The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictional alter-egos to escape tiresome social obligations. The play makes light of the institution of marriage and more generally other serious Victorian customs. As a result, reviewers of the time praised the play's humor, while bemoaning its evident lack of social messages. Most agreed however that it was the high point of Wilde's artistic career to date. Its high farce and Wilde's dazzlingly witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest his most enduringly popular play.