolen is "devoted to bread and
butter"?

This quote has a double meaning..... first..... Gwendolyn loves bread and butter. The sandwiches are for
her mother. On the other hand..... Gwendolyn loves her bread and butter, as in being taken care of and
those who take care of her (financially)

Has jack really learned the importance of being earnest ?

Wilde uses irony and epigrams to drive the meaning of being Earnest. Wilde is working on two basic
meanings throughout his play. One is to play on irony and the other is to question exactly what truth is.
The play truly pivots around the word "earnest." Both women want to marry someone named "Earnest,"
as the name inspires "absolute confidence"; in other words, the name implies that its bearer truly is
earnest, honest, and responsible. However, Jack and Algernon have lied about their names, so they are
not really "earnest." But it also turns out that (at least in Jack's case) he was inadvertently telling the
truth. The rapid flip-flopping of truths and lies, of earnestness and duplicity, shows how truly muddled
the Victorian values of honesty and responsibility were.

Which qualities in Jack are most important to Gwendolen and her mother?

Jack has numerous qualities that appeal to Gwendolen. They are very similar, in that they're both frank
and down-to-earth..... there's no pretense here. They also share the comportment expected of the
upper class and are prone to snobbery, although they also love to indulge in wordplay.

Why doesn't Cecily care that Algy's name isn't Earnest at the end of the book?

It seems that Cecily is impressed by Algernon's confession that he only pretended to be Jack's brother
Earnest in order to gain an introduction to Jack's ward.... Cecily.

Why didn't Jack tell anyone about Cecily?

Jack didn't tell anyone about Cecily until Algernon confronted him about the cigarette case. Jack was
known to his friends as Ernest, but the cigarette case makes Algernon suspicious, and he has to explain
himself.

Why does Lady Bracknell require Jack to find at least one parent?

He needs to find at least one parent to validate his ancestry.

Why are most woman in the play so fascinated by the name Earnest?

Wilde exposes this divide in scenes such as when Gwendolen and Cecily behave themselves in front of
the servants or when Lady Bracknell warms to Cecily upon discovering she is rich. However, the play
truly pivots around the word "earnest." Both women want to marry someone named "Ernest," as the
name inspires "absolute confidence"; in other words, the name implies that its bearer truly is earnest,
honest, and responsible. However, Jack and Algernon have lied about their names, so they are not really
"earnest." But it also turns out that (at least in Jack's case) he was inadvertently telling the truth. The
rapid flip-flopping of truths and lies, of earnestness and duplicity, shows how truly muddled the
Victorian values of honesty and responsibility were.

Why did Algernon create a sick friend?

Jack creates a sick friend named Bunbury to escape the boring countryside. Brandbury actually becomes
a verb in the Urban Dictionary. It means an excuse to get out of doing something boring.

Why is Lady Bracknell so strict with who Gwendolen marries?

Lady Bracknell is all about social class. She seems straight out of a Jane Austin Novel. Social mobility is
meant to go up and not down. The quickest way to go up is to marry better. Lady Bracknell is adamant
that Gwendolen should not stoop so low as to marry someone like Jack. She recalls her own experience
as something for Gwendolen to strive for,
"When I married Lord Bracknell I had no fortune of any kind. But I never dreamed for a moment of
allowing that to stand in my way.

What kind of relationship do Jack Worthing and Gwendolen Fairfax form?

Gwendolen falls in love with Jack (pretending to be Ernest). She wants to marry a man named Ernest
because that man should be able to live up to his name. He also wants to marry her, but he cannot since
his name is not Ernest; thus he would have to reveal his deception and thus show that he does not live
up to hi name which she has been so trusting of.

What is the purpose of the cigarette case and the dialogue surrounding it?

It creates suspicion in Algernon's mind that Jack has a double life.

Relationship with his servant lane from their conversation about marriage?

Algernon doesn't seem to know very much about his servant's personal life, and he admits that he isn't
really very interested in knowing anything at all.

How does algernon find out the address of jacks country house?

Lady Bracknell supplied Algernon with the location of the country house.

In what way are cecily and gwendolen different?

I think much of the point of having these two characters is their similarities. Still, there are a few
differences to consider. Gwendolen is at home in big cities like London where as Cecily is a more
sheltered girl who is comfortable in gardens and more natural settings. Cecily seems less sophisticated
than Gwendolen.

in what way are Miss prism and chasuble stock characters?

Both characters are meant for amusement or farce. Miss Prim obviously loves Chasuble, though the fact
that he is a priest prohibits her from telling him so directly while Chasuble frequently visits Jack's
country house to see Miss Prism. Though he is celibate, he seems well matched for the educated Miss
Prism. There is humor to be mined from this by keeping them stock characters.

In what ways are Jack and Algernon alike and different?

Jack is the play's protagonist and the play's most sympathetic character. He was found in a handbag on a
railway line, and feels less at home in aristocratic society than does Algernon. He lives in the country but
has invented a wicked brother named "Ernest" whose scrapes require Jack's attendance in the city.
Algernon, the foil to Jack, is a hedonist who has created a friend named Bunbury whose status as a
permanent invalid allows Algernon to leave the city whenever he pleases. He believes this activity,
"Bunburying," is necessary, especially if one is going to get married-something he vows never to do. The
Importance of Being Earnest

How did Jack become Cecily's guardian? Act II

Jack was Thomas Cardew's adopted son. Thomas Cardew was also Cecily's grandfather. After her
grandfather's death, Jack became her legal guardian.
In the play, does conflict between the characters create comedy?

Wilde's comedy comes from his ability to create absurd situations from very serious occurrences. Topics
like death are met with ignorance by his characters, who for lack of education, ability, and even inability
to think deeply handle what are often tragic events inappropriately. One example of this would be Lady
Bracknell's reaction to Bunbury's death. It seems to woman is unable to comprehend the tragedy and
instead worries and obsesses over frivolities in her own life such as her musical arrangements.

Are Gwendolen and Cecily dynamic or static?

Both women are strong with strong personalities. They are firmly in control of their choices in men and
the ways in which they want to run their own lives. Gwendolen escapes the dominance of her mother;
both girls make perfect matches with the men they pursue and ultimately are perfectly matched with.
their "men." Ultimately they show themselves to be moving away from the snobbishness of families like
that of Lady Bracknell; Cecily shows that she can develop into her own person regardless of the fact that
she has no real family background.

Why is the classical allusion in which Wilde compares lady bra knell to the gorgon particularly apt ?

Lady Bracknell represents Victorian morality and ethic. She, like a gorgon, is overbearing and
unforgiving. She demands that Jack find a decent family and her judgments over marriage prospects are
definite.

In Act 2, jack says "cecily is not a silly, romantic girl." Do you think his description is accurate? Why or
why not?

I have never considered Cecily silly..... she's simply a girl who acts like any other. None-the-less, her
writing and avoidance of schoolbooks allow us to infer that she's far more interested in fiction and
fantasy than serious thought. She is a romantic.

Gwendolen is obviously as haughty and headstrong as her mother; how, then, can Lady Bracknell
assert some measure of control over her?

Lady Bracknell is a remarkable comic creation, the paragon of the Victorian lady who stresses good
breeding above all else. But she is far from a flat stereotype. Wilde gives her some of his wittiest lines to
bring out her quirky way of seeing the world, for example one of her most famous pronouncements: "To
lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."
Gwendolen appears self-centered and flighty. She really is no match for the dominant and witty Lady
Bracknell.

Is this play considered to be a contemporary or classic play?

Contemporary plays are usually considered to be plays written after 1900. Wilde's Importance of Being
Ernest was first performed on 14 February 1895. It is considered a landmark play and a classic.

why won’t cecily allow algernon to read the letters she wrote for him to her?
Because she is in love with him and they are supposed to be cousins.
Who is the person that forgets Jack in a bag?

Jack was left in a hand-bag at Victoria railway station by the family governess who basically forgot him
there. He was adopted by a wealthy man, Thomas Cardew, who found him.Specifically it is Miss Prism
who accidently left her three volume novel in the pram and Jack Worthing (Ernest) in the handbag in the
cloakroom

Extra important Points….

Even before he knows he’s an older brother, Jack acts like an older brother. As a guardian to Cecily, he’s
used to setting down rules, even guiding curriculum, as we see in the tutoring scene with Miss Prism.
Jack is bossy. In the first scene, he liberally dispenses "shoulds" to Algernon. Jack has no problem giving
out one piece of advice after another: one shouldn’t read a private cigarette case, shouldn’t discuss
modern culture, shouldn’t talk like a dentist, etc.

Jack isn't any less dishonest than Algernon, but Jack is more serious about keeping up his air of
respectability. When he finally comes out with the truth about Cecily, "who addresses me as her uncle
from motives of respect that [Algernon] could not possibly appreciate" he takes pains to separate
himself from Algernon, who is "hardly serious enough" (I.79-83).

Jack also has a bit of that older sibling control thing, enhanced with a tendency to get in bad moods
when things don’t go his way. Wilde describes Jack's reaction as "irritable" three times in the play –
when Algernon rushes him, when Lady Bracknell quizzes him on Cecily’s background, and when the
same lady can’t remember his father’s first name. Jack is as willing as Algernon to humiliate himself to
get what he wants – the entrance with him dressed all in mourning is priceless – but he’s less amused
when things turn out badly:

Jack on the Social Ladder

The men are also distinct from each other in terms of their taste in women. Jack is attracted to
Gwendolen, a "sensible, intellectual girl" (I.295). Gwendolen is a sophisticated city woman, and her style
and education make her desirable to Jack. So does her good name – a department in which Jack, socially
speaking at least, could stand to improve. Even before Jack discovers his true origins, he has a lot to gain
from marriage into the Bracknell family (though he’ll have to deal with Lady Bracknell on a continual
basis.)

Cecily the Country Girl

Part of what makes Cecily attractive to Algernon is her seeming simplicity. She’s not intellectual like
Gwendolen, who very early on scolds Jack, "Ah! that is clearly a metaphysical speculation, and like most
metaphysical speculations has very little reference at all to the actual facts of real life, as we know
them" (I.149). We can’t really imagine Cecily talking about metaphysics – or facts, for that matter. Cecily
does everything she can to vigorously avoid Miss Prism’s attempts to educate her. She’s innocent –
Gwendolen might say ignorant. She waters the plants, writes in her diary, and waits for the day that
Ernest will come and propose.
Cecily and Fiction

Cecily may hate German diction, but she loves stories. She gets so excited when Miss Prism reveals that
she has written a three-volume novel. And Cecily describes Algernon’s desires to reform himself as
"Quixotic," indicating that she’s read the novel by Cervantes in which a man with delusions of grandeur
has numerous adventures. Like Algernon, Cecily loves a good bit of fiction – and her favorite writer is
herself.

In her diary, she makes long entries recording romantic events that are entirely fictional.

Not As Sweet As She Looks

Cecily may be younger, less fashionable, and less sophisticated than Gwendolen, but she can give as
good as she gets.

The Importance of Being Earnest reveals the differences between the behavior of the upper class and
that of the lower class. Members of the upper class display a great deal of pride and pretense, feeling
that they are inherently entitled to their wealth and higher social position. They are so preoccupied with
maintaining the status quo that they quickly squash any signs of rebellion. In this play, Wilde satirizes
the arrogance and hypocrisy of the aristocracy. The lower classes in Earnest are less pretentious and
more humble, but equally good at making jokes.

what is the symbole of the tea in the play

Food and scenes of eating appear frequently in The Importance of Being Earnest, and they are almost
always sources of conflict. Act I contains the extended cucumber sandwich joke, in which Algernon,
without realizing it, steadily devours all the sandwiches. In Act II, the climax of Gwendolen and Cecily’s
spat over who is really engaged to Ernest Worthing comes when Gwendolen tells Cecily, who has just
offered her sugar and cake, that sugar is “not fashionable any more” and “Cake is rarely seen at the best
houses nowadays.” Cecily responds by filling Gwendolen’s tea with sugar and her plate with cake. The
two women have actually been insulting each other quite steadily for some time, but Cecily’s impudent
actions cause Gwendolen to become even angrier, and she warns Cecily that she “may go too far.” On
one level, the jokes about food provide a sort of low comedy, the Wildean equivalent of the slammed
door or the pratfall. On another level, food seems to be a stand-in for sex, as when Jack tucks into the
bread and butter with too much gusto and Algernon accuses him of behaving as though he were already
married to Gwendolen. Food and gluttony suggest and substitute for other appetites and indulgences.

Who is Algernon?

Algernon, the foil to Jack, is a hedonist who has created a friend named Bunbury whose status as a
permanent invalid allows Algernon to leave the city whenever he pleases. He believes this activity,
"Bunburying," is necessary, especially if one is going to get married-something he vows never to do…
Important Guess Short Questions
(i) What is the significance of the title 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Ans. The title "The Importance of Being Earnest" features a salient pun in the form of the word
"earnest", which means "honest", and "truthful" and the name "Ernest" which is the name of the
alter ego that main character Jack uses to slide away from responsibilities and do as he pleases.
What is important, however, is that the title reflects that there is something valuable and even
honourable about being "earnest".

(ii) What is the subtitle of the play 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Ans. The subtitle of the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" is "A Trivial Comedy for Serious
People". His intentions were to make people think more deeply and make them more aware of the
serious things in life, which should be treated with sincerity, and the trivial things with seriousness.

(iii) What are the major themes in 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Ans. The nature of marriage, the constrains of morality, the absence of compassion, hypocrisy vs.
inventiveness, lies and deceit, respect and reputation, society and class, duty and respectability,
passion and morality, religion and secret lives are the major theme in "The Importance of Being
Earnest".

(iv) Define comedy of manners.

Ans. The comedy of manners is an entertainment form which satirizes the manners and affections
of a social class or of multiple classes, often represented by stereotypical stock characters. "The
Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde is a comedy of manners.

(v) What is the setting of the play 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Ans. The primary setting is London and Hertfordshire, England in the late late 19th century.
Specific places include; Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half-Moon Street (Act I), the garden at the
Manor House, Woolton (Act II), and drawing room of the Manor House, Woolton (Act III).

(vi) What are the major conflicts in 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Ans. There are two major conflicts. The first conflict is that Lady Bracknell does not allow
Gwendolyn to marry Jack because he does not know his real parents. Bracknell wants a husband
for her daughter that is rich and has a title. The second conflict is that Gwendolyn thinks that Jack's
real name is Ernest, but it is not. She seems to love him for his name only and Jack fears he cannot
tell her the truth.

(vii) Which moment from the play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' struck you as the
funniest?
Ans. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is funny all the time. However, the conversation among
the vacuous Cecily, the idiot Miss Prism, and the foolish hypocrite Dr. Chasuble in Act II struck
me as the funniest. The final moment in which Jack is identified as the lost brother of Algernon
and he is accepted by Gwendolen is also a very funny moment.

(viii) Give two examples of inversion in 'The Importance of Being Earnest'.

Ans. When Algernon remarks, "Divorces are made in Heaven," he inverts the cliche about
marriages being "made in Heaven." Similarly, at the end of the play, when Jack calls it "a terrible
thing" for a man to discover that he has been telling the truth all his life, he inverts conventional
morality. Most of the women in the play represent an inversion of accepted Victorian practices
with regard to gender roles.

(ix) What is Wilde's opinion of the aristocracy?

Ans. Aristocrats mask their true nature and fill their lives with trivial traditions. Throughout the
play "The Importance of Being Earnest" Oscar Wilde makes fun of aristocrats in a cheerful way.
He seems to think that they are practically useless to society.

(x) What is Wilde's view towards formal education?

Ans. Wilde says, "Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time
that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.". This shows he has no value for formal education
since it deprives man's contemplation.

(xi) Who is "Ernest" in the play 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?

Ans. In "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, there is no character named "Ernest",
but everything depends on pretending to be Earnest. Jack creates a young brother named "Ernest"
to fool his lady friends, all of whom have an obsession with the name "Ernest". However, in the
end of the play, Jack finds out that his real name is "Earnest" and his middle name is Jack.

(xii) What is a dandy?

Ans. A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined
language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance on nonchalance in a cult of Self.
Algernon is a dandy in the play "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.

(xiii) How do characters in 'The Importance of Being Earnest' view marriage differently?
Ans. The characters in "The Importance of Being Earnest" are divided on whether a person should
marry because of duty or because of pleasure. The older generation thinks of marriage as a business
transaction, through which a person upholds or improves their rank in society. The younger
generation, however, wants to marry of love regardless of social standing.

(xiv) Interpret 'The truth is rarely pure and never simple'.

Ans. This line is spoken by Algernon in "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.
Because most of the play involves the various lies and deceits told by the protagonist, the purity
of truth is always suspect. Moreover, truth is never simple, as most of it always requires
explanation of the deeper layers.

(xv) Interpret 'Women only call each other sister when they have called each other a lot of
other things first'.
Ans. This line is spoken by Algernon in "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde. It
means that women call each other names, bicker, fight and fall out before they feel comfortable to
become sisters. Friendship or relationship starts with enmity.
Prepared by: Yasir Qadri