The Significance Of Being Earnest, By Oscar Wilde

According to Barbara Tuchman, â€Å"satire is a wrapping of exaggeration around a core of society.† Satire exposes the absurdity embedded in society through exaggerated extremes of social norms. Satire is the hyperbolic expressions of absurdity, which provides clarity through sarcasm and offensive exaggerations to project a society’s ethics. In Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde exposes the absurdity of Victorian aristocratic social propriety. Wilde utilizes numerous ironic puns and sarcasm in order to satirize Victorian social responsibilities concerned with marriage, social masking, and education. Wilde’s play explores the notion of social responsibility within aristocratic life via the character’s dialogue on†¦show more content†¦Lady Bracknell’s interest in Jack’s money and reputation is similar to real aristocratic interest. Also, marriages in Victorian society are dictated by the parents choice in spouse. When Gwendolen tells her mother that she is engaged to Jack, Lady Bracknell is taken aback by the information and sternly states, â€Å" Pardon me, you are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to one, I, or your father, †¦ will inform you of the fact† (Wilde 7). Through Lady Bracknell’s opposition to Gwendolen’s engagement, Wilde is able to show the audience how Victorian elite marriages are arranged so both families are mutually benefitted by each other s wealth and status. Parents of wealthy families chose their children’s spouse according to the spouses prestige and wealth in order to increment or sustain their own monetary funds and influence within society. Marriages in Victorian society are used a majority of the time as business propositions for selfish aristocratic reasons, not to celebrate two lover’s unification. Furthermore, Wilde exposes the duplicity of Victorian social life through the neologism â€Å"bunbu ry† and the name â€Å"Ernest† to attack aristocratic social responsibility and exhibit the importance of titles within the society. Social masking is used by the wealthy to allow themselves to be dismissed of social responsibility momentarily. When Jack and Algernon were engaged in the conversation regarding marriage, Algernon introduces Wilde’s neologism â€Å"bunbury†.Show MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesMaverick Yabut Professor Tina Regan ENGL 200 June 18, 2017 Satire in the Importance of Being Earnest Introduction Throughout Oscar Wilde’s play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde routinely uses satire throughout the story amongst character dialogue and actions to scorn the Victorian society audience. 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