The Importance of Being Earnest

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Discuss the use of puns in the title of “The Importance of Being Earnest.” 

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Discuss the use of pun in the title “The Importance of Being Earnest.” [NU: 2015, 21] 

Pun is a figure of speech that plays with words having two or more meanings. In “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895) by Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), the word “earnest” means both sincerity/honesty and the male name “Ernest.” Wilde plays with these two meanings. This pun makes the title funny but also serious.     

The Double Meaning of “Earnest”: The play “The Importance of Being Earnest”  is built around a clever pun. The first meaning of Earnest is sincerity. To be earnest is to be honest and serious. But the characters are not honest. They lie and pretend to be others. In Act I, he says,   

“My name is Ernest in town and Jack in the country.” 

This shows the gap between appearance and truth. In Act I, Jack also pretends to have a brother named Ernest to escape his duties.  He says: 

“I have always pretended to h

ave a younger brother of the name of Ernest.”    

The Obsession with the Name “Ernest”: The second meaning is the name itself. Gwendolen declares she can only love a man called Ernest. In Act I, she says, 

“The only really safe name is Ernest.” 

Cecily also imagines herself engaged to “Ernest” before meeting Algernon. Love is linked to a name, not to real character. This shows the shallow values of Victorian society.    

Comic Resolution of the Pun: At the end, Jack learns his true name was always Ernest. In Act III, he says, 

“I’ve now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.”

 The pun becomes complete, linking honesty and identity.    

In Conclusion, the title “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a brilliant pun. It makes trivial things serious and serious things trivial. Through this wordplay, Wilde satirizes Victorian obsession with names, honesty, and appearances.    

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Oscar Wilde
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from The Importance of Being Earnest