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Connection #1: Foolishness
The characters' foolishness is obviously shown in the play.
Cecily and Gwendolen were furious with Algernon and Jack after finding out that both were pretending to be someone that they are not. They made a quick vow that they will not speak to the men until they are spoken first. However, Cecily immediately breaks the vow by asking Algernon about why he pretended to be Jack's brother(Ernest).
It is also frequently unclear to the audience whether a character is joking, or whether he has unknowingly said something contradictory. An example would be when Gwendolen flips the words style and sincerity when she says, "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing," reflecting the confusion to come.

Connection #2: Secrecy
Wilde sees the nature of many Victorian customs and norms as suffocating. He creates episodes in which the characters live secret lives or create deliberately false impressions to express who they really are. Jack and Algernon both create personas to feel more free. These other lives allow them to neglect their duties in Algernon's case, or leave their duties and pursue pleasure in Jack's case. Wilde also has a double life like these characters that he made. In public, he is known as a diligent and talented play writer, but in his private life, he was a homosexual. He even had sexual affairs and wanted to conceal it from public.

Connection #3: A Pun(a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings) between earnest, and Ernest
The importance of being earnest means that in order to have a honest relationship with others, people must be sincere and have realistic and honest convictions. Wilde employs a pun upon the nouns earnest, and Ernest. The use of this pun allows the humorous plots of Jack, who makes up a person named Ernest, who provides alibis for his various activities and helps him to appear as an earnest young man. In the final irony of the play, Jack learns that his real name is Earnest Moncrieff, and he is the brother of Algernon, against whom he has been competing.

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Quote #0: Gwendolen - "How absurd to talk of the equality of the sexes! Where questions of self-sacrifice are concerned, men are infinitely beyond us... They have moments of physical courage of which we women know absolutely nothing." (PDF 74)   hmmm... considering

Reason for picking:

Discussion:

Quote #1: Gwendolen & Cecily - "Your Christian names are still an insuperable barrier. That is all!" (PDF 74)

Reason for picking: It shows how picky Gwedolen and Cecily were when it comes to names. They want the name Ernest.

Discussion: All of the pretense involving the name Ernest in the play points to the insincerity and hypocrisy of the Victorian age in which young men lived double lives. Also the emphasis upon the name Ernest for a husband ridicules the ideas of true earnestness, which was an important virtue of husbands in the Victorian era.

Quote #2: Gwendolen - "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing." (PDF 73)

Reason for picking: The quote is really ironic.

Discussion: Gwendolen really wanted a husband with the name of Ernest. The name Ernest in the book refers to earnest or earnestness, which is sincerity and honesty. However, Gwendolen prefers style over sincerity thus, it creates situational irony to the audience.

Quote #3: Jack - "I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being earnest." (PDF 91, last page)

Reason for picking: It is the final and most obvious emphasis that Oscar Wilde wanted to deliver to the audience.

Discussion: Most Victorian era social interactions involved a division between what people said and how they acted in public and what they truly thought. In short, people lacked of truthfulness when it comes to public, because people wanted to hide random secrets of themselves. The play's title and many of its quotes allude to Wilde's belief that it was important to be earnest, and that truthfulness and honesty were lacking in Victorian society.

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Gwendolen: They are looking at us. What effrontery!

Effrontery - Insolent or impertinent behavior.

This word is used to describe how Jack and Algernon are looking at Gwendolen and Cecily who are at the window.

Gwendolen: I have the gravest doubts upon the subject. But I intend to crush them. This is not the time for German scepticism. Their explanations seem to be quite satisfactory.

Skepticism - a skeptical attitude; doubt as to the truth of something.

German Skepticism - a German philosophy that examines style or appearance rather than substance.

This word is used by Gwendolen on why she would crush her doubts.

Gwendolen & Cecily: Your christian names are still an insuperable barrier. That is all!

Insuperable - Impossible to overcome.

Insuperable was used to describe Jack and Algernons name as it was not the name the two ladies have fallen in love with.

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Act III starts off with Cecily and Gwendolen in the drawing room of the Manor house as they leave Jack and Algernon. The two men later enter the house from the garden and tell the two ladies the reason they have deceived them. As they were about to forgive them they remembered neither of them are engaged to Ernest but Jack and Algernon told them that they were to be christened as Ernest by the end of the day.

Lady Bracknell arrives at the scene unexpected finding where Gwendolen has gone by bribing her maid. Algernon has almost blown his cover by forgetting he was supposed to be visiting his sick friend, Bunbury, but covers up by telling lady Bracknell that his friend has suddenly passed away. Jack introduces Cecily to Lady Bracknell and she asks lots of questions about Cecily that Jack answers. She then finds out that Cecily is worth a great deal of money once she is old enough to inherit it but Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he will only give his consent if Lady Bracknell gives her consent on his and Gwendolen engagement, she refuses to do so.

Miss Prism has been called to the scene by Lady Bracknell and was asked questions about a certain baby she has lost 28 years ago. Miss Prism say that she has switched the two and placed the child in a bag while placing a book on the stroller. Jack intervenes the conversation and asks Miss Prism about where did she leave the bag and what station. He leaves for a brief moment and re-enters the scene holding a handbag that Miss Prism acknowledges to be the one. As things unfold it is found out that Jack was Lady Bracknell's younger sister son making him Algernons older brother and Lady Bracknell approves of the engagement but one thing still remains, He doesn't know his real name. Lady Bracknell say that he was named after his father who was a general who's first name was rarely used. As he looks through the military records he finds out that his fathers name was Ernest John, his lie has been the truth all along and Jack acknowledges the vital importance of being earnest.

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1. If Gwendolen is Algernon's cousin and Jack is apparently Algernon's older brother then doesn't that mean Jack is going to marry his cousin?

2. What does Jack mean about he has acknowledged the vital importance of being earnest!?!?

3. How did the author use situational irony to make a twist in the stories plot?

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Effrontery:

insolent or impertinent behavior.

(PDF pg.72)

Gwendolen: They're looking at us. What effeontery!

Scepticism:

a skeptical attitude; doubt as to the truth of something.

(PDF, pg.73)

Gwendolen: I have the gravest doubts upon the subject. But I intend to crush them. This is not the moment for German scepticism.

Insuperable:

(PDF, pg. 74)

Gwendolen and Cecily: (Speaking together) Your Christian names are still an insuperable barrier.

Terminus:

either end of a transportation line or travel route

(PDF, pg,77)

Lady Bracknell: [...] Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus.

Solicitors:

the chief law officer of a municipality, county, or government department

(PDF, pg.77)

Jack: Miss Cardew's family solicitors are Messrs

Messrs:

used as a title to refer formally to more than one man simultaneously, or in names of companies.

(PDF, pg.77)

Jack: Miss Cardew's family solicitors are Messrs