The importance of being earnest characters

 The Importance of Being Earnest – Oscar Wilde 

A brief introduction to the dramatis personae 

John Worthing, J.P 

John Worthing is called Jack in the play. He belongs to the upper class and lives in the country. He wants to visit London often so that he can meet his friend Algernon Moncrieff and see his lady-friend, the Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax. He needs a reason to leave the country frequently he fabricates the idea that he has an invalid younger brother who lives in London. The people in the country believe that he really has such a brother. Cecily Cardew is Jack’s ward and she lives in the country. 

Algernon Moncrieff 

Algernon Moncrieff is a highly frivolous young man of the upper class. He lives in London. Whenever he is fed up with the city life he wants to visit the country. He invents an invalid friend called Bunbury who is supposed to live in the country. His fellow Londoners believe his words and assume that he visits the country to take care of his friends. Much later, he understands that his friend Jack has a beautiful ward in the country and Jack has fabricated that he has a younger brother. He assumes the name Ernest Worthing and claims himself to be the brother of Jack. He visits Jack’s home in the country and develops an acquaintance with Cecily Cardew, Jack’s ward.      

The Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D

The Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D is the pompous rector of the country-parish. He is very friendly with Miss Prism who is the Governess to Cecily. He seeks the hands of Miss Prism in marriage. 

Lady Bracknell  

Lady Bracknell is Algernon Moncrieff’s aunt and is Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax’s mother. She is a fearless upper class woman of London. She wants to find a suitable man for her daughter and a suitable woman for her niece Algernon.    

Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax

Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax is the daughter to Lady Bracknell and the cousin to Algernon Moncrieff. She is light-hearted and fanciful. She has fallen in love with Jack hoping his assumed name Ernest to be his real name. Actually, she loves the name Ernest more than the person. It is her strong desire to love a man called Ernest.   

Cecily Cardew

Cecily Cardew is Jack’s ward. She lives at his home called Manor House. Woolton, Hertfordshire. She is 18 year old. She is much impressed by the spoilt younger brother of his uncle Jack. To her wickedness is a kind of heroism. 

Miss Prism 

Miss Prism is a charming and witty governess of Cecily Cardew. She was once employed as a governess in the house of Mrs. Moncrieff, Lady Bracknell’s sister. She passionately loves Rev. Chasuble. She is forgetful.   

Merriman is the butler to Jack

Lane is manservant to Algernon Moncrieff. 

Story in brief

Jack, an aristocratic countryman, often visits London uner the pretext of visiting his irresponsible younger brother. He falls in love with the Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax who is passionate about loving a man called Ernest. Hence, Jack calls himself Ernest and she loves him. Algernon, a Londoner, calls himself Ernest Worthing, visits the country, meets Cecily and falls in love with her. Cecily believes that she has to reform Ernest Worthing, the infamous younger brother of her uncle John Worthing| Jack. She falls in love with Algernon mistaking him to be her uncle’s brother. The two aristocratic men assume the name Ernest to win the hands of their respective woman they love. After some hilarious confusion over the assumed names Ernest, the lovers are united. Jack and Algernon are actually brothers. Twenty eight years ago Miss Prism was working as a governess at Jack’s home. She misplaced Jack in a perambulator in Victoria station. The brothers are reunited. To become successful in love, one has to be Ernest and Earnest. The importance of being Earnest and Ernest is realized at the end.