Word analyse.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play written by Oscar Wilde throughout Victorian Period.In his play he uses various techniques to appeal to his audience which are seeking comedy..It a comedy of manner that satirizes Victorian manners and customs , but he does with a light , witty style that's absolutely unforgettable.He uses inversions , metaphors ,puns and many more.His use of language is also important to create comedy and some quotations will be discussed below


Throughout the opening sequence of the play' Algernon states'I really don't see anything romantic in proposing.It is very romantic to be in love.But there is nothing romantic, a definite proposal why one may be accepted.One usually i believe then the excitement is all over.The very essence of romance is uncertainty.If i ever get married,I ll try to forget the fact'.Oscar Wilde uses Algernon as a  prop to skewer the Victorians 's demeanor towards marriage.He begins by giving an opinion about romance which he then confirms with his own theory of romance.This used to be a common notion throughout , as  Victorians believed that love wasn't so important , and believed that marriage was only necessary for business.Algernon's notion seems understandable for numerous reasons , one of them being his personality of creating humor throughout the play , moreover he is also younger than Jack which explains his inexperience.The word ' But' is a irregular word pattern which is used in unformal speeches.This supports his youthfulness as well as his age , and his behavior which are informal.The part of the quotation which says ' The very essence of romance is uncertainity' is a inversion used by Wilde.Normally people tend to believe romance is based on trust and certainity however Wilde writes the opposite which is sarcastic.

Oscar Wilde also uses puns to criticize Victorian customs.He play with the word ' Earnest through it's different semantics'This is when Algernon says: You have to told me it is Earnest . I have introduced you to everyone as Earnest , You answer the name Earnest , you look as your name is Earnest , You are the most Earnest person i know'The word Earnest is used for different meanings in this specific moment.It is firstly used to represent Jack as Earnest which is his 'fake' name.However, shortly after , Algernon says to Jack that he is the most Earnest person he knows.This is irony used by Wilde to an extreme level, as throughout the book Jack is everything but Earnest.Jack lied at numerous occasions to Gwendolen and the most smashing lie he has made is saying his name was Earnest.The use of repetition is also important as in a live performance of the play  it would stay in the audience's mind.

Another moment when Wilde uses Algernon to skewer the system is when he says' I haven't the smallest of doing anything of the kind.To begin with i dine there on Monday and once a week is quite enough to due with one 's own relations.This is inversion used by Wilde.Throughout the Victorian Era , family life was considered as one of the prominent facet of a human's life.Notwithstanding Algernon seems to doing the whole opposite by saying he is not too keen on spending time with his own family.Perhaps Oscar Wilde's voice is emerging through the character of Algernon and giving his own belief on the subject of family.In a performance this would lead to an instant reaction of the audience feeling sceptical and bewildered however this will change after realizing the method used by Wilde is to promote comedy.