The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed at the St James's Theatre in London on 14 February 1895. Two young gentlemen invent false identities to escape their social duties, and both end up claiming to be called Ernest. Its brilliant dialogue makes it one of the most performed comedies in English.
The story
Jack Worthing lives in the country but calls himself Ernest in town. His friend Algernon invents an invalid friend, Bunbury, to escape boring dinners.
Gwendolen and Cecily both declare they could only love a man named Ernest. The truth about Jack's birth, revealed in the last act, untangles everything.
Lady Bracknell
Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen's formidable mother, interrogates Jack about his family and is horrified to learn that he was found as a baby in a handbag.
Her imperious lines and outrageous judgements are among the most quoted in English comedy.
A trivial comedy for serious people
The play's subtitle captures its spirit: it treats trivial things seriously and serious things lightly, mocking Victorian conventions of marriage and respectability.
Its title plays on the word earnest, meaning sincere, and the first name Ernest, which nobody really bears.
Anecdotes
Wilde's downfall
Only weeks after the triumphant first night, Wilde's libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry led to his own trial and imprisonment. His name was removed from the posters.
A vegetable thrown away
Queensberry had planned to disrupt the first night by throwing a bouquet of vegetables at Wilde, but he was refused entry to the theatre.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Lady Bracknell?
Gwendolen's formidable mother.
Where was Jack found as a baby?
In a handbag at Victoria Station.
What is the play's subtitle?
A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.