Reading Comprehension
In Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, Jack is a character who dislikes having to meet social obligations. His friend Algernon is similar, and both of them have thought of ways to get out of what they consider to be boring social obligations in England.
Jack invents a fake brother Ernest, who needs lots of attention. According to Jack, Ernest is very irresponsible, so Jack has to leave often to care for his brother in London. In reality, Jack simply wants to escape from his duty. In London, Jack pretends to be his fake brother. A friend he has there, Algernon, knows Jack only as Ernest.
Algernon, on the other hand, has invented a fake friend Bunbury who is always ill and in need of his attention. This allows him to escape social obligations as well. Algernon calls this kind of behavior “Bunburying.”
Jack, however, has fallen in love with Algernon's cousin Gwendolyn. Algernon has had some strange feeling about his friend Ernest. He asks Jack if he is having a secret double life, and Jack says yes.
After talking to Jack about the fake brother, Algernon decides to visit Jack's country house, pretending to be Jack's brother Ernest. While there, he falls in love with the young woman Cecily, whose guardian is Jack.
Both Gwendolyn and Cecily have a silly beliefthey will not marry anyone whose name is not Ernest. In the end, the truth of what the men have done is known by the two girls, and the two gentlemen both change their names to Ernest and marry the women they love. The play teaches everyone, in a funny way, the importance of being earnest.
Jack invents a fake brother Ernest, who needs lots of attention. According to Jack, Ernest is very irresponsible, so Jack has to leave often to care for his brother in London. In reality, Jack simply wants to escape from his duty. In London, Jack pretends to be his fake brother. A friend he has there, Algernon, knows Jack only as Ernest.
Algernon, on the other hand, has invented a fake friend Bunbury who is always ill and in need of his attention. This allows him to escape social obligations as well. Algernon calls this kind of behavior “Bunburying.”
Jack, however, has fallen in love with Algernon's cousin Gwendolyn. Algernon has had some strange feeling about his friend Ernest. He asks Jack if he is having a secret double life, and Jack says yes.
After talking to Jack about the fake brother, Algernon decides to visit Jack's country house, pretending to be Jack's brother Ernest. While there, he falls in love with the young woman Cecily, whose guardian is Jack.
Both Gwendolyn and Cecily have a silly beliefthey will not marry anyone whose name is not Ernest. In the end, the truth of what the men have done is known by the two girls, and the two gentlemen both change their names to Ernest and marry the women they love. The play teaches everyone, in a funny way, the importance of being earnest.