She is feminine in some aspects like how se wanted the proper engagement (she makes jack proposes formally), but at the same time she can be seen as more masculine then Jack especially because she is quite assertive. Some women, like Gwendolyn and Cecily, cannot really seem to handle power, while Lady Bracknell is very comfortable with it. The characters are not what you would expect and can be seen as over exaggerated stereotypes of gender roles at the time. After the examination of the female characters it can be concluded that the female characters are not really typical Victorian women than are Algernon and Jack typical Victorian men. Search all of SparkNotes Search. First performed in 1895, the play satirizes the stiff and proper customs and institutions of Victorian England. No man does. 1,308 words Bibliography The importance of being earnest – Oscar Wilde (new mermaids) Some critical views of comedy (pink/purple sheet) Quotations on comedy; comedy for AQA B unit 2 English and media centre 2012. Lies and Deceit Marriage Respect and Reputation Society and Class Gender Versions of Reality: Romance Love Foolishness and Folly. Previous Next . The play uses elements of old comedy for example; it is a satire of the victorian era that is most importantly applied through the use of gender and role reversal (ridicule to expose traditional gender value) it also weaves in strands of new comedy, where young lovers typically undergo endless vicissitudes. Additional materials, such as the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your writing easier are Essay, 8 pages. - Act 1, "And certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate, does he not?" Comedy originated in the 6th century BC in ancient Greece at the Dionysian festival. A Selection of Quotes From 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', Review: "The Importance of Being Earnest", M.A., English Literature, California State University - Sacramento, B.A., English, California State University - Sacramento, "Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them?" Throughout The Importance of Being Earnest, the stereotypes of gender are challenged by engaging women, and thus delineating men as the weaker of the two. - Act 1, "London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years." Essay, 7 pages. “we might say that comedy traces the movement from distress to happiness from ‘bad ‘ to ‘good’” some critical views of comedy, The story- the first act sets the scene and the beginning of the troubles, act two brings the climax to the confusion, then in the third act it is resolved and becomes harmonious. The average student has to read dozens of books per year. What Are the Most Popular High School Musicals and Plays? The act of role reversal and the use of gender makes “a mockery of what is unnatural” once said CL Barber: festive comedy, who summed up what comedy is very well, especially relatable to ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ and from the opening act we can see this very clearly through the character of lady Bracknell who embodies a very paternal and dominant role “when you do become engaged to someone, I for your farther, should his health permit… ” immediately Lady Bracknell speaks of herself before acknowledging her husband which in turn leads us to believe she would make the decision without consulting her husband. In the Victorian world men had greater influence than women. Social standing was very important during the Victorian era. This material is available only on Freebooksummary, We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. It produces a false impression..." - Act 1, "Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. The satirizing of gender roles contributes to the overall humorous tone In some cases, it is even written around the idea of comedy itself. - Act 3​​, "Pray don't talk to me about the weather, Mr. Worthing. And that makes me so nervous." Algy is dandy, making him unmasculine and a bit of a joke in the eyes of the Victorian audience. - Act 1, "The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her, if she is pretty, and to some one else, if she is plain." Rate this post The play “The Importance of Being Earnest” which was written and set in 1895 (Late Victorian Era) is heavily influenced by the patriarchal society of the time; this society valued men more than women. That's his." Essay, 6 pages. Wilde raises interesting questions about gender roles in The Importance of Being Earnest, by putting women (like Lady Bracknell) in positions of power and by showing that men can be irresponsible and bad at Decision-making The traditional view of gender relations in the Victorian era was that men were active, manly, assertive and economically independent whilst women were assumed to be passive, pliant and dependent. - Act 1, "Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. REGISTER TO VOTE! On the other hand, we can say there are other factors in the play that create comedy equally as well as what Gender and role reversal does. Get Your Custom Essay on Gender Roles In The importance of Being Earnest Just from $13,9/Page. Rate this post With the definition of a satire being, ‘the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity’, it is ludicrous to even propose that The Importance of Being Earnest is anything other than a satirical play, as the characters relishing in the upper class of the Victorian period... Rate this post Nicolas Hytner has used a number of techniques such as camera angles, dialogue and music to represent gender through the film version of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Also the irony that is created around the correlation between the title name Earnest and Jacks name Earnest, as it means honest and serious, this creates comedy as we know that jack is leading a double life and all but Algernon are also oblivious as to what Jack is doing “you have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest” this creates comedy because it is not serious and again is very absurd from the commodities of everyday life. It would have created a lot more comedy at the time of production as it is focused around traditional Victorian gender values and topics which at the time would have been subject to taboo and controversy, it was also nearing turn of the century and the play taps into the ‘women question’, a time when women’s right were subject to change. Animal Farm As You Like It King Lear The Merchant of Venice The Scarlet Letter. Type: Wilde chiefly executes the supremacy of women through Lady Bracknell, and continues to authorize them through the influence that Gwendolen and Cecily have over Jack and Algernon. Your Answer is very helpful for Us Thank you a lot! By Oscar Wilde. - Act 1, "The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Esther Lombardi, M.A., is a journalist who has covered books and literature for over twenty years. Lady Bracknell also comments on education “education produces no effect” this shows that she is still a woman of Victorian society as women at the time wouldn’t of had as many right to education as men would have done, this is rather ironic as she is playing out a male role. Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/gender-roles-in-the-importance-of-being-earnest-essay, This is just a sample. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. Algy is also a little too concerned with clothing to come across as masculine. This is ironic because domestic duties are typically within a womans sphere to begin with. Oscar Wilde created one of the most delightful and memorable social comedies with "The Importance of Being Earnest." Marriage during the Victorian era was decidedly unequal. You did not have a chance to rise to the top, as you might in the U.S., through hard work and luck. Don’t waste Your Time Searching For a Sample, Get Your Job Done By a Professional Skilled Writer. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square." Students looking for free, top-notch essay and term paper samples on various topics. The film is set in... Rate this post Making use of funny assists bring books, movies and plays to life. This creates comedy because again it is a female dominating a male character and announcing their engagement, when it is traditionally a man’s role to propose, and the absurdity and unlikelihood of the situation. This creates comedy because it portrays that men take on female roles which is ludicrous, and again strongly shows a switch typical in gender roles. I believe that Oscar Wilde does challenge these traditional roles deliberately to make humor out of these characteristics and to make fun of the conventional roles of society. This is evident through the study of the characters John Proctor, Reverend Hale, Judge Danforth, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. Gender and role reversal also creates comedy through more characters that just Lady Bracknell. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the question of each gender’s role in society often centers on power.In the Victorian world of this play, men have greater influence than women. also offered here. When Algernon proposes to Cecily and she replies with “we have been engaged for the past three months” Cecily then proceeds to tell him; Algernon completely complaisant in this part of the act, about their fantasy love affair, whilst he was in London entirely unaware of the situation. The act of role reversal and the use of gender makes “a mockery of what is unnatural” once said CL Barber: festive comedy, who summed up what comedy is very well, especially relatable to ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ and from the opening act we can see this very clearly through the character of lady Bracknell who embodies a very paternal and dominant role “when you do become engaged to someone… You can get your custom paper from our Gwendolen illustrates that men posses many female traits “and certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully effeminate” if a man begins to forget about his domestic duties, he begins to show signs of having characteristics typically regarded as a females.

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