The Importance of Being Earnest as a Farce

The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical play or farce. A farce is a funny play in which the characters get involved in improbable and tough circumstances. The Importance of Being Earnest written by Wilde is a farce or artificial comedy due to its extreme lack of truth, and it has artificiality and foolishness in the plot and dialogues. The main points of the play as a farce are:

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A trivial comedy for serious-minded people:

Wilde called "The Importance of Being Earnest" a minor comedy for intelligent people due to two reasons probably. Firstly, he may have meant that it is such an excellent comic piece which can even make profound people laugh at its comedy. Secondly, he, perhaps, indicated that it is a trivial comedy but useful for sage persons for some valuable ideas. For example, Algernon objects the servants' excessive consumption of wine in bachelors' homes in front of Lane. So, it is such an objection which all bachelors share as common. Besides, he is also right when he says that romance ends after the acceptance of a marriage proposal. Further, Algernon speaks about the corruption of that era's English society which got depicted in a French drama. He is also right when he says that relatives are a pack of tedious people. It is because they make people annoyed or bored, as an example, by their often calls to their relations.

Another vital factor of the play is the character of Lady Bracknell. It is because she is the real representative of the fashionable society of that period. So, she is a snobbish, greedy, and class-conscious lady. Anyone can comprehend that if Jack were not a valid child, she would not have accepted him as her future son-in-law for remaining a person of unknown origin. Also, she would not have allowed the marriage of Cecily with Algernon if Cecily had no significant wealth.Then, Dr Chasuble symbolizes certain dishonest members of the clergy society. For example, he flirtatiously talks and in an indirect way to Miss Prism due to having feelings of love for her.

The story of a lost baby (Jack):

The absurdity is the most notable aspect of a farce. Also, Jack's childhood incident when he got lost is funny in its nature. It so happened that Miss Prism (Jack's nurse) got absent-minded for some time. Then, she put Jack (a baby) in a leather bag instead of putting her self-written three-volume novel there. After, she put her manuscript in the perambulator. Also, she went away by leaving that bag in the cloak-room of Victoria railway station in London. Further, she never returned after knowing that she lost the baby somewhere.That event of the lost child is funny because it is impossible to believe that a person with a sound mind can commit such a blunder. Further, it is also strange that why miss Prism never returned to tell her employers about that matter.Then, there is nothing foolish in Mr Cardew's having found the baby. However, it is funny that he named the baby, Worthing, for a stupid reason. The cause was that Mr Cardew had a railway ticket for a seaside resort called Worthing.

The humorous remarks of Lady Bracknell:

"The Importance of Being Earnest" presents a funny way of Jack's childhood event of being lost. Also, Lady Bracknell amuses readers by her witty statements after knowing Jack's reality as a foundling.So, she says that Jack must produce at least one parent of either sex. Then, he should bring him/her in front of everybody for becoming her son-in-law. Further, Miss Prism discloses the fact about a baby which she lost by mistake. Then, Jack creates a funny scene due to his misunderstanding. He says that Miss Prism is his illegal mother. Moreover, he offers to forgive his supposed mother for her act of giving birth to an unlawful child.

The absurdity of Gwendolen's reaction for the name (Ernest):

Gwendolen decides to get married to somebody with the name, Ernest, for having great admiration for it. She admits this fact in front of Jack by saying that it is a divine name. It has a music of its own. More, she says that this name produces vibrations. It causes perfect confidence in a human for the person (Ernest). Plus, that girl claims of disliking the name, Jack, for it is like the name, John. Besides, she pities any woman whose husband's name is John. She believes that such a woman cannot enjoy the pleasure of a single moment's isolation for having a husband (John). So, Gwendolen's remarks are witty for no girl can praise a name so much illogically in her senses.

Cecily's stupidity for her imaginative love for Algernon:

Cecily's foolish reaction is similar to Gwendolen's stupid attitude towards the name, Ernest. She also says to Algernon that this name inspires perfect confidence. Further, she too pities any married woman whose husband's name is not Ernest. Moreover, Cecily tells him that it is her girlish dream to marry a person with the name, Ernest. Then, the absurdity gets heightened when she claims to fall in love and get engaged to Algernon in her imagination.Besides, she narrates Algernon that she got engaged to him on the 14th of February. Also, she bought a ring and a bangle with the true lover's note after the day of the engagement. Further, she promised Algernon in her thoughts that she would always wear those ornaments.Plus, the absurdity gets maximum when she tells him that she wrote letters on a weekly basis for him. Then, she replied to those letters as well. Moreover, she mentioned that she used to write three letters and sometimes more per week for Algernon. Then, she also told him that she broke off their engagement on one occasion due to a quarrel. However, she forgave him within the same week of that fight and got engaged to him again.

The stupidity of two christenings:

There is another silliness in the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, regarding the proposed christening ceremonies of Algernon and Jack. It happens that Algernon and Jack get ready to rechristen as Ernest for gaining their beloveds. Moreover, it is improbable for any sane girl to admire a name so much as Gwendolen and Cecily do. Besides, it is also unlikely for a sensible man to change his name for such a reason. So, this play is a farce due to such unlikely attitudes of the characters.

The absurdity of some sayings in the play:

In the story, The Importance of Being Earnest, there are multiple absurd comments and sayings of characters.For example, Gwendolen says that it is impossible for her to understand Jack because of his simplicity. This statement is paradoxical because a simple-natured person is perfectly understandable.Further, Dr Chasuble remarks that his sermon on the meaning of "manna in the wilderness" is adaptable for almost every occasion whether a happy or sad one. So, the saying of Dr Chasuble is wrong because that phrase is not right for both joyful and painful conditions. It is because the explanation of that phrase is suitable for consoling someone in painful times. Also, that expression refers to the story of Israelites mentioned in the Bible and the Holy Quran. Plus, it is the event when Israeli people had to eat manna provided by God during their journeys in the desert for consecutive forty years after their departure from Egypt. Therefore, it is an incident for strengthening people in hard times by reminding Israelites' pains.Another folly in the play is related to Cecily's remarks. So, it feels absurd when a reader knows about her keenness for noting Algernon's words about her beauty in her diary. Besides, she says that Dr Chasuble is a great scholar who has never written a single book. It also seems stupid. 

Also, Cecily states that the memory of a human being records things which have not happened and could not have happened possibly. So, this remark is also paradoxical because a human being's memory records things which have occurred and can have occurred probably.

More, it also appears stupid when Algernon says that half of the people who face the bankruptcy court are called Algernon. Then, he also seems silly by his comment that eating is the only comforting thing for him in a calamity.

The play's realistic components:

There are many credible events and conditions in the story, The Importance of Being Earnest.

For instance, there is nothing foolish about Algernon's invention of Bunbury (a countryman) for his out of London activities. Then, it is not silly that Jack has created a fake brother (Ernest in London) for his visits out of Hertfordshire. It is because many people make excuses to hide their objectionable or arguable activities. So, Jack makes a pretext to conceal his travels from Hertfordshire to London. Similarly, Algernon makes an excuse to cover his outdoor activities from London to countries in England.

Also, Lady Bracknell's reaction after knowing that Jack has an unknown parentage is believable. It is for no society lady can agree to allow the marriage of her daughter with a man of unknown origin. Further, Lady Bracknell allows the wedding of her nephew with Cecily. It happens because Cecily has a large amount of fortune. So, Lady Bracknell believes that she can bring that possession as her dowry after marriage. This agreement of Lady Bracknell is credible because people like those girls who can bring dowries to their homes.

Besides, there is nothing unusual about the three pairs of lovers in the play. It is natural for Algernon to fall in love with beautiful Cecily and Jack to fall in love with pretty Gwendolen. It is also probable for Dr Chasuble to get attracted by Miss Prism. Then, it is normal for Dr Chasuble to propose her for marriage to get rid of loneliness. Although, Dr Chasuble's proposal was against the primitive church since that church does not allow marriage for clergymen.

Similarly, Gwendolen's escape from home to the country for meeting Jack is a likely event. It is for there are many girls who flee from their homes to meet their lovers.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a farce for having improbability, toughness, and foolishness.

Relevant pages:

The Importance of Being Earnest Act 1 Summary

The Importance of Being Earnest Act 2 Summary

The Importance of Being Earnest Act 3 Summary

The Importance of Being Earnest Analysis