The Importance of Being Earnest A Play

The Characters John (Jack/Earnest) Worthing, J.P.– The play’s protagonist. He is a responsible young man who leads a double life. He has an estate in the country where he goes by the name Jack. In London, he goes by the name Earnest. He is in love with Gwendolyn. Jack was adopted by a wealthy man when he was a baby. Algernon Moncrief – Gwendolyn’s cousin and the play’s secondary hero. He and Jack are best friends. Gwendolyn Fairfax -- The object of Jack’s affection, she desires to marry a man named Earnest. She is sophisticated, intelligent, and pretentious.

The Characters Lady Bracknell– Gwendolyn’s mother and Algernon’s aunt. She is snobby and wants her daughter to marry a wealthy man. Cecily Cardew – She is the granddaughter of the man who adopted Jack. Jack is her guardian and she is just as obsessed with the name Earnest as Gwendolyn. She is 18 years old.

How the story begins. The play is set in the 1890’s in England. Jack has land in the country (Hertfordshire) where he takes care of Cicily. He is also a justice of the peace there. So that Jack can have an alternative life in the city, he goes by the name of Earnest. He does as he pleases, pretending that Earnest is the naughty brother of Jack. Jack falls in love with Gwendolyn. However, Gwendolyn and Algernon both only know Jack as his alias Earnest.

How the story begins. When Jack professes his love, he intends to tell Gwendolyn the truth about his identity. But after she insists that she could never love a man who wasn’t named Earnest, Jack decides to continue with his lie.