The Importance of Being Earnest: Theme & Key Quotes: Love

Theme: Love

The Importance of Being Earnest presents a satirical and more superficial view of love, representing it as a social construct rather than an emotional reality.
The character’s obsession with the name ‘Ernest’ demonstrates the superficiality of love. Both Gwendolen and Cecily are more attracted to the name rather than the person.
Wilde uses love and romance in his play to underline the hypocrisies and absurd societal norms of the Victorian era.

Key Quotes

Cecily Cardew

“I pity any woman whose husband is not called Ernest.”
- This quote from Cecily underlines the theme of superficiality that is prevalent in the character’s perception of love. Her love for Ernest (who is actually Jack) is largely based on his name, reflecting her shallow understanding of love.

Gwendolen Fairfax

“It is a divine name. It has music of its own. It produces vibrations.”
- Gwendolen’s fixation on the name ‘Ernest’ lays bare the triviality of her romantic interest. Her obsession with the name, and her belief that it creates ‘vibrations’ is Wilde’s commentary on the artificiality and superficiality of love among the upper class.

Jack Worthing (Ernest)

“Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive me?”
- Jack expresses his fear of revealing his real identity to Gwendolen—a reality that threatens their relationship. This highlights the ironic nature of their love that, despite being based on a lie, seems to hold them together.

Algernon Moncrieff

“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”
- This quote encapsulates Wilde’s satirical view of love, emphasizing on the idea of uncertainty and suspense, rather than genuine feelings, as the key ingredients for romance.

Theme Expansions

These quotes and the theme of love reveal Wilde’s critique of society’s superficial understanding of romantic relationships, furthering his satirical portrayal of the Victorian upper class.
The triviality and artificiality within the romantic relationships in the play effectively mirror the shallow value system of the society of the time.
Lastly, Wilde effectively uses his characters and their relationships to explore the dichotomy between truth and deception, heightening the overall satirical tone of the play.