How does Oscar Wilde create humour at the expense of Gwendolan and Cecily?

Oscar wilde’s play “The importance of being Earnest” is a trivial, humorous play based on Wildes own beliefs and ideologies. It criticises Victorian society’s values in such a way that presents humour. Cecily and Gwendolen two of the most important ladies in the play are used by Wilde to help create this humour and irony, many of these will be discussed below.

Cecily is portrayed as a gullible young lady who believes anything she hears, this creates humour among the audience because they know the truth when she doesn’t, so they are in on the joke. “I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.” When Algernon denies it she blindly takes his word for it. Not only does that create a sense of laughter for the audience but it also makes her to look like an idiot. Wilde does this to perhaps portray all women within this Victorian Era. He has incorporated his own belief that all women are foolish, as he was a gay man himself and at the time was taunted for his homosexuality.

Not only is Cecily made out to look foolish but so is Gwendolen. Gwendolen is so fixated on marrying someone called Earnest, it makes the audience want to laugh at her for being so stubborn like a child.” It is a divine name. It has music of its own. It produces vibrations” she thinks that just because he has the name Earnest he’s “safe”. This is similar to Cecily as she also falls stupidly into the trap thinking that if you have the name Earnest you’re a loyal person however everyone else knows that is not the case. Gwendolen also comes across as vain and uptight, thinking she is superior however as there are some things that she is not aware of- like she is being deceived. Wilde is yet again cunningly putting his own views of the upper class society and almost branding them as stupid, as they can’t see beyond certain measures. This is the case with gwendolen shes so interested in a perfect materialistic life with a perfect husband and she thinks this will all be achieved if his name was Earnest, yet again this creates humour because she is acting like a child and stupid. She doesn’t realise that it takes more than a name to be “perfect”

Even though Cecily and Gwendolen are portrayed as two different characters; Cecily is the young, well-mannered, naïve one and Gwendolen being seen as vain and obnoxious even though Cecily can also come across as self-centred sometimes. They both share the same absurd views. They both carry a diary around. “if you allow me, I will copy your remarks into my diary”

Both Cecily and Gwendolen contribute to humour by the way they act and think. When they meet for the first time in act 2 there is a mutual