The Importance of Being Earnest

Today in both of our classes we watched the film The Importance of Being Earnest.  This film was an adaptation of a play by famous Irish writer, Oscar Wilde. It presented two couples that were both engaged to each other and the problems that they faced because of the lack of honesty and then men living double lives. Based on the Shakespeare plays we have studied here in England, as well as having seen One Man, Two Guvnors, I have noticed that the concept of a double life or identity is widely used in British literature. It is predominantly known as a Shakespearean theme, because of how much Shakespeare used this theme in his plays.

I found The Importance of Being Earnest very comical. Oscar Wilde intended for this play to be a satire of the lives of very wealthy Victorian people. It could perhaps work with people across all socioeconomic statuses, but I find that it works best with the wealthy. It seems that their problems are so petty, as they do not face daunting problems like the lack of food, money, shelter, and healthcare. These characters in The Importance of Being Earnest find their greatest struggles being that they do not fancy the names of their husbands, etc.