Drama: TIOBE- Act 1

Question 1

1. What does the setting in the opening description make us expect? And does the play so far live up to this?

Answer 1

the setting is decribed as a room which is “luxouriously and artistically furnished”, giving us the an idea of the lush high-Victorain society we are going to be stepping into.

Question 2

2. What do we learn about Lane and Algernon’s relationship early on?

Answer 2

That whilst Lane is Algernon’s butlet/servant, their realtionship is a lot more friendly bordering on brotherly than other people’s relationship between servant/higher-class person.

Question 3

3. What theme crops up near the beginning of the play, and how does this set a tone for the play?

Answer 3

marriage, and Algernon asks his butler if marrige is that demoralising, setting a tone of that marriage is questioned and unpicked in the play.

Question 4

4.How do Jack and Algernon interact at the beginning of the play?

Answer 4

Quite stifly and robotically, with Jack making a comment about his eating habits

Question 5

5. How is the idea of love portrayed in the play?

Answer 5

Some see it as a business move, whilst others see it as love

Question 6

6. Why do Jack and Algernon bicker?

Answer 6

They argue about who owns the cigasrette case

Question 7

7.Why does Algernon get confuses about Jack?

Answer 7

Becasuse he says his name is actually Earnest, and has different personalities in the city and in more rural areas.

Question 8

8. What concept does Algernon introduce to Jack?

Answer 8

Bunburying, which he admits he does, he creates the personality of Mr Bunbury to avoid events and place he doesn’t want to go to, and claims Jack does a similar thing with Earnest, but instead to avoid getting in trouble for doing things.

Question 9

9. What does Jack reveal about his upbringing to Algernon?

Answer 9

That Cecily is a child that he is the guardian for, as she is the granddaughter of the man that adpoted him at birth.

Question 10

10. What quote demonstrates their friendship?

Answer 10

J: “My dear Algy, I don’t know whether you will be able to understand my real motives. You are hardly serious enough.”

Question 11

11.What phrase does Algernon rework to demonstrate that people need an alter ego?

Answer 11

he changes 2’s company, 3’s a crowd to “You don’t seem to realise, that in married life three is company and two is none.”

Question 12

12. When Lady Bracknell is introduced, how is presented, and what are her first lines in the play that seem to fit perfectly?

Answer 12

She is presented as a formidable owman, and the matriarch of the family, which she begins with asking Algernon if he has been “behaving very well”, showing she has a complete understading of his ‘naughty’ side and wants to keep him out of trouble, for the sake of the family’s reputation.

Question 13

13. What does Algernon say about the empy plate of cucumber sandwiches, because he ate them, and how does Lane respond to this?

Answer 13

He begins acting shocked and in disbelief, preteding to be distressed at the fact there is any, even though there isn’t any because he ate them all. Lane then steps in, annoiucing there was no cucumbers at the market, seemingly playing along with Algernon’s story, showing that their connection runs deeper than man and manservant.

Question 14

14. What satirical moment does Wilde include surrounding ideas of grief?

Answer 14

Lady Brakcnell apologises for being a little late, saying she had to stop at a friends who has recently lost her husband, Again, Wilde turns a common phrase on it’s head, by saying that the widow is “Living entirely for pleasure now” and that “[her hair] had turned quite gold from grief”

Question 15

15. What do we see the idea of bunburying fall into motion?

Answer 15

When Lady Bracknell talks about her dinner party, Algernon annouces that his friend Mr. Bunbury has fallen ill and he needs to be attended to.

Question 16

16. What irony do we see in this after Algernon declares he can no longer attend Lady Bracknell’s dinner?

Answer 16

She requests to view the music he has composed for her last reception of the season, and that Gwendolen will accompany her, which she agrees to, before staying where she is to talk/flirt with Jack

Question 17

17. What comedy comes accross from Jack and Gwendolen’s chat?

Answer 17

They both express their love for each other, and decide that they should get engaged. This is ironic because Gwendolen’s main reaosn behind wanting to get engaged is because Jack is called “Earnest”, showing her materialistic side, which will make the audience laugh as they know his name isn’t in fact Earnest, it is Jack, and only calls himself Earnest in the city to avoid getting into trouble.

Question 18

18. How are Victorian ideas of love shown through Gwendolen’s and Jack’s chat?

Answer 18

Gwendolen remakrs on how little experience Jack has at prosposing, in which he responds that she is the only one he has ever loved, which she replies by saying that men often propose for practice, not love, which Wilde is criticising here as a modern audience would see this as atypical.

Question 19

19. What contrast to gender stereotypes of the time do we see with Jack and Gwendolen?

Answer 19

He tries to stand up, and she restrains him, showing the power dynamic between them and how she is in control

Question 20

20. How does Lady Bracknell’s repsonse to finding out that they are engaged reflect gender stereotypes and societal norms at the time, and challenge it?

Answer 20

On hearing of their engagement, she is shocoked and tells Gwendolen that she is not engaged, and will not be until herseld or her father informs her of it. It is intresting here how she has placed herself before her father, showing the hierarchy in their family unit, as well as she is the one having this conversation wtih Gwendolen now, shows how the gender stereotypes and societal norms of the Victorian era are being challenged, which Wilde does to criticse how patriarchal and stiff the rules are in society at the time of writing and publishing the play.

Question 21

21. What does Lady Bracknell proceed ot do next, again cementing her authority?

Answer 21

She begins to question Jack, to see whether or not he is a fit suitor for Gwendolen

Question 22

22. How does Lady Bracknell’s questioning both reinforce and challenge Victorian society?

Answer 22

The questions she is asking, such as whether or not he smokes, and where he lives, are pretty standard questions for a women of upper-class Victorian societyto be asking, although they may come across as quite materialistic and ludacrious nowadays. However, the answers she is looking for are those that are the opposite to what the audeince expect her to be, adding extra comedy and humour to the scene. For example, when she asks whether or not Jack smokes, the audience would expect her to be appalled at Jack’s response that he does, however, she is very much pleased at this response and remarks “A man should always have an occupation of some kind.”

Question 23

23. How do we learn about Jack’s early life?

Answer 23

When Lady Bracknell asks him about his parents, he says he has lost them, which she calls careless, but he clarifies that he never knew them as he was found in handbag in Victoria Station, which she is bewildered by, and quite taken aback

Question 24

24. How does Jack respond to Lady Bracknell’s response?

Answer 24

He asks what he can do to win her over, and so she will permit him to marry Gwendolen