The Importance of Being Earnest

E179856
farce play satirical play stage comedy

The Importance of Being Earnest is a celebrated late-Victorian comedic play by Oscar Wilde that satirizes social conventions, identity, and marriage through witty dialogue and farcical situations.

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All labels observed (8)

Label Occurrences
The Importance of Being Earnest canonical 32
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film) 7
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film) 6

Statements (52)

Predicate Object
instanceOf farce ⓘ
play ⓘ
satirical play ⓘ
stage comedy ⓘ
author Oscar Wilde ⓘ
canonicalStatus frequently performed in English-speaking theatre ⓘ
centralTheme duality and double lives ⓘ
hypocrisy of the upper class ⓘ
identity ⓘ
marriage ⓘ
social conventions ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom ⓘ
dramaticForm dialogue-driven ⓘ
firstPerformanceDate 1895-02-14 ⓘ
firstPerformancePlace St James's Theatre ⓘ
surface form: St James's Theatre, London
firstPublisher Leonard Smithers ⓘ
genre comedy of manners ⓘ
farce ⓘ
satire ⓘ
hasAdaptation The Importance of Being Earnest self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)

The Importance of Being Earnest self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)

multiple radio adaptations ⓘ
multiple television adaptations ⓘ
includedIn Oscar Wilde's dramatic works canon ⓘ
literaryPeriod Victorian literature ⓘ
literarySignificance considered Oscar Wilde's masterpiece ⓘ
major work of English-language comic drama ⓘ
mainCharacter Algernon Moncrieff ⓘ
Cecily Cardew ⓘ
Gwendolen Fairfax ⓘ
Jack Worthing ⓘ
Lady Bracknell ⓘ
Miss Prism ⓘ
Rev. Canon Chasuble ⓘ
notableFeature epigrams ⓘ
use of mistaken identity ⓘ
witty dialogue ⓘ
originalLanguage English ⓘ
plotDevice invention of fictitious person "Ernest" ⓘ
protagonistAlias Ernest ⓘ
publicationYear 1899 ⓘ
revisedStructure three acts reduced to two acts in some versions ⓘ
setting Hertfordshire (fictionalized English countryside) ⓘ
surface form: Hertfordshire countryside

London, England ⓘ
surface form: London
structure three-act play ⓘ
targetOfSatire Victorian morality ⓘ
aristocratic values ⓘ
conventional views of marriage ⓘ
obsession with respectability ⓘ
timePeriod late Victorian era ⓘ
tone ironic ⓘ
light-hearted ⓘ

Referenced by (53)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Oscar Wilde → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Oscar Wilde → wrote → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Oscar Wilde → wrote → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People
Ernest → appearsInWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Alison Steadman → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage)
Alison Steadman → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage revival)
Jane Menelaus → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Maggie Smith → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Rupert Everett → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
St James's Theatre → notableProduction → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Patrick Godfrey → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
Ralph Richardson → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
The Importance of Being Earnest → hasAdaptation → The Importance of Being Earnest self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
The Importance of Being Earnest → hasAdaptation → The Importance of Being Earnest self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
A Woman of No Importance → precedesInOeuvre → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Felix Aylmer → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
James Dreyfus → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage production)
Margaret Rutherford → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Santino Fontana → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Moira Lister → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Estelle Winwood → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage)
Rachel Kempson → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Desmond Dickinson → workedOn → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
Desmond Dickinson → workedOn → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage-bound Technicolor adaptation)
Oliver Parker → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
Oliver Parker → directed → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
Oliver Parker → screenwriterOf → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
Joan Greenwood → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
Joan Greenwood → appearedIn → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
Joan Greenwood → theatricalWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage)
John Gielgud → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Jayne Wisener → performedIn → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Edith Evans → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Edith Evans → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (1952 film)
Michael Redgrave → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Athene Seyler → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Sybil Thorndike → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Steppenwolf Theatre Company → hasProduction → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Vaudeville Theatre → hasNotableProduction → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Roundabout Theatre Company → notableProduction → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Travesties → basedOn → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Travesties → parodies → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Judi → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
subject surface form: Judi Dench
Finty Williams → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002 film)
Judith → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
subject surface form: Judith Olivia Dench
Dana Ivey → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Fabia Drake → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Ann Firbank → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
this entity surface form: The Importance of Being Earnest (stage production)
Dorothy Tutin → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ
Romulus Films → notableWork → The Importance of Being Earnest ⓘ