The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People (Plays by Oscar Wilde)

The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Wilde's most famous plays. A farcical comedy set in Victorian London, rich in satire and witty dialogue, the play marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. Wilde reveals the moral hypocrisy at the heart of the Victorian establishment through the literary techniques of dramatic irony parody and reversals.