Analysis of Act1 Scene 1 of the Importance of Being Earnest

In act 1 scene of the play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' we can see that Argenon has a higher relative status than that of Jack Worthing. This is because he is leading the conversation, he has a strong grip on the conversation and does not let it be taken into Jacks control. All the way through the scene Algenon and Jack seem to be having a normal one-to-one conversation, as they take turns to speak; one doesn't have superiority over the other to be speaking continuously throughout the scene. 

The manner of the conversation is informal. It's between two close friends talking about as well as teasing each other over their made up names or people. This also comes in under 'coinage'. Argenon has made up a  term for an 'imaginary friend' if you like to call it that. 

Analysis on ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

The title ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ conveys two very different meanings of the word ‘Earnest’, which adds curiosity to what the title could actually portray. In one hand it could stand for honesty and sincerity or on the other hand seriousness, it too relating to a name of an individual. On the whole the word itself seems to play an important role in the play, could there be a character in the play called Earnest that this play could be revolved around. Anyhow, this title is then followed by a sub-title: ‘A trivial comedy for serious people’. Simply by reading this a comedic meaning has been added to the overall representation of what the play could be about; it is connoting that be it for serious people the play should also be taken optimistically.

As you move on cautiously to observe the cast list you notice that there is a clear division between the characters and their stature mentioned. This difference can be distinguished by titles given to some characters such as ‘Lady Bracknell’ and ‘hon. Gwendolen Fairfax’ who have a high status in the play but on the other hand the titles are also given to ‘Merrimen, Butler’ and ‘Lane, Manservant’, who have a lower status in the play. This shows a clear separation between the characters and their statuses as the first two mentioned have their full names included as well as their titles, and the second two characters only have their second names mentioned and also their working titles. Through these distinct differences between the characters’ names one can merely make observations of the outcome of the story if not know about the individuality of the characters and how they might be perceived throughout the play. 

Whilst reading Act 1 Scene 1 of the play, before any character is mentioned you can straight away pick out a clear difference in stature between Lane and Argenon. Lane is the ‘manservant’ and Argenon is the master. He is the superior one out of the relationship and is one who gets his way, whereas Lane doesn’t. Lane typically gives short replies for example: ‘yes, sir’. This clearly shows that Argenon Moncrieff has and is of higher status than Lane. Lane tries to put across his view on marriage: ‘I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little experience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young lady’, and fails because of the reply he gets from Algernon; ‘[Languidly.] I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.’ He seems to want the mutual relationship that he has with Lane to be kept at decent working manner, trying not to mix, or give way to closer relationships between people of different statuses.

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