The Importance of Being Earnest: Top Ten Character Quotes (plus analysis...)

The Importance of Being Earnest: Top Ten Character Quotes (plus analysis…)

Section One: Algernon Moncrieff Quotes

  • “Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what’s the use of our setting them a bad one?” Algernon humorously inverts the typical hierarchical relationship between the classes. His absurd logic sets the farcical tone of the play and shows Wilde’s satirical outlook on Victorian morality and hypocrisy.

  • “I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal.” Algernon’s view of marriage as unromantic illuminates Wilde’s critique of marriage as a social transaction within the play, mocking the mercenary attitude towards marriage in the Victorian era.

Section Two: Jack Worthing Quotes

  • “I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.” Jack’s dismissal of cleverness shows Wilde’s critique of superficial, wit-centered Victorian society, and his own paradoxical association with it.

  • “When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people.” Jack’s quote highlights the differing expectations and hypocrisies between city and rural life in the Victorian era, underlining the theme of Dual Lives.

Section Three: Lady Bracknell Quotes

  • “A handbag?” Lady Bracknell’s disbelief at Jack’s origin being a handbag forms one of the most famous comedic moments of the play, utilising Wilde’s wit and absurd comedy to ridicule the upper class’s obsession with heritage.

  • “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” An epigram that reflects Wilde’s unique view of gender roles and critique of rigid societal norms. It underlines the themes of identity and gender present in the play.

Section Four: Gwendolen Fairfax Quotes

  • “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” Gwendolen’s quote reflects the self-absorbed and superficial nature of Wilde’s characters and satirises the luxury and idleness of the upper classes.

  • “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.” Her assertion encapsulates Wilde’s critique of Victorian society’s preference for appearance over substance.

Section Five: Miss Prism Quotes

  • “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.” Miss Prism’s definition of fiction displays Wilde’s farcical humour, while ironically reflecting the traditional moral structure of Victorian literature against which Wilde rebelled.

  • “No married man is ever attractive except to his wife.” This statement by Miss Prism, arguably the most traditionally moral character, shows Wilde’s satirical critique on Victorian ideals of marriage and fidelity.