The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on February 14, 1895 at the St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour and the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest, as it is more commonly referred to, Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

    The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexuality was revealed to the Victorian public and he was sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the play's early success, Wilde's notoriety caused the play to be closed after eight-six performances. After his release from prison, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.

    The Importance of Being Earnest has been revived many times since its premiere. It has been adapted for the cinema on three occasions. In The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Dame Edith Evans reprised her celebrated interpretation of Lady Bracknell; The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) by Kurt Baker used an all-black cast; and Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) incorporated some of Wilde's original material cut during the preparation of the original stage production.

If there ever was a literary war concerning the merits and failings of marriage this play is surely its battleground. From the opening dialogue to the player bows, the topic of marriage is discussed thoroughly. After reading this play, I'm not sure which side comes out as the victor, but Wilde always loved to make his audience think about the institutions of his time. Despite the numerous themes, from the limitations of morality, hypocrisy versus inventiveness, the most common theme is the importance of not being earnest because of the negative qualities it could lead to if followed as strict law.

  I've always been one to champion thinking outside of societal constraints and old-fashioned traditions, which is probably why Wilde is such an alluring author to me. Everything should be questioned, even avenues or ideas which are proven true need to be evaluated, analyzed, and re-evaluated in life. If one does not self-reflect and constantly question one's surroundings, complacency is just right around the corner.