Character AnalysisTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Audrey Dittmar, Shelby Humpert, Jessica James,

Elise Johnson, Samantha Midura, Rachel Ragan, Peyton Tippens, Olivia Torre, Allie

Wittman

Function in SocietyJohn Worthing

• Bachelor in town• Victorian upper class • Respectable on the surface• Deceptive for own pleasure Algernon Moncrieff

• Debtor • Lives in wealth; no money • Unconventional • Wants excitement

RelationshipsJohn Worthing

• Doesn’t know parents • Algernon’s friend and brother • In love with Gwendolyn (cousin)• Cecily’s guardian • Lady Bracknell’s nephew Algernon Moncrieff

• Lady Bracknell’s nephew • Jack’s friend and older brother • In love with Cecily • Gwendolyn’s cousin

Moral CodeJohn Worthing

• Somewhat ambiguous • Criticizes/chastises Algernon • Deceives Gwendolyn with a fake name • Pretends to have a brother

Algernon Moncrieff• At first, he has no code whatsoever • He lives a life of pleasure and excess • Deceitful • Has little regard for the feelings of others• At the end, he claims he has changed

Strengths and Weaknesses

John Worthing Strengths: • Faithful to Gwendolyn • Honest about his humble upbringing Weaknesses: • Lies to get what he wants • Uses others’ misfortune as opportunity Fatal Flaw:

• Superficiality and shallowness of his relationships Algernon Moncrieff

Strengths: • At the end, he evolves into a more truthful and faithful man • He says that Bunbury died to bring that issue to a close Weaknesses: • An opportunist Fatal Flaw: • He is overly confident in his own appeal • Love interferes with his better judgement

Type of Character

John Worthing • Protagonist • Static • Traditional Victorian morals • Never fully tells the truth

Algernon Moncrieff• Protagonist • Dynamic • Represents higher levels of society • Starts out as a money seeking debtor • Ends faithfully engaged

Character ChangeJohn Worthing

• Develops as a character • Learns who he is • Identity is worth more than wealth • Doesn’t want a brother until he actually has one Algernon Moncrieff

• Develops as a character• More truthful to himself and others • Better person, better morals • Marries Cecily (against moral code)

Author’s Attitude

John Worthing • Less forgiving • Unknown identity hangs over him • Not as lucky with relationships • Author acknowledges his honesty and intelligence, uses him to represent these Victorian morals Algernon Moncrieff

• More forgiving; has better luck • Used to represent Wilde’s cleverness • Secret life exemplifies this theme of deception

Character Portrayed Themes

Algernon Moncrieff • Creates false identities to avoid responsibility • Lives luxurious lifestyle; aristocratic upbringing, trivialize everything• Esteemed sense of aesthetic pleasures in life

John Worthing• Complications of dual identities: (Earnest and Jack) for reputation/ behavior

• Untruthfulness about real name contradicts the name’s meaning and polite victorian manners • Critique of marriage; Lady Bracknell manipulates him for personal gain

Character’s Purpose John Worthing

• Represents Victorian ideals, hypocrisy, and coming from tough beginnings but reaching a goal in the end• He also inspires by showing that love prevails and by showing that those who come from a harsh beginning can push through obstacles and reach success.

Algernon Moncrieff• Represents the typical change of character • He inspires by showing that love can change and better a person• Reformed in the way that he became more honest and mature

Author’s Views on Human Existence

John Worthing • Author is saying that human existence is two-sided

Algernon Moncrieff • Author portrays that existence is naturally flawed

What it Means to be Human

John Worthing • Being human is a double standard in that you try your hardest to appear happy/successful, but in doing so you end up less satisfied

Algernon Moncrieff• Being human is about being social and making connections such as family, friendship, and love and doing what you can to maintain those relationships.

Why Things Go Wrong in People’s Lives

John Worthing • Morally ambiguous decisions in lies come back to affect people later on • Ex: Jack’s two personalities catching up to him

Algernon Moncrieff • Trying to hide one’s true nature through lies and deception never works, and one’s true nature always comes out • Ex: his debts hold him back from marrying Cecily

Balancing Fate and Free Will

John Worthing • Caught up in fate • Unable to stop • Deceptions • Powerless

Algernon Moncrieff • More free will • Not caught up in impossible circumstances • Makes choices • Successfully maintains deceptions