User:Kaitlynn Garza/sandbox

In Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of being earnest", two characters become intrigued by a woman named Gwendolyn whom only has an interest in men named earnest. Upon hearing this news the new male characters then decide that they'll pretend their names are earnest and pretend to carry out the behaviors that go with it. As they do this they are respected, treated differently. This is where the irony comes in, because both characters don't behave serious, or solemn much like their name would suggest, instead they are silly and foolish. Keep in mind that this is all done in a Victorian era setting, where reputation was based all on appearance. Overall, Wilde is trying to mock and poke fun at the social standards in that era as they can be seen as ridiculous for their unreasonable normatives. As the play goes on, it is clear to the audience that Oscar Wilde unveils the true nature of the time, and in a sense is able to show that not everyone is who they really seem to be.