Algernon, the play’s secondary hero, is closer to the figure of the dandy than any other character in the play. A charming, idle, decorative bachelor, Algernon is brilliant, witty, selfish, amoral, and given to making delightful paradoxical and epigrammatic pronouncements that either make no sense at all or touch on something profound. Like Jack, Algernon has invented a fictional character, a chronic invalid named Bunbury, to give him a reprieve from his real life. Algernon is constantly being summoned to Bunbury’s deathbed, which conveniently draws him away from tiresome or distasteful social obligations. Like Jack’s fictional brother Ernest, Bunbury provides Algernon with a way of indulging himself while also suggesting great seriousness and sense of duty. However, a salient difference exists between Jack and Algernon. Jack does not admit to being a “Bunburyist,” even after he’s been called on it, while Algernon not only acknowledges his wrongdoing but also revels in it. Algernon’s delight in his own cleverness and ingenuity has little to do with a contempt for others. Rather, his personal philosophy puts a higher value on artistry and genius than on almost anything else, and he regards living as a kind of art form and life as a work of art—something one creates oneself. Show
Algernon is a proponent of aestheticism and a stand-in for Wilde himself, as are all Wilde’s dandified characters, including Lord Goring in An Ideal Husband, Lord Darlington in Lady Windermere’s Fan, Lord Illingworth in A Woman of No Importance, and Lord Henry Wootton in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Unlike these other characters, however, Algernon is completely amoral. Where Lord Illingworth and Lord Henry are downright evil, and Lord Goring and Lord Darlington are deeply good, Algernon has no moral convictions at all, recognizing no duty other than the responsibility to live beautifully. John (Jack/Ernest) Worthing, J.P.The play’s protagonist. Jack Worthing is a seemingly responsible and respectable young man who leads a double life. In Hertfordshire, where he has a country estate, Jack is known as Jack. In London he is known as Ernest. As a baby, Jack was discovered in a handbag in the cloakroom of Victoria Station by an old man who adopted him and subsequently made Jack guardian to his granddaughter, Cecily Cardew. Jack is in love with his friend Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. The initials after his name indicate that he is a Justice of the Peace. Read an in-depth analysis of Jack Worthing Algernon MoncrieffThe play’s secondary hero. Algernon is a charming, idle, decorative bachelor, nephew of Lady Bracknell, cousin of Gwendolen Fairfax, and best friend of Jack Worthing, whom he has known for years as Ernest. Algernon is brilliant, witty, selfish, amoral, and given to making delightful paradoxical and epigrammatic pronouncements. He has invented a fictional friend, “Bunbury,” an invalid whose frequent sudden relapses allow Algernon to wriggle out of unpleasant or dull social obligations. Read an in-depth analysis of Algernon Moncrieff Gwendolen FairfaxAlgernon’s cousin and Lady Bracknell’s daughter. Gwendolen is in love with Jack, whom she knows as Ernest. A model and arbiter of high fashion and society, Gwendolen speaks with unassailable authority on matters of taste and morality. She is sophisticated, intellectual, cosmopolitan, and utterly pretentious. Gwendolen is fixated on the name Ernest and says she will not marry a man without that name. Read an in-depth analysis of Gwendolen Fairfax Cecily CardewJack’s ward, the granddaughter of the old gentlemen who found and adopted Jack when Jack was a baby. Cecily is probably the most realistically drawn character in the play. Like Gwendolen, she is obsessed with the name Ernest, but she is even more intrigued by the idea of wickedness. This idea, rather than the virtuous-sounding name, has prompted her to fall in love with Jack’s brother Ernest in her imagination and to invent an elaborate romance and courtship between them. Read an in-depth analysis of Cecily Cardew Lady BracknellAlgernon’s snobbish, mercenary, and domineering aunt and Gwendolen’s mother. Lady Bracknell married well, and her primary goal in life is to see her daughter do the same. She has a list of “eligible young men” and a prepared interview she gives to potential suitors. Like her nephew, Lady Bracknell is given to making hilarious pronouncements, but where Algernon means to be witty, the humor in Lady Bracknell’s speeches is unintentional. Through the figure of Lady Bracknell, Wilde manages to satirize the hypocrisy and stupidity of the British aristocracy. Lady Bracknell values ignorance, which she sees as “a delicate exotic fruit.” When she gives a dinner party, she prefers her husband to eat downstairs with the servants. She is cunning, narrow-minded, authoritarian, and possibly the most quotable character in the play. Miss PrismCecily’s governess. Miss Prism is an endless source of pedantic bromides and clichés. She highly approves of Jack’s presumed respectability and harshly criticizes his “unfortunate” brother. Puritan though she is, Miss Prism’s severe pronouncements have a way of going so far over the top that they inspire laughter. Despite her rigidity, Miss Prism seems to have a softer side. She speaks of having once written a novel whose manuscript was “lost” or “abandoned.” Also, she entertains romantic feelings for Dr. Chasuble. Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.The rector on Jack’s estate. Both Jack and Algernon approach Dr. Chasuble to request that they be christened “Ernest.” Dr. Chasuble entertains secret romantic feelings for Miss Prism. The initials after his name stand for “Doctor of Divinity.” LaneAlgernon’s manservant. When the play opens, Lane is the only person who knows about Algernon’s practice of “Bunburying.” Lane appears only in Act I. MerrimanThe butler at the Manor House, Jack’s estate in the country. Merriman appears only in Acts II and III. Who is Algernon in the importance of Being Earnest?Algernon, in full Algernon Moncrieff, fictional character, a witty man-about-town in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance Of Being Earnest (1895). Algernon Moncrieff, known as Algy, is the nephew of Lady Bracknell. He pretends to be the brother of his friend Jack Worthing so that he may meet Cecily, Jack’s ward.
What does Ernest represent in the importance of Being Earnest?Similar to Bunbury, Ernest represents deception, fiction, and escapism, but also idealism. While Algernon and Jack attempt to masquerade as the real Ernest, he is just as fictional as Algernon’s Bunbury. Similarly Jack uses… read analysis of Ernest The Importance of Being Earnest depicts several pivotal scenes that revolve around tea.
Why do Algernon and Jack pretend to be Ernest?Algernon and his close friend Jack both decide to pretend that their real name is 'Ernest' when they find out that the women they love both want to marry someone by that name. The silly reason for this is that someone named Ernest would have to act earnestly simply because of his name. What is so important about being earnest, then?
What is the purpose of Algernon’s statement?To the audience, Algernon’s statement serves as a reminder that he has been earnest in his purpose ever since he learned that his wealthy friend Jack had a beautiful young ward. Ironically, Algernon can’t help being a hypocrite even when he’s telling the truth.
How is Algernon presented in The Importance of Being Earnest?Algernon is a charming, idle, decorative bachelor, nephew of Lady Bracknell, cousin of Gwendolen Fairfax, and best friend of Jack Worthing, whom he has known for years as Ernest. Algernon is brilliant, witty, selfish, amoral, and given to making delightful paradoxical and epigrammatic pronouncements.
How does Algernon represent dandy?Algernon is also a dandy, a man who pays excessive attention to his appearance. The dandies in Wilde's works represented Wilde and his own opinions. Algernon, as a dandy, appears to be shallow and immoral, but in fact he is often quite moral and speaks a kind of 'truth' that differs from Victorian standards.
Why is Jack important in The Importance of Being Earnest?The Importance of Being Earnest
As an alter ego of Wilde, Jack represents the idea of leading a life of respectability on the surface (in the country) and a life of deception for pleasure (in the city).
How is Algernon selfish?Another of Algernon's personality traits is selfishness. He allows his dear friend, Jack, to dig himself into a hole in regards to the cigarette case, before admitting that he suspected Jack of being a “bunburyist” all along (188).
|
What does Algernon represent in The Importance of Being Earnest?
direito autoral © 2024 cemle Inc.
