Similarities Between Much Ado About Nothing And The Importance Of Being Ernest

In both Much Ado About Nothing and The Importance of Being Earnest, marriage is the central theme, and driving force, of the plot. Both Shakespeare and Wilde depict shallow societies in which marriage is based on superficial values, such as wealth and status. Within these contexts, the writers present the dilemmas and problems which need to be overcome before the two couples can finally have their successful conclusion of marriage, a convention of the comedy genre to which both texts align themselves. However, throughout the play, the authors explore contemporary reasoning behind marriage and what is required to make matrimony a success. Whilst the comedic world of Wilde’s Earnest satirises Victorian society, with features wildly exaggerated,

However, he does similarly present the importance of equality, but in a more silly and satirical way. Whilst questioning the men on their deception, Wilde uses a paradox to emphasise Gwendolen’s shallowness, “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing” as the women praise the “beauty” of the men’s answers. Bubb suggests that Wilde’s paradoxes imply “a criticism of society as having got its priorities wrong” as they “destabilise our understanding of what makes sense and what doesn't”. The focus on appearance is repeatedly emphasised, and encapsulated in Gwendolen’s lines, as she reflects society’s care for what can be perceived, “style” compared to what should matter, “sincerity”. Additionally, the women’s “principles” that prevent their total forgiveness are the men’s “Christian names”, not the fact that they have lied about their identity. The connotations of “principles” as moral values are humorously subverted. Instead, forgiveness only occurs when they learn that the men plan to go through the “fearful ordeal” of being christened. In this way, Wilde may be suggesting that for the female characters, it is better to appear good than to be good, which therefore, exemplifies how

Whilst Shakespeare provides both negative and positive portrayals of what makes marriage successful and suggests the importance of honesty and true love over superficial values of wealth and status, Wilde creates couples whose triviality and dishonesty make them perfect matches for one another. Both playwrights display criticism of their society’s materialistic perspectives on marriage but still conform to the conventions of comedy as they end with impending marriages after resolving the conflicts between the couples. However, Shakespeare’s more realistic criticism of society throughout the play means his ending has a darker overtone, as Hero and Claudio’s relationship is contrasted with the model relationship of Beatrice and Benedick. In contrast, despite his subversive, though light, criticism, Wilde's ending is ultimately satisfying for