The importance of being earnest

• 'I play with wonderful expression'

  • whimsical
  • flamboyant
  • extravogant
• 'Oh pleasure, pleasure!'

  • trivial
  • astete- lives for beauty
• 'married households champagne is rarely first rate'

  • satire
  • makes a critical comment on marriage
• 'in town one amuses oneself in the country one amuses other people'

  • epigram showing his hedonistic qualities
• 'I call that business'

  • satirises jacks marriage proposal
  • establishes Algernon's cheeky nature
• 'Essence of romance is uncertainty'

  • irresponsible and reckless
  • algernon
• 'Please dont touch the cucumber sandwhiches'

  • trivial
  • hypocritical
  • weak willed?
• 'Girls don't think it right' (to marry men they flirt with)

  • paradox
  • critical but humorous comment
• 'Surely an aunt may be allowed to decide for herself'

  • makes jack seem silly
  • riddiculous remark
• 'You are the most earnest looking person i have ever saw in my life'


  • ironic
  • play on words
• 'One has to adopt a very high moral tone' (when placed in the position of guardian)

  • Jacks dual nature
• 'Bunbury is perfectly invaluable'

  • false identity
• 'once a week is quite enough to dine with ones own relations'

  • relatable for audiance?
  • humourous comment
• 'in married life three is company two is none'

  • satirical comment on marriage
  • subverts typical comment threes a crowd
• 'Why are there no cucumber sandwiches?'

  • algernon
  • lies as he eats them all
  • provides small aspect of humour to show his silly nature
• '[Algernon strikes up the wedding march]'


  • mockery of failed proposal
  • highlights comedic value of his charecter
• 'She is a monster'

  • Jack about lady bracknell
  • mocks an arristocrat
• 'I love hearing my relations abused'

  • unserious and silly
• 'after they have met they will be calling each other sister'

  • fickle nature of female friendship
• 'She looks quite 20 years younger'

  • shot at women and marriage
• 'made up his mind whether he was going to live or die'

  • unsympathetic
  • outspoken
• 'German sounds a thoroughly respectable language'

  • decision based within society
  • German is serious and methodical
• 'Rise sir from this semi recumbent posture'

  • situational irony
  • uses exagerative language
• 'eligable young men'

  • process of marriage
  • removes all joy
• 'A man should always have an occupation of some kind'

  • snobbish
  • makes her seem silly
• 'education produces no effect whatsoever'

  • general satirical joke to the audiance
• 'lose both looks like carelessness'

  • nonsense
  • outrageous stupidity
  • lack of empathy
• 'marry into a cloakroom and form an alliance with a parcel'

  • riddiculous
  • highlights lady bracknells values
• 'I am never wrong'

  • gwendolyn
  • arrogant
• 'my ideal has always been to love someone of the name of earnest'

  • idealistic
  • shallow
• 'I knew i was destined to love you'

  • overly romantic
• 'Little music in the name of Jack...no vibrations'


  • riddiculous
  • idealistic
• 'I am fully determined to accept you'

  • self assured
  • doesnt fit the trope of passive victorian woman
• 'Idle merriment and triviality would be out of place'

  • funny as the elders are decieved
  • ironic
• 'chronicles things that never happened'

  • satirical for people who keep diaries
• 'I'd rather die'

  • exaggerated
  • riddiculous
• 'every sensible man would like to be caught in'

  • comedy of expectation
  • epigram
• 'Dead!'

  • lack of suprise
• 'I have such a surprise for you' 'your brother'

  • dramatic irony
• 'I haven't got a brother'

  • ironic as he's mentioned his brother before
  • deception