the importance of being earnest summary essay

The Importance of Being Earnest

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Summary and Study Guide

The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy, is Oscar Wilde’s final play. It premiered at St. James’ Theatre in London on February 14, 1895 and skewered the contemporary habits and attitudes of the British aristocracy. The opening was hugely successful, but Wilde’s ongoing conflict with the Marquess of Queensberry, his lover’s powerful father, led the play to close prematurely after Wilde was charged with “gross indecency” for having sex with men. Despite this setback, The Importance of Being Earnest was almost immediately revived and has become Wilde’s most celebrated play. Three major screen adaptations have been produced: in 1952 by Anthony Asquith; in 1992 by Kurt Baker with an all-Black cast; and again in 2002 with Colin Firth, Judi Dench, and Reese Witherspoon in starring roles. The citations in this guide refer to the Samuel French edition used by most theater groups.

Plot Summary

The play centers upon two young men, Algernon Moncrieff and Jack “Ernest” Worthing, and the farcical misunderstandings that trip up their respective courtships. When “Ernest” asks Algernon for permission to propose to Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon demands to know why his friend’s cigarette case has an engraving addressed to “Uncle Jack.” Jack has been living a double life, going by the name Ernest in London and by his legal name in the country. There, he is the guardian to Cecily Cardew, a young heiress, and must maintain his reputation with her as an upstanding, sober man. Jack pretends that he has a dissolute brother named Ernest whom he must visit in London frequently. By using an alias in London, he also manages to displace any negative gossip about himself onto his fictional brother. Algernon explains to Jack that he has done something similar by inventing a perpetually sick friend named Bunbury whose frequent illnesses serve as an excuse to avoid social obligations.

Algernon’s aunt Augusta (Lady Bracknell) and his cousin Gwendolen (Miss Fairfax) enter the room. While Algernon distracts Lady Bracknell offstage, Jack proposes to Gwendolen, who tells him that she has always longed to marry someone named Ernest and accepts. When Jack asks how she would feel if his name were Jack instead, she says she would not love him; and he resolves to be rechristened under the name Ernest.

Algernon reenters with Lady Bracknell who does not accept Jack and Gwendolen’s engagement and interrogates Jack about his background. She is mostly pleased with his answers until she discovers that he does not know his parents and was discovered in a handbag in the cloakroom at London’s Victoria Station. She storms off in a huff. Jack manages to pass on his country address to Gwendolen, but Algernon discovers the address as well.

The location changes to the garden at Jack’s country estate on a sunny July day where Cecily is studying with her governess, Miss Prism . Dr. Chasuble , the local church canon, enters and chats with Miss Prism. They are clearly attracted to one another, and Dr. Chasuble invites Miss Prism to accompany him on an evening walk. Cecily is by herself when Algernon arrives unexpectedly and introduces himself as Ernest. He pretends to be Jack’s rakish younger brother and soon charms Cecily.

Algernon and Cecily enter the house as Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble return. Jack soon joins wearing a black suit. He is pretending that his brother Ernest has died and he is in mourning, not realizing that Algernon has arrived pretending to be Ernest. Jack arranges for Dr. Chasuble to christen him later that afternoon. Cecily and Algernon emerge from the house, catching Jack in his lie about the death of his brother. When they are alone, Jack confronts Algernon and demands that he leave. Algernon and Cecily instead conspire to make Algernon miss his train, and Algernon proposes to her. She accepts, having fallen in love with the wicked behavior of both “Ernests.” Algernon now discovers that Cecily, like Gwendolen, would not love him if his name were not Ernest.

Cecily is left alone again by the time Gwendolen arrives unannounced. Cecily welcomes Gwendolen, and the two have a mutual liking until they realize that they are both engaged to a man named “Ernest,” thinking it is the same person. Jack and Algernon soon appear and must admit to their deception.

Jack and Algernon mollify their fiancés by promising to both be rechristened as Ernest. Lady Bracknell suddenly appears and refuses to allow Algernon to marry a woman she knows only as Jack’s ward. Her objections disappear when Jack tells her that she is enormously wealthy. Jack, however, refuses to give permission for the marriage unless he is permitted to marry Gwendolen.

When Dr. Chasuble mentions Miss Prism in front of Lady Bracknell, she demands to see her. Miss Prism is an old servant of hers who misplaced her infant nephew twenty-eight years earlier. Jack fetches the handbag in which he was discovered, and it is proved that he is the infant nephew in question. Jack is the son of Lady Bracknell’s sister and, therefore, Algernon’s older brother. Jack was to have been named for his father, so he checks the old Army lists and finds that his father’s name was Ernest. Lady Bracknell gives permission for Jack and Gwendolen to marry, and Jack gives permission for Algernon and Cecily to do the same. The play ends with three couples embracing: Algernon and Cecily, Jack and Gwendolen, and Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar wilde.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Introduction

The importance of being earnest: plot summary, the importance of being earnest: detailed summary & analysis, the importance of being earnest: themes, the importance of being earnest: quotes, the importance of being earnest: characters, the importance of being earnest: symbols, the importance of being earnest: literary devices, the importance of being earnest: quizzes, the importance of being earnest: theme wheel, brief biography of oscar wilde.

Historical Context of The Importance of Being Earnest

Other books related to the importance of being earnest.

• Full Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
• When Written: Summer 1894
• Where Written: Worthing, England
• When Published: First produced as a play on February 14, 1895; published in 1899
• Literary Period: Aestheticism; Victorian Era
• Genre: play; Victorian melodrama; comedy of manners; intellectual farce; satire
• Setting: The 1890s in London, England (Act I), and then Hertfordshire, a rural country outside of London (Acts II and III).
• Climax: Gwendolen and Cecily discover that neither Jack, nor Algernon holds the name of “Ernest.”
• Antagonist: Lady Bracknell

Extra Credit for The Importance of Being Earnest

Just dandy: Known for his long hair and the ever-present flower in his button-hole, Wilde popularized the figure of the “fop,” or “dandy,” a man devoted to his personal appearance, style, and dress.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Background of the play.

The play has been praised for its humor. It marks the peak of the artistic career of Oscar Wilde. The play lacks any social message. The high mockery and witty dialogues of the play support the play to be one of the most popular plays to date. 

Historical Context

Literary context.

These plays show the characteristics of comedy and drama. These plays are revolving around the same themes as that of The Importance of Being Earnest . The themes include uncertain parentage, the fallen woman, puns, wordplay, dark secrets, mistaken identities, and a biting critique of the social standards and morality of the Victorian era.

The Importance of Being Earnest Summary

Act i, part 1.

When the act 1 begins, Jack unexpectedly announces to Algernon that he wants to propose to his cousin Gwendolen. Algernon finds a cigarette case and makes him come clean and also demands to know who Cecily and Jack are. Jack admits that he is Jack in reality and is disguised as Ernest. He also tells him Cecily is his ward. She is his responsibility thrown upon him by the will of his adoptive father.

Act I, Part 2

Act ii, part 1, act ii, part 2, act iii, part 1.

Though the women have become a little bit calm, they are still anxious about the problem of the name. They both forgive Jack and Algernon when they tell them that they have made arrangements to be christened as Ernest. The pairs embrace themselves. At that very instant, the arrival of Gwendolen’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is announced.

Lady Bracknell suggests Jack reconsider his decision, and he tells her that the matter is entirely his own hands. Once she agrees to the marriage between Jack and Gwendolen, he will agree to the marriage between Algernon and Cecily. Lady Bracknell refuses for any deal. When Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell are leaving, the local Rector, Mr. Chasuble, arrives and asks for Miss Prism, the governess of Cecily. Lady Bracknell insists on meeting Miss Prism.

Act III, Part 2

Moreover, it is also revealed that originally Jack had been christened as “Ernest John. Unknowingly, he had been telling the truth that his name is Jack and had a brother – Algernon. The story ends with the couples embracing each other. D, Chasuble, and Miss Prism also follow suit. Jack realizes that he really understands “The importance of being earnest.

The Importance of Being Earnest Characters Analysis

John worthing (jack/ernest), jack worthing.

Jack Worthing is the protagonist of the play. Before the play opens, he is found by Mr. Thomas Cardew (who is now dead) in the cloakroom at the London’s railway station. Jack is the foundation of the community of Hertfordshire. He is the landowner and Justice of Peace. Though he was assumed to be born as an illegitimate child, he has grown up as an apparently respectable and responsible young man.

Algernon Moncrieff

In the play, Algernon appears to be a supporter of aestheticism. He stands for Wilde and the modish characters in his plays such Lord Goring from An Ideal Husband, Lord Illingworth from A Woman of No Importance, and Lord Darlington from Lady’s Windermere’s Fan.

Cecily Cardew

Gwendolen fairfax, lady bracknell, rev. canon chasuble, d.d., themes in the importance of being earnest, the nature of marriage.

The questions Lady Bracknell prepares for the list of bachelor to interview also shows her views about the purpose and nature of marriage. Generally viewing, these views are the representation of the views of the convention of the people on the marriage in the Victorian Era. Like Lady Bracknell, Victorians focus on income, character, and social position.

Towards the end of the play, Jack asks for forgiveness from Gwendolen when he acknowledges that when he realizes that he had been speaking truth unintentionally all his life. She forgives him on the account that he is certain to change. This view of Gwendolen suggests her cynical views about marriage and the nature of men.

The Restrictions of Morality

One of the major topics of the conversation between the characters of the play The Importance of Being Earnest is the notion of morality and the restrictions it imposes on society. According to Algernon, it is the responsibility of the servant class to set the standards of morality for the upper class. For Jack, reading someone’s private cigarette case is “ungentlemanly.” However, Algernon says that the majority of modern culture is based on what one should not read.

The views and restrictions propose that in Victorian society, strict codes of morality were practiced. However, in the play, Oscar Wilde is not at all concerned with what is moral and what is not moral. Rather he satirizes the whole idea of morality in the Victorian Society. In Victorian society, morality was regarded as the strict body of rules and regulations about what people are supposed to do and what is not.

Hypocrisy vs. Ingenuity

Jack and Algernon in the play appear to be deceptive in the same way. However, they are not morally equal. When Jacks comes to the house with the news of his fake brother’s death, he also imposes the pretentiousness of his family, who are unaware of the deception. He wears mourning clothes and does his best to convince his family that he is really mourning. He acts hypocritically.

However, contrary to Jack, Algernon and Cecily establish elaborated stories that are not an attack on truth in any way. They both do not attempt to change the perception of reality. We can say that Cecily and Algernon are the characters that speak of Wilde’s heart. These characters create a life for themselves according to the notion that life is a work of art.

The Importance of Not Being “Earnest”

Algernon assumes that people are “shallow” if they are not “serious” about meals. Similarly, Gwendolen states that “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing.”

The Importance of Being Earnest Analysis

Later in the play, Gwendolen says that, for her the only safe name is Ernest and considers it as a divine name that has its own music. 

The Double Life and Disguise

In Victorian society, it was a common practice to visit poor people by upper and middle-class people. The only difference between Jack and Algernon’s action as Jack not only disguised himself as what he is not as in the shape of Ernest, he routinely pretends to be what he is not, in shape, a responsible, earnest, and dutiful individual. This double living proposes the utmost degree of deception and hypocrisy. Wilde highlights the double standard and hypocrisy of Victorian society through his double-living of his characters.  

Writing and Fictional Characters

The diary of Cecily is also a kind of fiction. In the diary, she has mentioned her fictional romance with Ernest. She has recorded the details and development of her romance entirely based on her imagination.  Moreover, When Gwendolen and Cecily fight over who is engaged to Ernest, Cecily refers to her diary in which she wrote an imaginary date of her engagement. The fact that she has written something makes it a fact.

Oscar’s Wilde employs the lowest form of verbal wit in The Importance of Being Earnest. In the play, the puns employed are not simply the play on words. First of all, the very title of the play employs a pun. The pun on the notion of Ernest and earnest is a harsh satire on the notion of dutifulness and respectability practiced by Victorians.

In the play, Gwendolen only intends to marry the person whose name is Ernest. She is not at all concerned with the fact that whether the person really carries those qualities or not. Moreover, when Jack tells her that he is changing his name to Ernest, she instantly forgives him.

Other than these, there are a lot of indirect and implicit puns in the play about line or connection that can refer to both travel and ancestry. Oscar Wilde is making fun of the snobbery of Lady Bracknell. He portrays as if she is not able to distinguish between family line and railway line, the railway connection and social connection, the ancestral origin of the person, and the chance of where he could have been found. In fact, the employment of puns adds more meaning to the dialogues of characters, and the readers/audience are indulged in extracting the meaning of what has been communicated.

With regard to the gender roles, the women in the play also illustrate an inversion to the recognized practices of the Victorian era. For example, Lady Bracknell is interviewing Jack by assuming the role of Gwendolen’s father. In Victorian society, interviewing a suitor is typically the role of a father. Likewise, Gwendolen and Cecily are getting hold of their own lives while men are passive in this regard.

At the end of the play, Wilde plays a trick on Miss Prism, which is also an inversion. Wilde shows her as a “fallen woman” of melodrama who initially appears to be puritan.

Apart from giving dark humor to the play, the jokes on death are associated with the notion of life being a work of art. In the play, the characters discuss death as something which they can control as if death is something on which one can decide how to create their life.    

Wilde contributed the figure of the dandy to the form of Victorian melodrama. The dandy is the character who gives a lesson on morality, which he never processed. The literary works of Oscar Wilde, the dandy appears to be a styled philosopher, witty, and overdressed who speaks exaggerated dialogue and paradoxes. He ridicules the insincerity and hypocrisy of the moral mediators of society. To a great extent, the dandy figure was a portrayal of Wilde’s personality.

The tone of the play The Importance of Being Earnest is playful, humorous, and introspective. The creative ability of Oscar Wilde makes the play playful and humorous. He makes fun of his own characters by making them utter exaggerated dialogues full of puns and humor. Oscar Wilde also makes the play introspective by criticizing various social values and beliefs of Victorian society.

The play The Importance of Being Earnest is the comedy-drama. The play is full of disguises, twists, and turns that create a comic effect of the play. The main conflict in the play is resolved at the end and all characters of the reunite happily.

Setting of the Play

The play The Importance of Being Earnest has two important settings. The first setting is the countryside of Hertfordshire, where Jack estate the Manor House lies. The second setting of the play is the city of London, where Gwendolen, Algernon, and Lady Bracknell live. Jack also visits London on occasions in the disguise of Ernest. Moreover, the references to the cloakroom of Victoria’s railway station are also made in the play. 

More From Oscar Wilde

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The Importance of Being Earnest

By oscar wilde.

• The Importance of Being Earnest Summary

Algernon Moncrieff prepares for the arrival of his aunt, Lady Bracknell , and her daughter, Gwendolen, in his stylish London flat in 1895. His butler, Lane , brings in "Ernest Worthing" (who is listed as "John Worthing" in the cast list and "Jack" in the body of the play, although both Lane and Algernon believe his name is Ernest), who has just returned from the country. Jack reveals he has come to London to propose to Gwendolen. Algernon ridicules the notion of marriage, and says that before Jack can marry Gwendolen, he has to clear up the issue of Cecily. Algernon orders Lane to bring in Jack's cigarette case and shows the inscription: "'From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack.'" Jack says his name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country. Algernon says he has always suspected Jack was a "Bunburyist," and now he has proof.

Jack explains that Thomas Cardew, who adopted him, willed Jack to be guardian to his granddaughter, Cecily. Cecily now lives at Jack's place in the country under the guidance of her governess, Miss Prism . Since Jack must maintain a high level of morality to set an example, he needs an excuse to get into town. He has invented a ne'er-do-well younger brother named Ernest who lives in Albany, and whose problems frequently require Jack's attendance. Algernon confesses that he has invented an invalid in the country, Bunbury, for when he needs to get out of town. Jack insists that he is through with "Ernest," but Algernon maintains that he will need him more than ever if he marries.

Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive. Algernon tells Lady Bracknell that he will be unable to attend her dinner tonight, as Bunbury is ill. They go into the music room. Jack confesses his feelings to Gwendolen, and she admits that she likes him, too, especially since she has always wanted to love someone named Ernest. Jack asks if she would still love him if his name were not Ernest. She would not, she maintains. He proposes to her, and she accepts. Lady Bracknell comes in, and Gwendolen informs her of their engagement. Lady Bracknell says that only she or her father can engage Gwendolen, and orders her to wait in the carriage. After she leaves, Lady Bracknell learns from Jack that he was an orphan, found in a handbag on a train. She is aghast and says she will not allow her daughter to marry him. She leaves and Algernon enters.

Jack tells Algernon what happened, and promises to "kill off" his brother Ernest later in the week. Algernon expresses interest in meeting Cecily, but Jack does not want this to happen, as she is young and pretty. Gwendolen returns. She tells Algernon to turn his back. She asks Jack his address in the country, and Algernon slyly writes this down and checks a train timetable. Gwendolen promises to write Jack daily when he returns to the countryside, and Jack escorts her out. Algernon informs Lane that he will be going Bunburying tomorrow.

In the garden at Jack's country house, Miss Prism and Cecily discuss Jack's seemingly serious demeanor; Miss Prism believes it is due to his anxiety over his reckless brother. Dr. Chasuble enters the garden. He and Miss Prism leave for a walk together. Merriman , their butler, announces the arrival of Ernest Worthing. Algernon enters, pretending to be Ernest. He and Cecily briefly discuss his "wicked" reputation. When he learns that Jack will be back Monday afternoon, Algernon announces that he must leave Monday morning. He flirts with Cecily and they exit into the house.

Miss Prism and Chasuble return. She urges him to get married to a mature lady. Jack enters the garden, dressed in black. He tells Miss Prism he has returned earlier than expected, and explains that he is dressed in black for his brother, who died in Paris last night. Jack asks Chasuble if he would christen him this afternoon. He agrees, and Cecily emerges from the house. She tells him that his brother is in the dining room; Jack says he doesn't have a brother. She runs into the house and brings out Algernon. Jack refuses to shake Algernon's hand, but Cecily says that "Ernest" has been telling him about his friend Bunbury, and that someone who takes care of an invalid must have some good in him. Everyone but Jack and Algernon leaves. Jack orders Merriman to get the dogcart, as Ernest has been called back to town (he wants to get rid of Algernon). Jack tells Algernon he must leave, while Algernon expresses an interest in Cecily. Jack exits.

Cecily enters the garden. Merriman tells Algernon that the dogcart is ready, but Cecily says it can wait. Algernon compliments Cecily to her great delight. She then tells Merriman that the dogcart can come back next week. He asks Cecily to marry him, and she points out that they have been engaged for three months. "Ever since [she] heard of Jack's wicked brother Ernest" she has loved him. Cecily shows him the box of letters he "wrote" to her (which she really wrote to herself). She also admits that she loves him because his name is Ernest. Upon promptin, she doubts she would be able to love him were his name Algernon. He says he needs to see Chasuble quickly about "christening...I mean on most important business." Algernon exits.

Merriman announces that Gwendolen has asked to see Mr. Worthing (Jack). Cecily informs him that he has gone off to see Chasuble some time ago, but invites her in. Gwendolen immediately takes to Cecily, but wishes Cecily were not so young and alluring, as "Ernest," despite his moral nature, is still susceptible to temptation. Cecily tells her that she is not Ernest's ward, but his brother Jack's. Rather, she is going to marry Ernest. They compare diary entries. Gwendolen feels she has the prior claim, since Ernest asked to marry her yesterday. The girls argue and insult each other.

Jack enters the garden, and Gwendolen asks if he is engaged to Cecily; he laughs and denies it. Cecily says the man before them is her Uncle Jack. As Gwendolen goes into shock, Algernon enters, and Cecily calls him Ernest. She asks if he is married to Gwendolen; he denies it. Gwendolen says that his name is Algernon. Cecily is shocked, and she and Gwendolen hold each other and make up. Jack confesses he has no brother Ernest, nor any brother at all. The women retire to the house. Jack is angry at Algernon for stirring up trouble with his Bunburying. They have both arranged for Chasuble to christen them "Ernest" later that evening. Jack tells Algernon to go, but he refuses.

Jack and Algernon join Gwendolen and Cecily inside the country house. The women tell the men their "Christian names are still an insuperable barrier." The men reveal that they are to be re-christened this afternoon, and the couples hug. Lady Bracknell arrives, and Gwendolen informs her of her engagement. Lady Bracknell tells Jack that he may not speak any more to her daughter.

Jack introduces Cecily to Lady Bracknell, and Algernon says that he is engaged to her. Only when Lady Bracknell discovers Cecily has a large personal fortune does she give her consent for their marriage. However, Jack claims that, as his ward, Cecily may not marry without his consent until age 35. He declines to give the necessary consent. He says that he suspects Algernon of being untruthful. He recounts this afternoon's events, in which Algernon impersonated Jack's brother. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that if she consents to his marriage with Gwendolen, he will consent to Cecily's with Algernon. Lady Bracknell refuses and tells Gwendolen to get ready for the train.

Chasuble enters and announces that he is prepared for the christenings. Lady Bracknell refuses to allow Algernon to be baptized, and Jack tells Chasuble that the christenings will not be necessary any more. Chasuble says he will leave, and mentions that Miss Prism is waiting for him. Lady Bracknell asks to see Miss Prism. When she enters, she goes pale upon seeing Lady Bracknell, who accuses her of kidnapping a baby boy from her house 28 years ago. Under Jack's questioning, Miss Prism reveals that she accidentally left the baby in a handbag on the Brighton railway line. Jack leaves excitedly.

Jack returns with this very handbag. Jack tells her he was the baby. Lady Bracknell informs Jack that he is the son of her sister, making him Algernon's older brother. Jack asks Lady Bracknell what his original name was. She says he was named after his father; after locating his name under the Army Lists, they learn his full name is Ernest John Moncrieff. All three couples, Chasuble and Miss Prism, Algernon and Cecily, and Jack and Gwendolen, embrace. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he has realized, for the first time in his life, "the vital Importance of Being Earnest."

The Importance of Being Earnest Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Importance of Being Earnest is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What happened as a result of the following situation?

When Jack tells Lady Bracknell that Cecily will be a rich woman, Lady Bracknell immediately changes her mind about Cecily and decides that she will be a suitable wife for Algernon.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Algernon's throwaway quip to Lane that "anyone can play [piano] accurately but I play with wonderful expression" is a good thumbnail of Wilde's philosophy of art. Wilde was heavily influenced by Walter Pater and the other aesthetes of the...

What can I say about the NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE ?

The play, The Importance of Being Earnest , does not have a narrator.

Study Guide for The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest study guide contains a biography of Oscar Wilde, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Importance of Being Earnest
• Character List

Essays for The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Importance of Being Earnest.

• Maxims and Masks: The Epigram in "The Importance of Being Earnest"
• Paradox through Pacing in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest"
• Sincere Triviality: The Comedy of Oscar Wilde
• Structural Stereotypes of the Characters in The Importance of Being Earnest
• The Institution of Marriage in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” and Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles”

Lesson Plan for The Importance of Being Earnest

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Importance of Being Earnest
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
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• The Importance of Being Earnest Bibliography

E-Text of The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest e-text contains the full text of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Wikipedia Entries for The Importance of Being Earnest

• Introduction