The Importance Of Being Earnest

Title: The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

Author: Oscar Wilde

Algernon Moncleiff goes to welcome his best friend Jack Worthing, alias 'Ernest', who comes all the way from countryside to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, Algernon's cousin. Algernon gives consent to this proposal of Jack on the condition that he explain the inscription on Jack's cigarette case that says:

"From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack."

Ernest confesses on living a life with two identities- the strict and disciplined guardian of young heiress Cecily Cardew through the name of Jack in the countryside, and as the carefree man Earnest in the city. After this confession, Algernon himself confesses to be living a double life. Gwendolen accepts the proposal of Ernest, and convinces him to rechristen himself as 'Ernest' as the name is a big part of why she loved him. Meanwhile, Gwen's mother Lady Bracknell disapproves of Ernest, and forbids any engagement between Gwen and Ernest.

In the meanwhile, Algernon visits Jack's countryside to meet the young, beautiful heiress Cecily Cardew to whom he had been attracted to when Ernest mentioned. He introduces himself to Cecily as 'Ernest', and Cecily presumes him to be the brother of her guardian 'Jack' Worthing. The two fall in love, and plan to get engaged. Since Cecily loved the name 'Ernest', Algernon decides to scrap off his dual identity and rechristen himself as Ernest. 

During this time, Gwendolen decides to run away from Lady Bracknell and come to the countryside to meet Ernest(Jack). She chances upon Cecily, and they both end up claiming that they love 'Ernest'. What ensues is a drama that sends you in fits of laughter, and entertains to ensure a smile is pinned on your face!

This is the first time I am reading a play of Wilde, though I have read his short stories before. I absolutely loved it! With other stories like The Canterville Ghost, one is already familiar the unbeatable humour of Wilde. But, this play is a gem! The fluidity and the spontaneity of the characters that has been captured in the script was mind-blowing. This is a short play, and you can read it in a couple of hours. The interplay of the characters, situations, and their hilarious impersonations left me literally laughing out loud, and enjoying every line of this play! 

This is a must- definitely must- read!

The Happy Prince

1st edition (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

the Happy Prince (Photo credit: s o b e r)

There was a statue of the Happy Prince in the middle of the city. A swallow came to rest under the prince’s feet. A tear drop fell from the Happy Prince’s eyes and drenched the swallow. The Happy Prince was crying! The swallow asked the Happy Prince what he was crying over. The Happy Prince told the swallow whatever he saw from the top and asked the swallow to take the gold and the gems from his statue and give it to the poor. Winter came and the swallow died of hunger and cold. The mayor saw that the Prince's ornaments were taken away and ordered that the statue to be melted. He wanted there to be a statue of himself. So, the mayor’s servants melted the statue, but the heart of the Prince would not melt. So, they threw the dead swallow ,which was found at the feet of the Prince, and the heart away. 

When God asked his angels to bring the most precious things in the world, his angels got him the swallow and the heart of the Happy Prince.

The Young King by Oscar Wilde

The young king is to be crowned tomorrow. He goes to sleep in the royal bed. He gets  three strange dreams. He first dreams that many weavers sit and weave all night long cursing the loom and toaiushhe young king. When the young king asks them what they are weaving for all night, in the dream, they reply that they are weaving the young king’s coronation dress. The young king wakes up with a cry and then sleeps again. This time he gets a dream that a lady is asking more and more workers go inside the mines and bring diamond. When the young king asks one of the workers, in his dream, what they are going inside for, he replies that they are going to take the diamonds for the king’s crown. Once again the young king wakes up with a cry and falls asleep again. This time he gets a dream that many workers go in a wooden boat searching for something in the middle of the night. He asks one of them where they were going in the middle of the night and he answers that they were searching for pearls to fit in the young king’s sword. The king wakes up. This time he sees that it is dawn. While he gets ready to wear his clothes for the coronation he sees that they looked like the clothes that came in his dream and refuses to wear it. Instead he wears a shepherd’s cloth. When he is about to take his sword, he sees the pearl in it and refuses to have that also. Instead he picks up a shepherd’s stick. When the young king goes to accept the crown, he sees the diamonds in the crown and refuses to wear it on his head. Instead he wear's a shepherd's headband. All the others mock at the young king but the king goes straight to the God for his morning prayers and after praying, when he comes out, the shepherd’s clothes look brighter than the gold, the shepherd’s headband looks rich than diamonds and the shepherd’s stick looks like a shinning sword. All the people look at him with awe and respect.

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

"He met with a severe fall" from Wallace Goldsmith's illustrations to Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville was still in the Canterville Chase which the Otis family from America had bought from Lord Canterville. The Otis family were sure that there was nothing called ghost. They told Lord Canterville that they would be happy to buy a ghost and have it at home, if there was any. The ghost first tried to make blood stains in the living room. But Washington Otis rubbed the stain off using Pinkerton’s champion stain remover and Paragon Detergent, an American product. Next, the ghost tried to frighten Mr.Otis by rattling his rusty chains. But Mr.Otis advised the ghost to use Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator, another American product and told the ghost not to disturb again. When the Canterville ghost angrily flung the bottle and broke it, the twins woke up and flung pillows at the ghost. Next the ghost tried to frighten Mrs.Otis by laughing its weird loud laughter but Mrs.Otis thought that it was because of indigestion and suggested a product from America. The ghost got tired of trying to frighten the new family from America. Only Virginia Otis did not advise, comment or tease the ghost. So the ghost approached Virginia and asked her to free him from being a ghost. So young Virginia went with the ghost to the place where the ghosts die and let him free there. Virginia came back home and told her family about the death of the Canterville ghost. The Otis family felt sad.


The part I enjoyed the most in ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is when Mr.Otis said that considering the length of time the ghost was there in that house, it was not polite for the twins to throw pillows at the ghost.