Copy of Lady Bracknell
The Importance of Lady Bracknell
The Importance of Being Earnest
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The Importance of Lady Bracknell
The Importance of Being Earnest
Key Facts
Lady Bracknell’s real name is AUGUSTA which is an APTRONYM as ‘august’ means ‘very important’, ‘grand’, ‘to be respected’ and ‘lordly’ (Ladily?)
Lady Bracknell is a PARVENU - her snobbish nature is pure hypocrisy as she herself came from humble origins.
Through this Wilde exposes the hypocrisy of the upper class - Lady Bracknell gives the impression of being an aristocrat but really she is a commoner (in origin at least). Therefore Lady Bracknell is a form of Bunburyist!
In Oscar Wilde’s *The Importance of Being Earnest*, Lady Bracknell’s first name is Augusta. Why is this name significant?
It is an aptronym: it suggests she is ‘august’ (important, grand, to be respected), fitting her commanding persona.
It is an allusion to a famous Victorian scientist, implying she values rational enquiry above manners.
It shows she is secretly ironic about her own status and does not take social rank seriously.
It indicates she is from an ancient noble line connected to the Roman Empire.
What best describes Lady Bracknell’s social position, and why does it matter to Wilde’s satire?
She is a parvenu whose snobbery is hypocritical because she herself rose from humble origins, exposing upper-class hypocrisy.
She is an impoverished aristocrat, showing that money is more important than birth in Victorian society.
She is a self-made artist, highlighting the importance of creativity over social rules.
She is an outsider by choice, demonstrating that rebellion is the play’s main moral message.
Which interpretation best links Lady Bracknell to the idea of ‘Bunburyism’ in the play?
She is a Bunburyist because she invents a fake relative to escape boring social events.
She is a Bunburyist because she performs the role of a genuine aristocrat while her origins are not truly aristocratic, creating a false social identity.
She is a Bunburyist because she repeatedly changes her name to confuse her family.
She is a Bunburyist because she openly rejects all social conventions and refuses to marry for status.
Lady Bracknell’s Dramatic Function
Lady Bracknell is an important character in the play - she in effect serves as a form of antagonist - as in she presents obstacles to what Algernon and Jack want to achieve.
As Gwendolen’s mother she initially prevents the marriage of Jack and her daughter.
She also later disapproves of Algernon’s attempt to marry Cecily.
She also is instrumental in revealing Jack’s true identity.
What words or phrases best describe Lady Bracknell’s role in *The Importance of Being Earnest*?
What obstacles does Lady Bracknell create for Jack and Algernon in the play?
What key actions or revelations does Lady Bracknell control that change the plot’s direction?
Lady Bracknell’s Dramatic Function
Lady Bracknell is also a source of comedy. Wilde uses the character as an authority figure.
She is arguably the most famous Wildean ‘formidable aunt’ archetype.
Lady Bracknell’s use of EPIGRAMS in a way echoes that of Wilde himself in real life.
Lady Bracknell’s reversal of opinion about her daughter and her nephews’ marriages in Act 3 creates comedy and ultimately leads to a happy resolution of the plot.
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Lady Bracknell is also a source of comedy. Wilde uses the character as an authority figure.
She is arguably the most famous Wildean ‘formidable aunt’ archetype.
Lady Bracknell’s use of EPIGRAMS in a way echoes that of Wilde himself in real life.
Lady Bracknell’s reversal of opinion about her daughter and her nephews’ marriages in Act 3 creates comedy and ultimately leads to a happy resolution of the plot.
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Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Hesitation of any kind is a sign of mental decay in the young, of physical weakness in the old.” Act 3
Wilde’s use here of an epigram here reinforces Lady Bracknell’s reappearance in the final act as a formidable figure of authority and as a form of antagonist. Wilde’s use of antithesis, with ‘young’ and ‘old’ being linked to mental and physical weakness implies the character’s own feelings of intellectual superiority and wisdom. In the late Victorian Period, culture revered age and experience. Wilde satirises this.
Epigramau a Gwrthgyferbyniad yn Act 3 Wilde
“Mae petruso o unrhyw fath yn arwydd o ddadfeiliad meddyliol yn y ifanc, o wendid corfforol yn yr henoed.” Act 3
Mae defnydd Wilde yma o epigram yn atgyfnerthu ail ymddangosiad Lady Bracknell yn yr act olaf fel ffigwr awdurdodol aruthrol a fel ffurf o wrthwynebydd. Mae defnydd Wilde o gwrthgyferbyniad, gyda ‘ifanc’ ac ‘hen’ yn cael eu cysylltu â gwendid meddyliol a chorfforol, yn awgrymu teimladau’r cymeriad o oruchafiaeth ddeallusol a doethineb. Yn ystod y Cyfnod Fictoraidd hwyr, roedd diwylliant yn parchu oedran a phrofiad. Mae Wilde yn satirigio hyn.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus.“ Act 3
Wilde has Lady Bracknell address Jack with the formal vocative ‘Mr. Worthing’ to suggest her emotional distance from him. The interrogative referring to the ‘larger railways in London’ is an anaphoric reference to her conversation with Jack in Act 1 on learning of his wish to marry Gwendolen.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Mr. Worthing, is Miss Cardew at all connected with any of the larger railway stations in London? I merely desire information. Until yesterday I had no idea that there were any families or persons whose origin was a Terminus.“ Act 3
Wilde creates a clear sense of Lady Bracknell’s voice by using formal lexical choices such as the verb ‘desire’, the plural nouns of ‘families or persons’ and the Latin origin word ‘Terminus’. Wilde uses this to establish Lady Bracknell’s feelings of superiority.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Lady Bracknell. [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has.” Act 1
Wilde stages the scene with Lady Bracknell interviewing Jack in a formal style that is incongruous for the nature of the conversation regarding marrying Gwendolen. Wilde’s use of euphemism here implies that the character believes Jack to be unsuitable for her daughter.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Lady Bracknell. [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has.” Act 1
In the 19th century it would have been more typical for parents - particularly upper class ones - to be more directly involved in choosing a suitable marriage parner. Wilde‘s exaggerated ‘formal interview’ here satirises this cultural convention, not marrying for love trivialises marriage.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“Lady Bracknell. [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has.” Act 1
This also indirectly links to Wilde’s own life - as a homosexual living in a strictly heterosexual society, Wilde would not be free to love the person he would want to. By exaggerating social conventions Wilde can tacitly criticise them.
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“I’m sorry if we are a little late, Algernon, but I was obliged to call on dear Lady Harbury. I hadn’t been there since her poor husband’s death. I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger.” Act 1
Wilde uses irony - Lady Bracknell’s reference to the unseen ‘Lady Harbury’ suggests the social scene that is so important to the character, and the fact that she is used as a reason for lateness also connects to Algernon’s ‘Bunburying’. There is no reason to believe that Lady Bracknell has been there and
Yes this really is a Lady Bracknell from a real production!
Lady Bracknell Analysis
“I’m sorry if we are a little late, Algernon, but I was obliged to call on dear Lady Harbury. I hadn’t been there since her poor husband’s death. I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger.” Act 1
this could be a form of Bunburying! Wilde subtly uses Lady Bracknell’s excuse as means of reinforcing the hypocrisy of the upper classes. Wilde uses subversion - the use of pragmatics regarding Lady Harbury looking ‘twenty years younger‘ creates a form of comic misdirection.
Lady Bracknell Questions
Explore how Wilde uses Lady Bracknell to comment on society in The Importance of Being Earnest
Explore how Wilde presents the relationships of older characters with younger characters
Explore Wilde’s depiction of families within The Importance of Being Earnest.
You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors
Another Lady Bracknell Question
Explore how Wilde uses Lady Bracknell to create comedy in The Importance of Being Earnest
You must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors
