The Importance of Being Earnest

Act 1

Reading Check

1. At Algernon’s London apartment in the “present day” (Act 1)

2. Gwendolen Bracknell (Act 1)

3. Lady Bracknell is his aunt, and Gwendolen is his cousin. (Act 1)

4. No (Act 1)

5. Pretending to have a relative or friend to use as an excuse to escape one’s social responsibilities (Act 1)

Short Answer

1. Lady Bracknell objects to the union of Jack and Gwendolen because of Jack’s uncertain parentage. Lady Bracknell is an aristocrat who values social status and wealth above all else, and she believes that a person’s worth is determined by their birth and family background. (Act 1)

2. Jack uses his own name in the country and the name Ernest in town to enable himself to lead a double life. Jack is a wealthy young man with a country estate and a young ward named Cecily, but he also leads a secret life in London as Ernest. By assuming the identity of Ernest, Jack can escape the responsibilities of his country estate and indulge in the pleasures of the city without risking his reputation. (Act 1)

3. Algernon discourages Jack from proposing to his cousin Gwendolen, claiming to view marriage as distasteful and saying that “girls never marry the men they flirt with.” He later threatens to withhold his approval unless Jack tells him about the mysterious “little Cecily” whose name is inscribed in Jack’s cigarette case. (Act 1)

4. Gwendolen says she loved Jack (whom she knows as Ernest) because of his name, claiming that she has always wanted to marry a man named Ernest. When Jack asks Gwendolen if she would still love him if his name were not Ernest, she dismisses the concern (but indicates that she would in fact not love him if he had a different name). (Act 1)

5. Jack was orphaned as an infant and was adopted by a Mr. Cardew after being discovered in a handbag. Jack’s unknown origins and parentage are unusual in the class-conscious world of Victorian Britain. (Act 1)

Act 2

Reading Check

1. The Manor House, Jack’s property in the country (Act 2)

2. Cecily’s governess (Act 2)

3. Ernest Worthing (Act 2)

4. So that Gwendolen will agree to marry him (Act 2)

5. Cecily (Act 2)

Short Answer

1. Algernon goes to Jack’s country house posing as Ernest Worthing. While there, he meets and proposes to Cecily, Jack’s ward. (Act 2)

2. Gwendolen and Cecily both believe that they are engaged to Ernest Worthing, and this belief they each hold is the source of the conflict between them. This conflict is resolved when they realize that “Ernest Worthing” does not exist. (Act 2)

3. Like Gwendolen, Cecily is attracted to the name of Ernest. She also shows signs of being intrigued by Ernest’s wild and reckless reputation. (Act 2)

4. Miss Prism is the governess of Cecily, Jack’s ward, and is gradually revealed to be the love interest of Dr. Chasuble. She is a comical character whose behavior satirizes the repressive morality of the Victorian Era. (Act 2)

5. Jack claims that Ernest is dead so that he can change his own name to Ernest. This ploy fails when Algernon arrives at his estate claiming to be Ernest. (Act 2)

Act 3

Reading Check

1. He says that Bunbury died. (Act 3)

2. Yes (Act 3)

3. Because she does not legally come of age until she turns 35 (Act 3)

4. Miss Prism (Act 3)

5. Ernest (Act 3)

Short Answer

1. It is discovered that Jack is the long-lost older brother of Algernon, christened Ernest. Satisfied with Jack’s social status, Lady Bracknell allows him to marry Gwendolen, while Gwendolen agrees to marry him because his real name is Ernest. (Act 3)

2. Miss Prism is afraid of Lady Bracknell because she misplaced Jack (Ernest), Lady Bracknell’s nephew, 28 years earlier. (Act 3)

3. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that he will allow Algernon to marry Cecily only if Lady Bracknell allows him to marry Gwendolen. (Act 3)

4. Lady Bracknell finally allows Jack to marry Gwendolen when it is established that Jack is the son of her sister and thus Algernon’s older brother. (Act 3)

5. Miss Prism lost Jack when he was a baby after Miss Prism confused him with the manuscript of her novel, placing the manuscript in his stroller and the baby in her handbag. Miss Prism then left the handbag with baby Jack (Ernest) at Victoria Station, where it was discovered by Thomas Cardew. (Act 3)