Q. 1. Discuss “The Importance of Being Earnest” as
a Farcical, Trivial, and artificial comedy.
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, commonly known as Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet, story writer and playwright. He enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most popular playwrights in London during 1890s. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is considered his master piece. The play is considered the best example of farcical plays. It represented late-Victorian society. The actor, Allan Aynesworth (who played Algernon) Said: "In my fifty-three years of acting, I never remember a greater triumph than the first night."
A comedy is a fictional work of art in which the subject matter is selected and arranged to entertain the audience. The action is trivial, trifling, non serious and, sometimes, ridiculous. The fame of The Importance of Being Earnest mostly depends on absurd situations skillfully created by the writer. The characters lack insight which causes them to react to these situations in a funny, farcical, artificial, absurd and trivial ways.
The Importance of Being Earnest is universally considered the best example of a farcical, trivial and artificial comedy. It aims at light-hearted entertainment with the help of exaggerated characters, absurd situations and dandy dialogue. The application of puns and paradoxes has made the play even more admirable. For example, when Algernon asks Jack about his aunt being ‘little’, Jack replies:
“My dear fellow, what on earth is there in that? Some aunts are tall,
some aunts are not tall. That is a matter that surely an aunt
may be allowed to decide for herself.”
In another dialogue, Algernon addresses Jack,
“You have always told me it was Ernest. I have introduced you to everyone
as Ernest. You answer to the name of Ernest. You look as if your name was Ernest. You are the most earnest person I ever saw in my life. …”
The very title of the play is a fine example of pun. ‘Pun’ is a literary device that is the humorous use of a word which leads to another word of the same sound. ‘Earnest’ and ‘Ernest’ are apt and appropriate example of pun.
The ‘bunburying’ (the maintenance of alternative or double identities in the town and country) of the two protagonists is fantastically farcical. They do so to escape from the Victorian social traditions. In a way, it is a satire on the society of that period in which the elite not only adopted double standards in their dealings but also assumed double identities. However, the play has some message for the serious people as well. Wilde called it a “trivial comedy for serious people”. He himself explains his saying in the following words:
“We should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the
serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.”
Thus, we can rightly conclude that ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a farcical, amusing, and trivial comedy that entertains the audience with its witty statements, absurd behavior of characters, and amusing dialogues. The play enjoys universal appeal with its evergreen entertainment and innocent humor and hilarity. (Words:500)
