Novel Analytical essay
Linda Sun
Mr. Dibblee
English IV
10/22/2020
Thus - The Importance of Being Named Ernest
Through Gwendolen and Jack’s conversation towards the beginning of the play and
Gwendolen’s response to Jack’s question regarding the name Jack is evidence of Gwendolen’s
preference for the name Ernest. Gwendolen questions Jack for even asking her about the name
by saying, “Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does
not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations… The only really safe name is Ernest”(15). It is
shown through these quotes that Gwendolen is fixated on the name Ernest. In fact, in the play,
she is obsessed with finding a husband by the name of Ernest. The dislike for the name jack is
also fueled by Cecily's dislike of the name. They both agree that the name Jack is boring and has
no rhythm or music to it. Another reason Gwendolen dislikes the name Jack is that it closely
resembles john. Gwendolen states that she “[pities] any woman who is married to a man called
John”(15). This is ironic because Gwendolen is in love with Jack. Even so, as Gwendolen
laments the names Jack and John, she does not know that she addresses John Worthing who is
also named Jack. It then becomes clear that Gwendolen defined the basis of liking named
according to her stereotypes.
An in-depth analysis of the whole play suggests that dramatic irony is an important aspect
of its writing. Dramatic irony is best described as a form of irony where the audience is aware of
the situation while the character is not aware. The fact that the character is oblivious of what is
going on in the play is the humorous aspect of the play that Wilde has intentionally set forth. In
the context of the quote, Jack confesses his love for Gwendolen. Gwendolen's response to Jack is
that she also loves him just as much as he does her, but for different reasons. Gwendolen points
out that the real reason why she loves him is because he has the name, Ernest. She is inspired by
the name Ernest, and this is a dramatic irony to the audience because they know that the
character's name is Jack. Gwendolen outlines that since she was first told by Algernon that he
had a friend named Ernest, she fell in love. Gwendolen's love was ideally for the name of the
person but not the person himself.
Cecily and Gwendolen take names very seriously as compared to Algernon and Jack.
Algernon and Jack take names trivially, and they both lie to the two ladies that their names are
Ernest. Cecily and Gwendolen both share the love for the name Ernest and both point out that
they may not marry the two men because of their names. Gwendolen's reply to Jack suggests that
every Jack she met has been plain, and Ernest may be interesting and safe. However, it is critical
to remember that she has never met Ernest in her life, and she has no grounds to base her
conclusion of people named Ernest to be interesting. This begs the suggestion that Cecily and
Gwendolen are obsessed with the image of an individual, or maybe in fact the image of their
names rather than the personality they possess. Cecily had only just met Algernon when she
points out that she has been in love with him for months. But rather, she has been in love with
the name Ernest. When Algernon asks if Cecily would marry him if he had another name, Cecily
refuses and states that she would not be able to give him full attention. Both Cecily and
Gwendolen do not care for the personality of Jack and Algernon, and they do not want to know
much about them. They are interested in the fact that they are named Ernest. The quote
ultimately translates to the title of the play, the importance of being earnest. At first, one may
conclude that the play outlines the importance of being honest and truthful at all times. However,
as the passage from Gwendolen outlines, it is the importance of being named Ernest.
Additionally, it is important to note that Gwendolen does not care if Jack is honest or truthful;
she cares only that his name is Ernest. The same goes for the case of Cecily and Algernon.
Ideally, the four are farthest from the description of an earnest individual.
Dramatic irony and humor are the essential aspects of the passage and the play as a
whole. The gentlemen, Jack and Algernon, are nearly not as honest or earnest as required to be.
Cecily and Gwendolen, on the other hand, do not care what kind of men they are, but as long as
their names are Ernest. The quote analyzed outlines that Gwendolen was never in search of a
husband with a good character or a good personality but rather was in search of any man who
was named Ernest, hence the title of the play, importance of being earnest.