Names play a central role in Oscar Wilde's drama “The Importance of Being Earnest.” The naming of the characters is deliberate and well thought out. Their name alludes to the locker of each of their characters. A name is a cliché and in the Victorian era when this play was written, a name would have determined whether you became a prince or a pauper. It is ironic that a child is at the mercy of his parents for his name, just as the characters in this play were predetermined by Wilde. An expectation of how society is run is also a label and Oscar Wilde sets out to prove the triviality of these marks through his character's use of wit, irony and humor. The stereotypes of the five main characters in this play help to reveal societal masks through comic timing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get an original essay Lady Bracknell's comic creation is a wonderful outlet for the actions of the plot and to gain insight into the ideals of the era Victorian2E Lady Bracknell is the quintessential elite matron who emphasizes good education above all else. Some of Wilde's funniest lines play out through his character. It is also Lady Bracknell who presents Wilde's view of marriage and how it falls short of the romantic ideal. When Lady Bracknell interviews Jack to be a candidate for the marriage of her daughter, Gwendolyn, her physical and linguistic actions illustrate that she is disturbed by Jack's unsavory background. For example, when Jack tells her that it was found in a handbag at Brighton line station, she states that "the line doesn't matter". (Act I p.1439). This shows how Jack's lack of worldly knowledge upsets her. Lady Bracknell is a stereotype about the importance in Victorian culture of a good education and a family name. Gwendolyn is Lady Bracknell's daughter and is the reason for Lady Bracknell's snobbery towards Jack. Gwendolyn is in love with Jack, whom she knows as Ernest. His frivolity is stereotypical of the time when it comes to thoughts on marriage. For example, she says that she was destined to love Ernest because of his name (Act I p.1435). This shows his obsession with his fantasy of ideal romance. But many of the play's epigrams denote the ironic fact that Wilde thought marriage was a cruel reality. Much like Gwendolyn is Cecily, in that they are both focused on their romantic fantasies about marriage. She even shares the same opinion that the name Ernest is the essence of perfection. Cecily even went so far as to write love letters to herself and imagine a proposal from Algernon (Ernest) before even meeting him (Act III p.1452-3). Amusingly, she doesn't trust her fiancé to write them himself, leading one to believe that he would never be able to write something on his own that would meet all of her expectations. It is also Cecily who unequivocally states the theme of the play when she says: "I hope you haven't led a double life, pretending to be bad and being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy." (Act III p.1445). Cecily and Gwendolyn are visibly turned on by the dangerousness of a man's character. Wilde comically reversed his intention because he was referring to people who pretend to be moral all the time but actually live in corruption. He comments on the fact that society requires people to wear a mask. Algernon is a symbol of the British bachelor.