The Importance of Being Earnest is a capital-C Comedy. It
ends happily
, resolving any tensions in such a way that all the characters get what they desire. This means that all secret identities are revealed and all the couples can get married in a socially acceptable way.
Do Jack and Gwendolen get married?
Jack looks in the Army Lists to find his true Christian name. He discovers his name is Ernest. Jack hugs Gwendolen joyfully,
knowing they can finally be married
. Jack tells Lady Bracknell he has learned “the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”
What does Jack realize at the end of The Importance of Being Earnest?
So, Jack asserts that he had been speaking the truth all along: His name is Ernest, and he does have a brother. Both couples embrace, as do
Chasuble
and Miss Prism, and Jack declares that he finally realizes the importance of being earnest.
What does Jack Worthing realize at the end of the play?
Jack has learned nothing; he has basically gotten away with a lifetime of lies. He has been lucky in finding out, quite accidentally, that he truly was who he said he was all along. The ironic twist at the end shows that
members of the upper class can live reckless lives with impunity
.
Who dies at the end of The Importance of Being Earnest?
Killing Off Ernest
Algernon assists
Jack
by suggesting that he died of a chill rather than a hereditary disease that could lower Jack's desirability with other socialites. When Jack announces Ernest's demise, Miss Prism, Cecily's governess, says, ”What a lesson for him!
Are earnest and Gwendolen cousins?
Therefore, he and Gwendolen are
first cousins
. As first cousins were allowed to marry in England in the 1890s, that is not a problem. It was completely accepted among the upper classes and royalty (leading to too much in-breeding and, hence, introducing hemophilia into Europe's royal houses).
Why do Gwendolen and Cecily forgive Algernon and Jack?
Cecily and Gwendolen are on the verge of forgiving Algernon and
Jack when they remember that neither of them is any longer engaged to a man called Ernest
. … Jack refuses to give his consent to Cecily's marriage to Algernon until Lady Bracknell grants her consent to his union with Gwendolen, but Lady Bracknell refuses.
Why is Jack concerned about proposing Gwendolen?
The scene in which Jack proposes to Gwendolen portrays
a reversal of Victorian assumptions about gender roles
. Propriety demanded that young women be weak and ineffectual, helpless vessels of girlish admiration and passivity, while men were supposed to be authoritative and competent.
Why does Gwendolen want to marry an earnest?
Gwendolen must have the perfect proposal performed in the correct manner and
must marry a man named Ernest simply because of the name's connotations
. … She believes Jack's brother is a wicked man, and though she has never met such a man, she thinks the idea sounds romantic.
Who lost Jack when he was baby?
| Question Answer | What food do Algernon and Jack fight over at the end of Act II? At the end of Act II, Jack and Algernon fight over muffins. | Who left Jack in the handbag when he was a baby? When Jack was a baby he was left in the handbag by Ms. Prism . |
|---|
Is Jack's name really Ernest?
Furthermore, Jack had been
originally christened “Ernest John
.” All these years Jack has unwittingly been telling the truth: Ernest is his name, as is Jack, and he does have an unprincipled younger brother—Algernon.
What does Jack Worthing represent?
More than any other character in the play, Jack Worthing represents
conventional Victorian values
: he wants others to think he adheres to such notions as duty, honor, and respectability, but he hypocritically flouts those very notions.
What does Gwendolen beg Cecily to call her after they realize they are deceived?
Cecily is instructed to make this comment “
sweetly
.” For her own part, Gwendolen calls Cecily a detestable girl, but her comment is made in an aside to the audience.
Who falls in love with Gwendolyn?
Gwendolen is in love with
Jack
, whom she knows as Ernest. A model and arbiter of high fashion and society, Gwendolen speaks with unassailable authority on matters of taste and morality. She is sophisticated, intellectual, cosmopolitan, and utterly pretentious.
Who does Cecily end up with romantically at the end of the play?
Gwendolen asks if she's sure, and Cecily reassures her, adding that, in fact, she is engaged to be married to
Ernest Worthing
. Gwendolen points out that this is impossible as she herself is engaged to Ernest Worthing.
Why does Jack lie about his relationship with Cecily?
So that he can take a break from being a guardian. Why does Jack initially lie about his relationship to Cecily? What does his decision to lie say about his attitude toward Algernon? He doesn't
trust him
because he has a reputation of being non-responsible and he could use it against him.
