I haven’t read a play in a while – I think the last play I read was ‘Homecoming’ by Harold Pinter a few years back. So, I decided to read a few plays this year. The first one I got hold of was ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde. I have always admired Oscar Wilde’s wit and humour and so I was really looking forward to reading his most famous play. I finished reading it a couple of days back. Here is what I think.
What I think
‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is about two friends John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff. Worthing loves Moncrieff’s cousin Gwendolen, and proposes to her and she accepts it. But Gwendolen’s mother Lady Bracknell refuses to approve their match, because John was adopted and doesn’t know anything about his biological parents. Algernon falls in love with John’s ward Cecily and proposes to her and she accepts it. Lady Bracknell has a problem with that too, till she discovers that Cecily has good investments in her name. But there is a catch in all this. John calls himself Ernest Worthing when he comes to the city. Gwendolen knows him as Ernest. John also tells his ward Cecily that he has a brother called Ernest in the city who is not a good guy and who is whiling away his time. Algernon, when he meets Cecily for the first time, takes advantage of the situation and introduces himself as Ernest Worthing. So Cecily thinks that he is Ernest. Then comes a situation when John, Earnest, Gwendolen and Cecily all end up in John’s home in the countryside, and both Gwendolen and Cecily think that they are engaged to Ernest. This leads to some funny situations and when the truth is finally revealed, that neither John nor Algernon is Ernest, Gwendolen asks John :
“Where is your brother Ernest? We are both engaged to be married to your brother Ernest, so it is a matter of some importance to us to know where you brother Ernest is at present.”
John replies :
“I will tell you quite frankly that I have no brother Ernest. I have no brother at all. I never had a brother in my life, and I certainly have not the smallest intention of ever having one in the future.”
On hearing this, Gwendolen tells Cecily :
“I am afraid it is quite clear, Cecily, that neither of us is engaged to be married to anyone.”
Gwendolen and Cecily walk off into the house after this conversation. Do John and Algernon manage to win back the trust of Gwendolen and Cecily? What does Lady Bracknell say to all this subterfuge? What happens in the end? The answer to all these form the rest of the story.
I enjoyed reading ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. It made me remember some of old Hollywood / Bollywood / Tamil movies that I have seen, which had similar plots. It looks like Oscar Wilde inspired many filmmakers. I loved the way ‘earnest’ is interpreted in different ways throughout the play taking on multiple meanings. I was also surprised to discover that Oscar Wilde was Irish. I didn’t know that before.
The play had many of my favourite Oscar Wilde lines, like these.
“it is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn’t. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read.”
“That, my dear Algy, is the whole truth pure and simple.”
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility.”
“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.”
“I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays. You can’t go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become an absolute public nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left.”
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”
Cecily : That certainly seems a satisfactory explanation, does it not?
Gwendolen : Yes, dear, if you can believe him.
Cecily : I don’t. But that does not affect the wonderful beauty of his answer.
Gwendolen : True. In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.
Lady Bracknell : Is this Miss Prism a female of repellent aspect, remotely connected with education?
Chasuble : She is the most cultivated of ladies, and the very picture of respectability.
Lady Bracknell : It is obviously the same person.
One of my favourite Oscar Wilde lines was not there in the play – or rather it was there in its original form, which in my opinion, didn’t have the same effect. The notes to the play said that this line was modified later. The modified line, which I like, goes like this:
To lose one parent, Mr.Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.
Algernon has a manservant called Lane, who is smart and intelligent, and who reminded me of Jeeves from the P.G.Wodehouse books. Here is one scene which I liked.
Algernon : I hope tomorrow will be a fine day, Lane.
Lane : It never is, sir.
Algernon : Lane, you’re a perfect pessimist.
Lane : I do my best to give satisfaction, sir.
I have seen a movie version of the play, which had Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Frances O’Connor, Reese Witherspoon and Judi Dench. I remember the movie having a twist-in-the-tail kind of surprising ending, which the play didn’t have. I liked the movie but now after reading the play, I want to watch it again. I also have a movie version starring Michael Redgrave, Edith Evans and others, and I want to watch that too.
There are also four other Oscar Wilde plays in the collection I have. I want to read them next.
Have you read ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ or seen it performed or seen a movie version? What do you think about it?
You capture this play so well. I have read it but never seen it on stage, I think I saw The Ideal Husband which is as witty and wonderful as this one. I always had huge admiration for those great sentences.
I am planning on reading more plays this year as well. Maybe I will re-read Wilde. I’m quite in the mood after having read your post.
I would also like to watch one of the movies.
Glad to know that you liked the review, Caroline. Nice to know that you liked ‘The Ideal Husband’. I am hoping to read it soon. Hope you enjoy reading plays this year.
I read this in high school and remember loving it. I love Oscar Wilde’s snarky observations. Most of my favorite lines from him are from Dorian Gray.
Glad to know that you loved this play when you read it, Linda. Oscar Wilde’s observations are wonderful, aren’t they 🙂 I haven’t read ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ yet. I want to read that too.
Great review, Vishy!
I read the book some years ago and remember enjoying it a lot. I love word plays, hidden meanings and funny remarks, and this book has them all.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a great story, I have a feeling you will like it a lot. I’m curious to see if my feeling is accurate. 😉
Glad to know that you liked ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ too, Delia 🙂 Oscar Wilde’s humorous lines are wonderful, aren’t they 🙂 Thanks for recommending ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. I will try to read it soon.
I saw this performed by a freind who was a acting student in my youth I love wilde his observation of class was so spot on for the time ,I must pick my collected works up soon he wrote some great pieces ,all the best stu
Nice to know that your friend performed this play, Stu. Hope you enjoy re-reading Wilde’s collected works.
so glad you enjoyed it.
i’m a big wilde fan.a great writer with an excellent mind for turning casual ideas into pithy phrases.
this isn’t my favoourite but does, as you share, contain some great lines.
Glad to know that you like Wilde’s works, Monica 🙂
I love that line you shared about “losing both is carelessness.” This does sound great … and I bet it would be fun as a movie or seeing it as a play.
Glad to know that you liked that line, Jenners. It is one of my favourite lines – it makes me smile and it also makes me think. Hope you get to see the movie version of this play and like it. The movie version I saw was quite good.
I haven’t read this play but isn’t Wilde quite a character? For the life of me, I can’t remember which play of his I have read but like you I remember some of his quotes.
Wilde’s quotes are so awesome, aren’t they? They always make me smile 🙂 And I am amazed at how he came up with these wonderful lines all the time.
First up, what a fantastic cover, second, I utterly adore this play (so many one-liners to bring up in conversations 😉 ). Read it in my teens and reread it every year. Have seen both adaptations, the older one is amazing the newer version is nice to look at.
Glad to know that this is one of your favourite plays, Bina 🙂 Yes, the cover is fantastic! I am trying to collect as many Oxford classics as possible. Nice to know that you have watched both the movie versions too. I will watch the older adaptation soon – thanks for the recommendation 🙂
Absolutely one of my favorite plays of all time, and the movie adaptation is perfection! Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad to know that this is one of your alltime favourite plays, Cori 🙂 I can’t wait to see the second movie adaptation.
You know, whenever I stop by your blog and read a good review, I tell myself I’ll read this book and add it to the imaginary to-be-read list I only have in my head. This time I did things a little differently. I read the play in the past couple of hours and I am so glad I did.
It is hilarious, with all the word plays and double meanings, and it reminded me of a bunch of movies with similar plots, too!
Now I am going to try and get my hands on the film adaptation you mentioned…
Glad to know that you liked my review and went ahead and read the play. Glad to know that you liked the play so much 🙂 Hope you get to see the film adaptations. I have seen the one with Colin Firth and Frances O’Connor and Reese Witherspoon and it is quite nice.
[…] The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde – I read an Oscar Wilde play finally. It was good, really good. Not good – it was excellent, […]