The Importance of Being Earnest- Women Essay - 1517 Words

English Literature Coursework Louise Adams ‘In dramatic comedy women are typically presented in a less favourable way than men.’ To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’? In Victorian society, the male role would be to rule, protect and provide for his family. Men were always making the political decisions and women had the job of wife, mother and domestic manager. When married, it was men who owned all properties of the women, and she must be faithful to her husband. Divorce led to shame only on females and loss of the right to see their children. In this patriarchal society, men were clearly dominant over women, however, this is not entirely the case in ‘The Importance of Being†¦show more content†¦Throughout ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ it becomes quite clear that she is a very dominant character who loves to have power and control over everyone else, female or male. A very strong example of this role reversal is in Act 1 of the play where Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack about his eligibility as a suitor for her daughter, Gwendolen’s hand. This is an unusual role for a women to adopt, purely because at the t ime it was the man’s job to ensure that whoever was to marry into his family was suitable, based mainly on social class and financial matters. At the start of Jack’s ‘interview’, Lady Bracknell immediately demonstrates her dominance by saying â€Å"You can take a seat, Mr Worthing.† The imperative is commanding and, as he has little choice if he wishes to marry Gwendolen, Jack obeys, showing the power is entirely in her hands. She controls the whole conversation. Jack says very little in comparison to her long speeches, rarely expanding on answers. This could partially be due to his fear to say something wrong and ruin his chances to marry her daughter, and partially due to his fear to appear more dominant than Lady Bracknell, giving a bad impression and leading to her disapproval. Jack is very careful what to say around her, consideringShow MoreRelated Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger1 830 Words   |  8 PagesComparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger In Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger, the women characters play distinct roles in the dramas. However, the type of roles, the type of characters portrayed, and the purpose the women’s roles have in developing the plot and themes vary in each play. As demonstrated by The Importance of Being Earnest and Look Back in Anger, the majority of women’s roles ultimatelyRead MoreHow Are the Female Characters in the Importance of Being Earnest Presented and in What Ways Do They Conform to the Victorian Ideal of Passive Women.1367 Words   |  6 PagesHow are the female characters in The Importance of Being Earnest presented and in what ways do they conform to the Victorian ideal of passive women. Victorian England made a clear division between gender roles of men and women. The life of a conventional Victorian woman was focused on marriage and family in which her upbringing was based on this. Young girls were brought up to perfectly innocent and sexually ignorant. 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Using the themeRead MoreSatire in â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest† by Oscar Wilde Essay example716 Words   |  3 Pagespiece of work that is designed to ridicule or tease a group or organization, generally for the purpose of being humorous. â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest,† a play by Oscar Wilde, is a satire, ridiculing class, gender, and marriage. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from. The Importance of being Earnest includes three acts, with seven major characters. In act one, we start with a conversation between JackRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1438 Words   |  6 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest was one of the best comedy manner plays I have read thus far. The play was written by Oscar Wilde, which happened to be the best masterpiece he has ever written out of all four of his stage comedies. The Importance of Being Earnest was first published in 1899. This play was a self-parody and unreliably explanation on the dramatic farce genre for Wilde. This play is a comedy of manner during the Victorian Age. The Victorian Age was a period of peace and sensibilityRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesMaverick Yabut Professor Tina Regan ENGL 200 June 18, 2017 Satire in the Importance of Being Earnest Introduction Throughout Oscar Wilde’s play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde routinely uses satire throughout the story amongst character dialogue and actions to scorn the Victorian society audience. Oscar uses satire to mock love, and the concept of marriage as well as the Victorian-aristocratic class system and society mentality. The play is described as â€Å"A trivial comedy for seriousRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest1041 Words   |  5 PagesFeminist Perspective As seen in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, men and women live in a society of inequality between the two sexes as conveyed through double standards. For instance, there is a double standard regarding men and women flirting as seen when Algernon says â€Å"She will place me next to Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner-table. That is not very pleasant.† While women are shamed for talking to men whom they are married to, men such asRead More Importance Of Being Earnest Essay1037 Words   |  5 Pages Theatre Studies: Cat One Draft The Importance of Being Earnest is set in late Victorian England, a time of social reform. Society was rediscovering art in its many forms yet as a consequence, The Upper class continued their program of suppressed inferiority. The lower classes were treated with disdain and disgust and the animosity between the groups was easily visible. Essentially, the late Victorian era was the beginning of a mini cultural renaissance, yet Upper Class society, which forms the