The Importance of Being Earnest: Character & Key Quotes: Miss Prism

Character Analysis

Miss Prism: Miss Prism is a strict, moralising woman who serves as Cecily’s governess. Despite her stern exterior, she harbours a secret past that is revealed in the play’s climax. Her name, suggestive of morality and rigidity (‘prism’), contrasts with her intriguing past.

Key Quotes and Language Analysis

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”: This quote exemplifies Miss Prism’s simplistic view of morality, reflective of Victorian societal norms. The clear binary oppositions she presents denote her rigid, straight-laced character.
“In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.”: Here, Wilde uses Miss Prism’s character to satirise Victorian superficiality, ironically prioritising appearance over authenticity.
“I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance.”: This ironic statement underlines Miss Prism’s conservative views of education and her belief in maintaining the status quo. It highlights how the Victorian upper class upheld ignorance as a method of social control.
“No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.”: Miss Prism’s tongue-in-cheek comment hints at the restrictions on romantic relationships and marriage expectations in Victorian society.

Character Development and Role in the Plot

Miss Prism’s character evolves from a seemingly rigid, moralistic figure to a character with a scandalous past, when it’s revealed that she mistakenly left baby Ernest in a handbag at a train station.
This revelation, in turn, provides the resolution to the main plotline, finally confirming Jack’s identity and social standing.
Despite her seemingly straight-laced demeanour, Miss Prism reveals a sentimental and romantic side, as demonstrated by her affection for Dr. Chasuble, thereby offering a satirical commentary on the duplicity of Victorian morals.

Themes Represented through Miss Prism

Morality and hypocrisy: Through Miss Prism’s apparent virtuousness and her concealed past, Wilde challenges the idea of morality in Victorian society, exposing its hypocrisy.
Identity and deception: Miss Prism’s crucial role in the twist of Jack’s identity aligns with the play’s exploration of hidden identities and deceptions.
Love, marriage and relationships: Miss Prism’s relationship with Dr. Chasuble, coupled with her views on marriage and attraction, reflect the play’s critique of Victorian attitudes towards romance and matrimony.