The Importance Of Being Ernest

The Importance of Being Earnest: More Than Meets the Eye The Importance of Being Earnest, a play that was more than simply farce, but an intellectual, precise critique of the Victorian Culture. Wilde wrote this play to be more than simply entertainment, but to truly bring about the issues within his world. Due to the timing of the play’s original production, however, the issues must have been masked through various devices so that the productions were not immediately rejected. Victorian culture was, as we see in the play, very proud and dignified, and as such a direct assault on their core values would be incredibly offensive. Despite the intent of criticizing the Victorian culture, Wilde was able to create a production that could serve his

This submerged criticism of their rigid culture was of the upmost importance in the production of this play, and as such, if I were to produce this play I would want to approach it in a similar fashion. Alongside the important delivery of this play, it is also pertinent to understand the significance of choosing to produce this play. This play has theatrical significance not only because it points out flaws in Victorian culture, a simple novel or newspaper could do the same. But, by producing it in theater, and masking it behind the idea of farce, Wilde was able to demonstrate the absurdity behind many of the Victorian values. Imagery and imagination can only go so far within literature, however, the theatre allows actors to physically portray the important pieces of the play that is seen how the playwright wants them to

Algernon, for instance, would need to be played by a younger man in his late 20’s, I can see him with dark blonde hair, slicked to the side, and he would have to have a composed swagger about him. The actor must be charismatic, attractive and also look proper. On the other hand, Jack would be slightly older, and have a more weathered look on his face, as if he has been through more experiences and has some life wisdom. The actor must have darker hair, slicked to the side as well, but he would be described as a more handsome man, very proper. A last example would be the actress portraying Lady Bracknell, who would need to possess many Victorian qualities. She would also have darker hair, wound tightly into a bun with a very severe looking face, almost as if she had been sucking on lemons. Her posture would need to be perfect and she must look comfortable in her extravagant dress, as though she deserved to be wearing fine clothes. These types of details are important in distinguishing a production in the theatre from a script, they facilitate the audiences experience by drawing attention to the key aspects of each characters personality