With the case of Much Ado, Shakespeare states that a “Man is a giddy thing...” (V.IV.75), stating that men are impulsive and frivolous as to relationships. And with the same token, Wilde writes “I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is romantic to be in love.” (I.1.3.) meaning that marriage isn’t romantic. He even takes it a step further stating, “The very essence of romance is uncertainty.
The Importance of Being Earnest as Timeless Social and Political Satire [For All Generations] The Importance of Being Earnest was written in 1896 by famous playwright, Oscar Wilde, and is a timeless masterpiece that transcends time because it has satirical elements that target social and political issues that are still invariably controversial in today’s society. The play consistently parodies issues such as the relationship between romance and marriage and one’s socioeconomic status and marriage. In the traditional sense, romance and marriage probably should fall hand-in-hand, and though one’s socioeconomic status probably should not be the decided factor of a marriage, it is the play’s mission to satirically suggest otherwise. While romance and marriage should inherently fall hand-in-hand, looming faithfully overhead is the idea that romance suddenly disappears shortly after the wedding. Perhaps the inevitable experience of coming to terms with the thought of living together forever procures an uneasy feeling and puts an impression on newlyweds that marriage turns into a series of routines and monotony.
Wilde uses clever puns to create farce within the play and often mocks the moral values of love within a marriage. In Act 1, after Lane leaves the room after a conversation referring to his views on marriage; Algernon says “Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.” He refers to marriage as a “moral responsibility”, which could imply a homosexual undertone on his behalf. Since Wilde himself was gay it is almost as if he is trying to hint through to everybody the fact that he is homosexual, and by doing this we get a hint of Wilde’s personality through the play.
Much Ado about Nothing was written by William Shakespeare as a comedy, but it could have very well been turned into a tragedy comparable to Othello. In Othello, Desdemona becomes a leading part of Iago’s plot to take down Othello for not giving Iago the job that he wanted. At first Iago insinuates and makes innuendos to Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, and Othello doesn’t believe Iago. Othello says “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof; or, by the worth of mine eternal soul, thou hadst been better have been born a dog than answer my wak’d wrath”(3.3.360-364). Desdemona accidentally drops a handkerchief that Othello had given her.
The Friar responds with, “Young men’s love then lies/ Not truly in their hearts but, in their eyes jesu maria, what the deal of brine/ Hath washes thy sallow cheeks for Rosaline!”(2.3.68-90). In the first act, Romeo thought himself to be in love with Rosaline. Romeo had been distraught over the fact that his beloved Rosaline was going to become a nun. Romeo would never be able to love Rosoline, or be with her. Friar Lawrence makes fun of Romeo saying that young men only love what they see.
In this way, the ‘earnestness’ of these two men is shown. Another of the conflicts that occurs in the play is marriage, and the guardians assent required for marriage. When Jack wishes to marry Gwendolyn, Lady Bracknell disapproves, so Jack refuses to allow Algernon to marry Cecily. This trivialising of the sacrosanct institution of marriage shows Wilde’s view on the matter: he saw it as “a practise surrounded by absurdity and hypocrisy.” In addition to this, both Gwendolyn and Cecily are sure that they could not possibly love someone whose name was not Earnet, which both Algy and Jack are not. (until Jack discovers his real name and family at the end.)
The rest of the play is humorous in all and highly advised for readers to also explore to fully visualize Wilde’s interpretation of the Victorian era. Ironically, the life Wilde chose to live was that of the very behaviors he satirizes in his play. Even though Wilde was married with a woman and had children with her, he was also a known homosexual and probably did some bunburying himself to conceal it (Nuruzzaman). It’d be correct to assume Wilde was religiously immoral as well, since most religions of the Victorian era banned homosexuality. Also, a quote from Wilde himself, “I can resist everything except temptation,” describes his sexual drive, since he was a ferocious fornicator (“Oscar Wilde” 1.)
As the critic Peter Raby says ‘the play remains… a critique of the absurdity of all forms and conventions’. Wit is prevalent when Algernon makes adjustment to the well-known saying “Marriages are made in heaven” by stating that “Divorces are made in heaven.” It is apparent here that Algernon sees marriages as unruly by referring to divorces as heavenly. This is critiquing society as it was very fixated on the concept of marriage.As well as this,The saying that two is company and three is none undergoes a change and takes the following shape : “In married life three is company and two is none,” which has a naughty insinuation as Algernon is implicitly saying in a marriage you need a mistress if it is to last. One of Algernon’s wittiest statements is this : “The only way to behave to a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty, and to someone else if she is plain.” All these observations have an epigrammatic quality which allows them to critique society. Since the play would be generally watched by the upper classes, Wilde implicitly mocked them through the use of excellent wits and epigrams.
Austen succeeds in showing how the prideful nature of Darcy is unacceptable to Elizabeth and thus the reader knows that her refusal is based on her need for respect and love in a marriage. Lady Catherine insults Elizabeth when she thinks that she can manipulate Elizabeths happiness for her own image because Elizabeth in not “rich” enough for lady Catherine's fancy. When Lady Catherine visits Elizabeth and demands that she does not accept Darcy's proposal, Elizabeth refuses by saying, “ I am only resolved to act in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me"(Chapter 13 Vol.
She was "in love" with Algernon who was acting as if he was Earnest(i.e. he was not, because Jack was indeed named Earnest), Lady Bracknell opposed to her and Algernon getting engaged but then changed her mind because she found out that Cecily was a very wealthy person. another way that i feel like oscar wilde represented the victorian era is how he related his character as having complicated points of view and issues with their emotions about love and marriage. i feel like on the book