Muskan Kashif
Explore how Wilde presents Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. You must
relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (TIOBE), Algernon is presented in a plethora of ways
through his humour. His carnal nature conveys the effeminacy of the social elite and
highlights the flaws in the upper class. Moreover, his unconventional opinion on marriage
reinforces his hedonistic nature and echoes the gay sub-text of the play. Finally, Algernon
acts as a cipher for the flaws within the ruling class through his preoccupation with
appearance and materialistic items.
Firstly, in act 1 Algernon delves into how he has a way to escape situations and events
through “an invalid called Bunbury, in order to go down into the country whenever I choose.”
By inventing an ‘invalid’, Algernon powerfully infers how he prefers the freedom of the
countryside, this contrasts against Algernon’s flat which is located in ‘half moon street’ (as
said in the stage directions) in metropolitan London, suggesting his desire to be.
Interestingly, London during the 19th century industrial revolution was central to the life of
the upper class, this explains Algy’s yearning for escapism from his busy schedule, like his
dining with Aunt Augusta which he managed to escape by using his sick friend ‘Bunbury’ as
an excuse. By using ‘Bunbury’ as a verb numerous times within the play, it can be seen as a
way for Algy to pursue an indulgent lifestyle which was only possible for the wealthy, this is
reinforced through how ‘Bun’ reflects his carnal appetite and how he seeks pleasure in food.
However, his carnal appetite and ‘bun’ can also connote sodomy and is reflected through his
food interplay, a trope of farce comedies: for an example his ‘cucumber sandwiches’ can be
a form of phallic imagery and thus be an oblique reference to the gay subtext of the play. By
using Algernon, an upper class figure, Wilde expresses his desire to not be punished for
pursuing a homosexual life because in the Victorian era if the wealthy were suspicious of
being gay, they were seen as ‘effeminate’- a way to distinguish themselves from the
emerging middle class. Algernon, then, is presented as effeminate to reinforce the ruling
class’ foolish desire to distinguish themselves from everyone else and their flaws for
incriminating homosexuality.
Moreover, Wilde effectively foregrounds Algernon as hedonistic through his incongruous
ideas surrounding marriage: he states in act 1 how he believes that “divorces are made in
heaven”. The use of the incongruity theory of laughter here effectively presents Algernon as
pleasure-seeking due to the contrasting connotations of ‘divorce’ (i.e. heartbreak and pain)
and the religious imagery surrounding ‘heaven’, this showcases his nonchalant attitudes
towards the institution of marriage, a reaction to the fin-de-siecle era in which morality and
religion was seen to be diminishing. Moreover this bon-mot is arguably a play-on the
common phrase ‘a match made in heaven’ which further reinforces how Algernon believes
that marriage only leads to divorce- perhaps this is due to the passionless mercenary
marriage his Aunt Augusta had with her husband. Whilst this would shock the original
Victorian audience who valued marriage as a sacrament of Christianity, it can be seen as an
attack on the social elite who valued mercenary marriages to uphold the idea of ‘high birth’
and status within society (like his Aunt Augusta) as opposed to marriages with real passion.
Algernon later further denigrates marriage and states, “In marriage, three is company, two is
none.” This effectively sheds light on ruling class men of having a mistress in their double-life
because his epigram is a clever play on the common phrase ‘three is a crowd’, thus
, Muskan Kashif
demonstrating the incongruity theory of laughter. The defiance of the ‘norm’ being exposed
here arguably generates a response from the relief theory of laughter within Victorian society
as the elite men watching would relate and feel a relief of their anxieties. However, adultery
is a sin and despite being a relief for the ruling class, the other classes would scrutinize them
for being immoral and betraying the strict Christian ethos governing the victorian period, this
is tropeful for the comedy of manners which serves to highlight the flaws of the rich, in this
case through their attack on the sanctity of marriage. By presenting the rich as immoral,
Wilde powerfully calls into question the anti-homosexual laws that prevented Wilde from
expressing his true love- ironically the ruling class themselves were not marrying for love
either. Algernon, then, is presented with a hedonistic nature, by extension demonising the
social elite as immoral and highlighting the gay sub-text of the play.
Finally, Wilde powerfully presents Algernon as materialistic in order to attack the ruling class’
occupation with wealth and appearance. When talking about his relationship with his family,
Algernon states, “I love seeing my relations abused, it’s the only thing that makes me put up
with them… they haven’t the slightest clue when to die.” This evocatively emphasises the
flaws in the social elite because Algernon incongruously jokes about wanting to see his
family die in order to obtain their wealth. The connotations of the verb ‘see’ derive from the
lexical field of looking and appearance, suggesting that Algernon would love to appear to be
affluent. His behaviour itself throughout the play correlates this idea of appearing wealthy
through his effeminate behaviour such as his purblind preoccupation with his demeanor, for
an example when arguing with Jack he states he must calmly eat muffins otherwise “I will
get butter on my cuffs” and how Lady Bracknell admits that “Algy has nothing but looks
everything” (act 3). This pursuit to look wealthy correlates with the idea of the social elite
wanting to distinguish themselves from the rising middle class who threatened their place in
society. Despite denouncing the superficial nature of the ruling class, Wilde skillfully ensured
that regardless of their immoral behaviour, no character would be punished in the play to
voice how Wilde himself would like homosexuality (an immoral behaviour at the time) to be
freely expressed without sanction- his desire to no longer feel oppressed is a common
theme in many of his escapist literature works like ‘The Picture of Dorian gray’. This explains
why he chose to emit the bailiff subplot where the characters face charges for unpaid tax
and this, in turn, shortened the play to 3 acts instead of 4. Algernon, then, is presented as a
superficial character and a cipher for the flaws within the ruling class.
Overall, Oscar Wilde effectively presents Algernon as a multifaceted character in which he is
a cipher for immoral behaviours of the ruling class through his effeminate behaviour yet also
is a medium for Wilde to pursue escapist literature and imagine a world where
homosexuality can be freely expressed.
Explore how Wilde presents Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. You must
relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (TIOBE), Algernon is presented in a plethora of ways
through his humour. His carnal nature conveys the effeminacy of the social elite and
highlights the flaws in the upper class. Moreover, his unconventional opinion on marriage
reinforces his hedonistic nature and echoes the gay sub-text of the play. Finally, Algernon
acts as a cipher for the flaws within the ruling class through his preoccupation with
appearance and materialistic items.
Firstly, in act 1 Algernon delves into how he has a way to escape situations and events
through “an invalid called Bunbury, in order to go down into the country whenever I choose.”
By inventing an ‘invalid’, Algernon powerfully infers how he prefers the freedom of the
countryside, this contrasts against Algernon’s flat which is located in ‘half moon street’ (as
said in the stage directions) in metropolitan London, suggesting his desire to be.
Interestingly, London during the 19th century industrial revolution was central to the life of
the upper class, this explains Algy’s yearning for escapism from his busy schedule, like his
dining with Aunt Augusta which he managed to escape by using his sick friend ‘Bunbury’ as
an excuse. By using ‘Bunbury’ as a verb numerous times within the play, it can be seen as a
way for Algy to pursue an indulgent lifestyle which was only possible for the wealthy, this is
reinforced through how ‘Bun’ reflects his carnal appetite and how he seeks pleasure in food.
However, his carnal appetite and ‘bun’ can also connote sodomy and is reflected through his
food interplay, a trope of farce comedies: for an example his ‘cucumber sandwiches’ can be
a form of phallic imagery and thus be an oblique reference to the gay subtext of the play. By
using Algernon, an upper class figure, Wilde expresses his desire to not be punished for
pursuing a homosexual life because in the Victorian era if the wealthy were suspicious of
being gay, they were seen as ‘effeminate’- a way to distinguish themselves from the
emerging middle class. Algernon, then, is presented as effeminate to reinforce the ruling
class’ foolish desire to distinguish themselves from everyone else and their flaws for
incriminating homosexuality.
Moreover, Wilde effectively foregrounds Algernon as hedonistic through his incongruous
ideas surrounding marriage: he states in act 1 how he believes that “divorces are made in
heaven”. The use of the incongruity theory of laughter here effectively presents Algernon as
pleasure-seeking due to the contrasting connotations of ‘divorce’ (i.e. heartbreak and pain)
and the religious imagery surrounding ‘heaven’, this showcases his nonchalant attitudes
towards the institution of marriage, a reaction to the fin-de-siecle era in which morality and
religion was seen to be diminishing. Moreover this bon-mot is arguably a play-on the
common phrase ‘a match made in heaven’ which further reinforces how Algernon believes
that marriage only leads to divorce- perhaps this is due to the passionless mercenary
marriage his Aunt Augusta had with her husband. Whilst this would shock the original
Victorian audience who valued marriage as a sacrament of Christianity, it can be seen as an
attack on the social elite who valued mercenary marriages to uphold the idea of ‘high birth’
and status within society (like his Aunt Augusta) as opposed to marriages with real passion.
Algernon later further denigrates marriage and states, “In marriage, three is company, two is
none.” This effectively sheds light on ruling class men of having a mistress in their double-life
because his epigram is a clever play on the common phrase ‘three is a crowd’, thus
, Muskan Kashif
demonstrating the incongruity theory of laughter. The defiance of the ‘norm’ being exposed
here arguably generates a response from the relief theory of laughter within Victorian society
as the elite men watching would relate and feel a relief of their anxieties. However, adultery
is a sin and despite being a relief for the ruling class, the other classes would scrutinize them
for being immoral and betraying the strict Christian ethos governing the victorian period, this
is tropeful for the comedy of manners which serves to highlight the flaws of the rich, in this
case through their attack on the sanctity of marriage. By presenting the rich as immoral,
Wilde powerfully calls into question the anti-homosexual laws that prevented Wilde from
expressing his true love- ironically the ruling class themselves were not marrying for love
either. Algernon, then, is presented with a hedonistic nature, by extension demonising the
social elite as immoral and highlighting the gay sub-text of the play.
Finally, Wilde powerfully presents Algernon as materialistic in order to attack the ruling class’
occupation with wealth and appearance. When talking about his relationship with his family,
Algernon states, “I love seeing my relations abused, it’s the only thing that makes me put up
with them… they haven’t the slightest clue when to die.” This evocatively emphasises the
flaws in the social elite because Algernon incongruously jokes about wanting to see his
family die in order to obtain their wealth. The connotations of the verb ‘see’ derive from the
lexical field of looking and appearance, suggesting that Algernon would love to appear to be
affluent. His behaviour itself throughout the play correlates this idea of appearing wealthy
through his effeminate behaviour such as his purblind preoccupation with his demeanor, for
an example when arguing with Jack he states he must calmly eat muffins otherwise “I will
get butter on my cuffs” and how Lady Bracknell admits that “Algy has nothing but looks
everything” (act 3). This pursuit to look wealthy correlates with the idea of the social elite
wanting to distinguish themselves from the rising middle class who threatened their place in
society. Despite denouncing the superficial nature of the ruling class, Wilde skillfully ensured
that regardless of their immoral behaviour, no character would be punished in the play to
voice how Wilde himself would like homosexuality (an immoral behaviour at the time) to be
freely expressed without sanction- his desire to no longer feel oppressed is a common
theme in many of his escapist literature works like ‘The Picture of Dorian gray’. This explains
why he chose to emit the bailiff subplot where the characters face charges for unpaid tax
and this, in turn, shortened the play to 3 acts instead of 4. Algernon, then, is presented as a
superficial character and a cipher for the flaws within the ruling class.
Overall, Oscar Wilde effectively presents Algernon as a multifaceted character in which he is
a cipher for immoral behaviours of the ruling class through his effeminate behaviour yet also
is a medium for Wilde to pursue escapist literature and imagine a world where
homosexuality can be freely expressed.
