The Importance of
Being Earnest
STAGE
2
Oscar Wilde
Introduction
This ungraded summary is for the teacher’s use only
and should not be given to students.
The story
The Importance of Being Earnest is a humorous play
about two fashionable young gentlemen. It is set in
an expensive London flat and a large English country
house in the early 1890s.
Algernon Moncrieff is visited at his London flat
by his friend ‘Ernest’ Worthing who has come up to
town from the country. ‘Ernest’ explains to Algernon
Young Cecily is alone at Jack’s country house
that his real name is Jack. He calls himself Jack in the
with her governess. She is pleasantly surprised
country and Ernest in London. He also pretends that
when Algernon appears claiming that he is the much
he has a badly-behaved younger brother who he visits
discussed ‘Ernest’ – Jack’s imaginary younger brother.
in London sometimes – he is also called Ernest.
Cecily and Algernon quickly fall in love and become
Algernon reveals that he too has an imaginary
engaged.
friend – he is called ‘Bunbury’.
Jack returns unexpectedly to his country house
Algernon’s Aunt Augusta (also called Lady Bracknell)
and announces that his brother ‘Ernest’ has died. He
and her daughter Gwendolen come to Algernon’s flat
is surprised and angry to learn that ‘Ernest’ (Algernon)
that day. Jack loves Gwendolen and is going to ask
is at that very moment at his house.
her to marry him. Algernon says that he will only help
Both Jack and Algernon separately ask the local
Jack in this matter if he explains one thing. On a recent
rector to rechristen them with the name Ernest.
visit, Jack left a cigarette case at Algernon’s flat. Inside
Gwendolen then arrives from London and meets
there was the inscription: ‘From little Cecily to her
Cecily for the first time. The young women are angry
Uncle Jack’. Algernon wants to know who Cecily is.
to learn that they both seem to be engaged to the
Jack
explains
that
Cecily
Cardew
is
the
same man ‘Ernest Worthing’.
granddaughter of Mr Thomas Cardew, who adopted
When Jack and Algernon appear, the young women
Jack when he was a baby. Mr Cardew died and Jack is
understand that they are engaged to different men.
now Cecily’s guardian. Cecily lives at Jack’s house in
They learn to their extreme disappointment that
the country and she is fascinated by his stories of his
neither of them is called Ernest. However, they forgive
wicked brother, ‘Ernest’.
the men for their deception.
When Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive at the
Lady Bracknell arrives and there is the question of
flat in London, Algernon takes Lady Bracknell out of
parental consent for the marriages of the two couples.
the room and Jack asks Gwendolen to marry him. She
Lady Bracknell is happy for her nephew, Algernon, to
knows him as Ernest and believes that her destiny is
marry the wealthy Cecily. Jack, however, as Cecily’s
to marry a man named Ernest.
guardian refuses consent unless Lady Bracknell allows
Jack and Gwendolen tell Lady Bracknell that they
him to marry Gwendolen.
are going to get married. Jack explains about his
Miss Prism appears and is recognised by Lady
background: he was found as a baby in a handbag at
Bracknell. Many years before, Miss Prism had lost the
Victoria station and he doesn’t know who his parents
baby of Lady Bracknell’s sister by leaving it in a bag at
are. Lady Bracknell says that he is not a suitable
Victoria station. That baby was Jack. It transpires that
man for her daughter to marry and she leaves with
Jack is Algernon’s older brother and is really called
Gwendolen. Gwendolen returns later and asks Jack
Ernest. The play finishes happily with Algernon and
for his address in the country. Algernon overhears
Cecily, Miss Prism and the vicar, and finally Gwendolen
and makes secret plans to go to Jack’s house on the
and Ernest (Jack) falling into each other’s arms.
following day while Jack is still in London.
71
STAGE
2
The Importance of Being Earnest
Pre-reading activity
Word search
Match these words with the definitions below. Use the glossary at the back of The
Importance of Being Earnest to help you.
admire, aunt, christen, cloakroom, cousin, earnest, engaged, governess, guardian, pram, servant,
uncle, vicar, wicked
DEFINITIONS
1 a small cart for a baby; it has four wheels and you push it _______
2 your uncle’s or aunt’s child _______
3 someone who works for another person in their house _______
4 very bad _______
5 someone who looks after a young person who has no father or mother _______
6 a man of the church, a priest (in the Church of England) _______
7 to give a name to a person, usually a baby, in church _______
8 when you have agreed to marry someone _______
9 your mother’s or father’s brother; sometimes also used when speaking to an older friend of your
parents _______
10 to think that another person is wonderful _______
11 hardworking and serious _______
12 your mother’s or father’s sister _______
13 a woman who works as a teacher in someone’s home _______
14 a room where you can leave things like bags and coats for a short time _______
Now find the words in the wordsearch below.
C O U S I N Q X V U P G
L Z G O V E R N E S S U
O W L E W I C K E D J A
A D M I R E G B S T F R
K Y R V X N W N E L J D
R E U C D G Y Z R Q K I
O W N E I A H K V X Q A
O P C T L G Q W A Z R N
M Z L P K E A R N E S T
K S E D C D U Y T H U P
V I C A R X N J P R A M
Y C H R I S T E N W M I
To the teacher
Aim: To introduce key vocabulary
the fourteen words in the wordsearch.
Time: 30 minutes
Key: 1 pram, 2 cousin, 3 servant, 4 wicked,
Organization: Give students a copy of the worksheet
5 guardian, 6 vicar, 7 christen, 8 engaged, 9 uncle,
and ask them to match the words and the definitions.
10 admire, 11 earnest, 12 aunt, 13 governess,
During class feedback, check the pronunciation and
14 cloakroom
meaning of all the words. Then ask students to find
PHOTOCOPIABLE
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
72
STAGE
2
The Importance of Being Earnest
While reading activity
What’s going to happen next?
Which of these things do you think will happen in Act 3?
WILL
HAPPEN
MAY
HAPPEN
WON’T
HAPPEN
YOUR OWN
COMMENTS
Jack and Algernon both
change their name to Ernest.
Jack learns that Miss Prism is
really his mother.
Jack learns that he is
Algernon’s brother.
Jack discovers that his real
name is Ernest.
Lady Bracknell stops
Gwendolen from marrying
Jack.
Jack stops Cecily from
marrying Algernon.
Gwendolen and Cecily learn
that they can marry Algernon
and Jack.
Gwendolen and Cecily
become angry with the two
young men and they run
away to London.
Miss Prism and Dr Chasuble
fall in love.
Lady Bracknell and
Dr Chasuble fall in love.
To the teacher
Where: At the end of act two
Students can add their own comments in the final
Aim: To encourage students to predict the
column. Conduct feedback on their ideas as a class
development of the play
and encourage them to justify their opinions. It is not
Time: 20–30 minutes
important whether their predictions are correct or
Organization: Give one copy of the worksheet to
not. It may be interesting for students to keep their
each student or group of students. Go through any
worksheets and see whether or not their predictions
unknown vocabulary. Ask them to discuss and decide
were correct.
what will happen in the final scene of the play.
73
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS PHOTOCOPIABLE
STAGE
2
The Importance of Being Earnest
After reading activity
Who said what?
Who said what, to whom and what about?
WHO?
TO WHOM?
WHAT AbOUT?
1 ‘Ah, I knew that you were a secret
Bunburyist!’
2 ‘Well, I’m going to kill Ernest soon.’
3 ‘A handbag?’
4 ‘Marry? Why? Many men of the
church have stayed single all their
lives.’
5 ‘Of course! We’ve been engaged for
five months!’
6 ‘My tea full of sugar, and cake when
I asked for bread and butter.’
7 ‘Your names are still an impossible
problem for us. That is all!’
8 ‘A hundred and thirty thousand
pounds!’
9 ‘I – I left it in a station cloakroom.’
10 ‘I knew I had a brother!’
To the teacher
Aim: To recap key events in the play
2: Jack to Algernon about ‘killing’ his imaginary
Time: 30 minutes
brother Ernest, 3: Lady Bracknell to Jack about
Organization: Give students a copy of the grid. Ask
the fact that he was found in a handbag as a baby,
them to work in pairs and identify who said these
4: Dr Chasuble to Miss Prism about the need for
words and who to. Tell the students that one of the
him to get married, 5: Cecily to Algernon about
phrases is said by two people at once. Encourage
getting married. She says that they are already
them also to consider what the different statements
engaged, 6: Gwendolen to Cecily about Cecily giving
are about and how they fit into the storyline of the
Gwendolen the wrong food and drink. Cecily is angry
play. When the students have finished, go through
because she has just discovered that they seem to
the answers as a class. Generate discussion about
be engaged to the same man, 7: Gwendolen and
how the different quotations fit into the storyline.
Cecily to Jack and Algernon about not being called
Encourage students to identify how the sentences
Ernest, 8: Lady Bracknell to Jack about Cecily’s
might have been said e.g. loudly, quietly or with the
fortune, 9: Miss Prism to Jack / Lady Bracknell about
stress on certain words.
the bag with the baby in it, 10: Jack to Algernon
Key: 1: Algernon to Jack about the fact that Jack calls
(and others) about the fact that Algernon is really his
himself Ernest in London and Jack in the country,
younger brother.
PHOTOCOPIABLE
© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
74