Act 2 - Part 1

Act II expands on many of the motifs introduced in Act I, but adds

new characters and targets for Wilde's satire.

The setting changes to the country

a bucolic setting for getting away from the artificial trappings of society and entering the simplicity of nature — and Wilde examines religion as well as courtship and marriage in the context of Victorian attitudes.

But even in the countryside, the characters cannot

escape Victorian manners and correctness, as the name Ernest presents humorous complications.

Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble also provide a comic touch to the subject of religious zeal and its relationship to Victorian morals

Religion is presented as dry, meaningless, and expensive.

The minister explains to Jack that the

sermons for all sacraments are interchangeable. They can be adapted to be joyful or distressing, depending on the occasion. Through these thoughts Wilde expresses the meaninglessness of religion and the obviously hackneyed, empty words of sermons.

Jack's request for a christening is humorous

when one considers that he is a grown man — christening is a rite usually appropriate for small babies. "At their age? - Lady B

Wilde humorously captures the absurdity of rigid Victorian values when he utilizes

Miss Prism as his mouthpiece, a morally upright woman who has, nevertheless, written a melodramatic, romantic novel.

The height of her absurdity over rigid morals comes when she hears

that Ernest is dead in Paris after a life of "shameful debts and extravagance." As if to follow through on her duty to raise Cecily with rigid values, she says, "What a lesson for him! I trust he will profit by it."

The Victorian mania to exclude anyone and everyone who did not conform to social norms is touched on by Wilde's satire of reform movements.

His words come from Miss Prism when she says, "I am not in favour of this modern mania for turning bad people into good people at a moment's notice." Wilde is referring here to the duty of the upper class to provide moral role models and convert those who are wicked to the "good" way of life.

Chasuble is discussing his sermons and mentions that he gave a charity sermon on behalf of the Society for the Prevention of Discontent Among the Upper Orders.

This name is a parody of the long names of various societies that the wealthy dallied with in their quest for redemption.

The hidden and repressed sexual nature of Victorian society is emphasized in Act II.

Cecily is fascinated by sin and wickedness — but from afar. She hopes Ernest looks like a "wicked person," although she is not sure what one looks like.

She is particularly interested in the fact that

the prim and proper Miss Prism has written a three-volume novel. Such novels were not deemed proper literature by Victorians, but were read in secret

Much worldlier than Cecily,

the canon and Miss Prism flirt outrageously and make innuendoes about desire and lust.

Where a headache is usually used as an excuse for a lack of sexual interest, Miss Prism uses

it as a reason to go on a walk alone with the minister. The humorous cleric speaks in metaphors and often has to define what he means so that he will not be misunderstood.

For example, he states, "Were

fortunate enough to be Miss Prism's pupil, I would hang upon her lips." His words elicit a glare from the prim Miss Prism. He continues to put his foot in his mouth by saying, "I spoke metaphorically. My metaphor was drawn from bees. Ahem!" Such an obvious allusion to the birds and the bees thinly veils a passionate inner life that must not be discussed. Miss Prism answers in kind, calling him "dear Doctor," which seems to be a flirtatious title.

There is more than meets the eye here, and Wilde is clearly pointing out the

sexual repression of his society and satirizing the societal concern for correct and proper appearances, regardless of what simmers under the surface.

While he is a scholarly man, Chasuble is still

at the bottom of the social ladder in the countryside. Miss Prism must earn her living as a governess, and she too is a servant of the wealthy.

Cecily's schooling is a perfect opportunity for Wilde to comment on the grim, unimaginative education of England.

With this foundation, they learn not to question and not to change dramatically the society in which they live. Promoting the status quo is the goal of such learning — an idea that was an anathema to Wilde, hence his desire to satirize it

Merriman's humor is a foil — or opposite — for Jack's seriousness.

Even his name indicates his hidden humor.

During the argument about Algernon taking a dogcart back to London,

Merriman good-humoredly goes along with Cecily and Jack in the tugging to and fro of Algernon. While he does not express approval or disapproval, he accommodates his upper-class employers and carefully rehearses his facial expressions to show nothing, but through this deliberate rehearsal

Wilde is showing what an artificia

l, rehearsed society the upper class inhabits.

Merriman's job is to orchestrate

comings and goings and keep the house running smoothly; he's a proper English servant who knows his place.

Similarly, Miss Prism chastises Cecily for

watering flowers — a servant's job. By presenting these vignettes — subtle, carefully constructed literary sketches — within the context of a farce, Wilde pokes fun at the Victorian concept that everyone has his duty, and each knows his place.

In Act II, Wilde also exposes the vacuity of the Victorian obsession

with appearance. Algernon declares to Cecily that he would never let Jack pick his clothing because, "He has no taste in neckties at all."

When Algernon travels to the country for just a few short days, he brings

“three portmanteaus, a dressing-case, two hat boxes, and a large luncheon-basket." Once again, trifling subjects command excessive attention.

Cecily keeps a diary of her

girlish fancies

She, like Algernon, seems to be interested in

immediate gratification, and she puts him in his place when she first meets him.

When he calls her "little cousin Cecily," she counters with

"You are under some strange mistake. I am not little. In fact, I believe I am more than usually tall for my age." Algernon is totally taken aback by her forwardness. Wilde here is hinting at a new and more assertive woman.

Wilde also begins an attack on the concepts of romance and courtship in Act II.

Gwendolen and Jack have already demonstrated that proposals must be made correctly, especially if anyone is nearby.

Now, Cecily and Algernon present a mockery of conventional courtship and romance

As always, appearance is everything. Cecily's diary is a particularly useful tool to symbolize the deceptive character of romance and courtship.

He is a bit confused when she explains that they have already been engaged for three months, starting last February 14

at least that is how she recorded her fantasy in her diary. In fact, she even mentions where, when and how their engagement took place.

Comically, she mentions in passing that Ernest has

s beautiful words but that they are "badly spelled." Through this comment, Wilde highlights the superficial Victorian approach to courtship and marriage by having Cecily criticize the spelling in a love letter. To emphasize this absurdity, Algernon comments on the weather in the same breath as their engagement.