Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) wrote poems, essays, a novel (The Picture of Dorian Gray) and plays, among which The Importance of Being Earnest, published in 1895. He was a proponent of the Aesthetic movement, which advocated art for art's sake. In other words, he believed that works of art should not try and convey any kind of moral or educational message. For example, Wilde wrote that: "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book, books are well written or badly written. That is all.” He is also known for his witty maxims: "In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody."
At the beginning of the play a wealthy young man Algernon Moncrieff is waiting for his aunt Lady Bracknell and her daughter, Gwendolen Fairfax. Meanwhile one of his good friends, Ernest Worthing arrives and tells him that he has come to propose to Gwendolen, with whom he has fallen in love. However, soon Ernest has to admit that he is in fact Jack Worthing. Jack is a respectable landowner in Hertfordshire and is also guardian to the pretty Cecily, the granddaughter of Thomas Cardew, who adopted Jack when he was a baby. Jack, to escape his dreary life in Hertfordshire has invented a brother named Ernest, who keeps getting in trouble in London and whom he also has to look after. So in London, Jack becomes Ernest. Now that Algernon knows the truth, Jack intends to kill off his "brother". However, Gwendolen tells Jack that she is determined to marry a man by that name because, as she says "There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence".
In the end, everything will work out : Jack will find out that his birth name was indeed Ernest, so he can marry Gwendolen. His friend Algernon, who is in fact his younger brother, will be able to marry Cecily, with whom he has fallen in love.
Wilde wrote that The Importance of Being Earnest is "a trivial comedy for serious people". It is a comedy of manners, aimed at ridiculing Victorian society, the shallow values of the upper classes and their hypocritical attitudes. For example Gwendolen is looking for someone who is "earnest", that is to say someone who is serious and sincere. Yet, she ends up marrying someone who has been living a double life and lying to all those around him. What makes the play particularly entertaining, besides the characters, is Wilde's wit. The tone is set in the very first scene of the play, when a servant declares that "in married households, the champagne is rarely of a first rate brand". To which Algernon replies : "Good Heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that ?"
