“The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde Analysis Essay Example

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple," was a quote by Oscar Wilde, who was an Irish author, which can be traced to one of his works, ''The Importance Of Being Earnest''. Even though he passed away at the age of 46 due to meningitis, he had produced plays that bring light to his name up to this day. ''The Importance Of Being Earnest'' was one of the most popular plays he had written. Due to its lack of social messages, reactions received were mixed. Some contemporary reviews have praise for the play, while some choose to be cautious and tiptoe around it. Its first showing was during the year 1895, on St. Valentine’s Day, at St. James Theater in London. It tells the story of John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, two best friends who escape their dull realities to find excitement through the alter egos they have created for themselves, named Earnest. The two pursue their feelings for their love interests, who only have romantic feelings for men named Earnest. In this performance, the situation of the Victorian Era is being captured through humorous lines and symbolism, which makes it interesting to watch and uncover. In the beginning, you would wonder why this play is titled as such. But as you continue to delve deeper into its plot, you’d slowly understand why it is titled this way.

Performed in the year 2018, in April by the Bethany Lutheran College directed by Peter Bloedel, my first impression of this play is that it is very entertaining. Peter Bloedel is a professor in the Theater Department at Bethany Lutheran College for twenty years. He has written and directed and written many full-length and one-act plays in his years of teaching. In his direction in this play, he has captured the pure essence of the play and has given justice to Wilde’s script. Aside from this, the production and effort of this play shined through the whole performance and the final output. The props and the costumes were very appropriate for each scene and every character. I have noticed that the colors of their clothes reflect their personalities and their auras as characters, which adds even more to the visual aspect of this play.

Even though these stage actors are still college theater students here, their talents on stage do not fail to come through. Each one gave life to the characters and made each personality stand out, especially the artists who played Algernon and Lady Bracknell. Also, I want to note that even though each one’s characteristics are different, they still have chemistry with each other. Every time they throw a joke in, I can not help but let out a giggle. Theatrical acting is different from those in TV shows. The movements and their voices are exaggerated, which makes it even more fun to watch because they have shown how passionate they are in character and they have given it their all. There might have been some flaws and lapses here and there, but they show potential that can be sharpened and improved. Overall, they delivered their lines and purpose in the play very satisfactorily.  

The play’s musical aspect was only heard in little parts throughout, mostly when the scenes end and move to the next one. We do get to hear Algy and Jack’s musical number to coax the sulking ladies, and this to me is one of the memorable moments of this performance. But aside from that, the play would have been better if they gave it more musical substance, such as the peak scene when Lady Prism reveals what had happened in the past. It would have been livelier and would have given more to the comedic and suspenseful sense of this scene. This part of the technicality of this performance, in my opinion, is where it is a bit lacking.

This play as a whole gets an 8.5/10 rating from me. It kept me interested throughout the two hours. The actors are passionate and charming. The production is grand and fits the era of this play. Delivery of this play’s purpose, message, and theme is successful. It is very engaging and worth watching. The build up of this play to its plot twist is done beautifully that it makes you anticipate for it too. Finally, by the end of the play, you will learn the importance of being earnest like how Jack did.