I have read "The Importance of Being Earnest" twice in my lifetime and this second time around the character that stood out to me the most was Lady Bracknell. It seems that every time she speaks some form of exaggerated or oxymoronic statement. I found myself laughing to myself almost every line I read that she spoke, so I asked myself why I was finding her so amusing and what her purpose both in the story and in the broader context of the entire play's themes is. It seems that Oscar Wilde emphasizes the frivolity and ridiculous nature of the upper class through the character of Lady Bracknell. We discussed in class somewhat about how silly it was that Lady Bracknell was not going to allow the marriage of her daughter Gwendolyn to Jack solely because he was found in a handbag and he does not know who his parents are. However this is definitely not the only example of Lady Bracknell's nature.
Another example of this type of ridiculous conversation is in Act 3. She is insisting that Algernon and Cecily get married quickly, even though they just met and she says "To speak frankly, I am not in favour of long engagements. They give people the opportunity of finding out each other's character before marriage, which I think is never advisable" (Lines 204-206) This statement is obviously incredibly absurd in nature. To think of people not knowing each other before marriage in today's culture is just unheard of. However, this level of absurdity highlights the insanity of the reasoning of the upper classes. In addition, she wasn't even okay with this marriage occurring until she found out that Cecily was in line to inherit her father's fortune. Her shallow nature and ridiculous line of thinking is exemplified in this interaction.
2 comments:
I personally love Lady Bracknell and her "shallow nature" mostly because I'm like you in that I can't help but laugh at everything she says. I also love that she sort of serves to make us reflect on WHY we find her so funny. I found myself reflecting most with the line you referenced, about the length of engagement, because upon reading it I immediately thought, "Well, that might actually make a little sense." Everyone has flaws, some easier to deal with, but if you make a truly serious commitment before you discover some of the more difficult flaws, are you more willing to stick it out and attempt to find ways to deal with and resolve those flaws? Or is it better to know about these flaws before you enter marriage so that you know exactly what you're getting into? It calls to mind the current opinions of how relationships are formed and made to last.
I agree with both of you that Lady Bracknell has some of the best lines. She makes this play what it is. Without her character causing trouble with her references to aristocratic friends and lifestyle, none of the action in this play would have happened.
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