The Importance of Being Earnest

“The Importance of Being Earnest” By Oscar Wilde. In “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wilde pairs characters and he also splits his characters into two contrasting groups. Explain how he does this and why. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a play of childlike innocence and nonsense. In order to present this to the audience Wilde had to be simple, and therefore, he uses seven main characters in the play, which he simply pairs …showed first 75 words of 1513 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1513 total…atmosphere of nonsense and innocence. Wilde wanted focus to fall on dialogue and the play’s main plot. Many characters and complex dialogue would have drawn the audience’s attention away from the mood Wilde wanted to create. Moreover, Wilde used the basic method of pairing and contrasting to satirise Victorian values. Each pair reflects or upholds a standard or value and it was clear to see this on stage due to Wilde’s simplicity.