The following questions are designed to help you think about Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, in more depth.

1. Describe the society that is depicted in this play. What are its codes of behavior? Do the characters follow its codes or breach them? Which characters represent the enforcement of the codes, and which characters are more subversive? Also, discuss the relationship between Algernon and Jack. Which of them is the more admirable? Is either of them “earnest”?