"Master Harold"...and the boys: Set Design

The first thing that I learned about the set of the play was that is was a wet and windy afternoon in Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth is a place where the Afrikaans were all forcibly pushed into, thus causing Port Elizabeth to be overcrowded and allowing diseases to transmit freely. Well before I go into why Port Elizabeth is significant, according to the background historical context, apartheid is THE root of all social problems in South Africa. Apartheid is why the Afrikaans are forcibly segregated from the Dutch, even though technically the Afrikaans are the ones who rightly belong to South Africa. Thus, it is evident that there is a twisted power dynamic through the intent of perpetuating institutionalized racism.

Now, putting all of the deep and evil propaganda aside, Fugard makes straightforward references to the furniture. There are tables and chairs, that have literally been cleared and are stacked on one side. However this seemingly simple and objective view suddenly makes an exception. There is one table that stands apart with a single chair. Now why is there a table that stands apart with a single chair when there are tables that have literally been cleared and are stacked on one side? Fugard doesn't give us the satisfaction of knowing why. It just is the way it is. I think Fugard is aware that some of us are questioning why there is a table and chair standing apart and perhaps he's trying to tell the audience that, as previously mentioned, it  just is the way it is. After the tables and chairs have been settled, utensils are then described in like a grocery list, in anticipation of a simple meal.

All of a sudden the serving counter comes into the picture.There are a few stale cakes under glass and not a very impressive display of sweets, cigarettes, and cool drinks, etc. How do I feel about this? Well Fugard is no longer being straightforward. The clarity was short-lived. My impression of the stale cakes which there are only a few of under glass....why are the cakes stale? Perhaps more attention needs to be given to the cake in order for the cakes to longer be stale. The "not-very-impressive-display-of-sweets" honestly does make me question why the sweets are not very impressive. Then there's basically lots of commercialized food and the prices of Tea, Coffee, Scones, Milkshakes--all flavors. So I'm guessing that this place is a cafe where people come for tea, coffee, scones, and milkshakes of all flavors. 

There are a few sad ferns in pots; a telephone; and old-style jukebox. These objects have nothing in common with each other. One is a plant, one is a calling machine, and the last one is musical instrument. The old-style-jukebox is probably mentioned last because it is the most important object. The jukebox will represent the profound artistic and cultural message in the play.

Even though the set design may seem unnecessary to look into, I am confident that there is a reason why Fugard chose the set design to be placed in this manner. However, the purpose or intent will most likely be unclear.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Wrapping it all up!

COMEDY OF MANNERS: taking a particular part of society and uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its members.

The most significant dramatic convention in the play is the use of humor to satirize Victorian society.  From the choices of food and the manner of eating food--whether it's cucumber sandwiches, butter and bread, or muffins; these upper class treats represent the shallowness of society.  It seems absurd to have arguments over food, such as how one should consume or refrain from food,  and whether bread and butter is more fashionable than cake, but to the characters, these are very serious issues. They all share the common character of hypocrisy, and as Lady Bracknell puts forth, it is the age of surfaces. It doesn't matter if you are "Ernest" or not earnest, as long as you appear to be socially fashionable and you convincingly tell lies, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not telling the truth.

"In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing." 

This emphasis of style over sincerity shows that sincerity does not exist in the upper class society which arguably is due to the  reinforcement of shallow ideals. It's preconceived in their minds that there are always hidden intentions and people never say what they mean because they never mean what they say.  It is respectable to pursue marriage, but they satirize marriage as a loveless relationship and that it is absurd to give up pleasure for marriage. When they claim to uphold Victorian morals as an upper class individual, they speak immorally of other people and perceive educated people as inferior because they are a threat to the "natural ignorance" of the upper class.

Their mentality is for the most part logically flawed, but at the same time this complete disjunction between appearance and reality clearly explains their surface-oriented society. The part that I enjoy most about the play is that this social critique is masked behind seemingly lighthearted upper class drama, when Wilde is clearly mocking such prevalent hypocrisy.

The Importance of Being Earnest: Act 3

Wow, I honestly didn't expect the twist at the very end of the play, but it was no surprise that both couples lived happily ever after. The dramatic revelation of Jack being Algernon's long lost brother and that he was "naturally" named after his father, Ernest, adds the finishing touches to the whole absurdity of the play. The ending exhibits situational irony because Jack had been hiding under the identity of "Ernest" and was determined to christen himself in order prove that he is worthy of being "Ernest" to Gwendolen....when he was actually telling the truth because his name was Ernest!

"On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest" (180). 

I think the witty word play between "earnest" as in one who is sincere and being named "Ernest" is what drives the plot of the entire play. The duplicity in meanings allows for interchangeable dialogue that show both humor and a somewhat harsh critique on Victorian morals. From the very beginning, Jack's lies backfired on him with the cigarette case given by Cecily. It told the audience that he had a habit of telling lies and hiding behind fake identities for their own pleasure. After Gwendolen claimed that the name "Ernest" is what made her fall in love with him, Jack did seem to turn more "earnest". At first he wanted to completely get rid of his fake brother "Ernest" and  then once he found out that he needed to be named "Ernest", he decides to christen himself all for the sake of being "Ernest' for Gwendolen. 

The revelation of his name actually turning out to be "Ernest" at the very end sort of left me feeling like maybe he wasn't that bad of a liar after all...and perhaps he's more earnest than I thought he was at the beginning.  

The Importance in Being Earnest: Act 2

As we enter the second act of the play, new characters living in the countryside are introduced: Cecily Cardew (Jack's ward), Miss Prism (Cecily's governess), Mr. Chausable (the reverend), and Jack's servants. What I found interesting was that the characters in the countryside were really no different than the people in the city. They all share this pompous attitude of being in the upper class and are also blatantly xenophobic. They feed off on compliments and excessive praise especially for their physical appearances, most of which are exaggerated and perhaps not as sincere.  What is even more absurd is when Cecily meets Algernon (who makes an unexpected entrance under the identity of Ernest, Jack's "brother"), they both instantly fall in love with each other and Cecily, like Gwendolyen, loves him because of the name that "inspires absolute confidence". Cecily and Gwendolen obviously share this absurd notion of falling in love with a person based on this name and this demonstrates the one-dimensional character of the people in the play. They both keep diaries and record minute details of their "sensational" life such as the exact time that 'Ernest' proposed to them.However this one-dimensional character is not only limited to the women in the play, Algernon and Jack both engage in Bunburying and they both instantly seek marriage. They both decide to go christen themselves and to change their name to "Ernest" in order to please their "lovers".

Looking into the specific events in the play, I think the part where Gwendolen meets Cecily and they both claim to be engaged Ernest which then makes them despise each other is particularly interesting. Gwendolen's first impression of Cecily was that she had a sweet name and that they both would get along very well, and she adds that her first impressions are never wrong. However after all the drama surrounding Ernest, Gwendolen remarks the complete opposite, "From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters" and adds that "my first impressions of people are invariably right" (158).
Another memorable line from the play is when Cecily loses patience and decides to put aside her shallow mask of manners: "This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners. When I see a spade I call it a spade" (156).

The Importance of Being Earnest: Act 1

After reading the first act of the play, I can already tell that it will only get better as we get to know the characters even more. The frequent use of clever word play was pleasurable and at time I couldn't stop myself from laughing (on the inside). This whole idea of Jack pretending to go under the name of Ernest in order to escape from the country seems to me ridiculous but at the same time fun to play along with. Algernon who also engages in the same behavior and labels it as being a "Bunburyist" finds it delightful that Jack does the same thing. However, soon enough Jack's double identity causes trouble when Gwendolyn, the woman whom he wants to marry, confesses to him that she loves him mostly because of his fake name, Ernest. I found it hilarious how Gwendolyn attributed his whole character to the name "Ernest" and that she knew she would marry him one day because of his "divine name" that has a "music of its own" and "produces vibrations" (122). There was definitely dramatic irony because the audience knew that Ernest was not Jack's real name, therefore it questions whether Gwedonlyn really loved Jack. To me, it showed the shallow mindset which pretty much all of the characters seem to have due to their hypocritical behavior.

A line that stood out to me was when Lady Bracknell (Gwendolyn's mother) interrogates Jack after she finds out he wishes to marry her daughter. She asked him whether he knew everything or knew nothing and Jack answers the latter. What surprised me was Lady Bracknell's response: "I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone." (125)
Instead of feeling offended at his "knowing nothing", she approves of his ignorance because nothing has tampered his "natural ignorance". Since she belongs to the upper class, she perceived knowledge as a threat because once people become educated, they become "radicalized" and rebel against the upper class who is in power. It also highlights how the upper class society depend on this "natural ignorance" to maintain their power and they themselves enjoy the ignorance.

I also found that the characters often emphasized behavior and how other people will think of their behavior such as in the lines: "I hope you are behaving very well"---"I'm feeling very well". Lady Bracknell responds: "That's not quite the same thing. In fact the two things rarely go together." (118). This shows that in order to behave according to societal conduct, one must put their emotions aside and act according to how people expect them to behave rather than how they feel.