The Satire of Seriousness It was a play that sparked controversy in the luxurious homes of Victorian society. Subtitled "A trivial comedy for serious people", The Importance of Being Earnest jokingly criticized Victorian era customs and morals and attacked the society of the rich and luxurious. Oscar Wilde incorporated his beliefs and ideology into the work by alluding to the Victorian "let duplicity lead to happiness" society. It is on this "happiness" that Wilde's work focuses by focusing the theme of the work on marriage. Alluding to marriage, The Importance of Being Earnest begins with the witty and selfish Algernon. It is Algernon who is the amoral bachelor and has no problem with this as he believes that "divorces are made in heaven" and is absolutely against marriage as he considers marriage to be a waste of time (118). The reasoning in support of Algernon's views is a stance for Wilde's beliefs. The quote about marriage, of which there are several from Algernon, is quite funny to the reader because they can see that Algernon's ending of marriage is absurd for that time period. However, in real life, during the twenty-first century, that is, well after the Victorian age, the fact that "divorces are made in heaven" is actually quite true by today's standards. Even though Algernon clearly expresses his opinions on marriage, Earnest (in town), who is actually Jack, continues to pursue his plans to propose to Gwendolyn. The reader is again amused as Earnest attempts to propose to Gwendolyn and Gwendolyn tells Earnest how to propose. Earnest states "[They] must get married right away" Gwendolyn, who seems surprised, responds to Earnest's statement by saying "[He] hasn't proposed yet" Gwen...... center of paper......a , he reveals to Gwendolyn and Cecily that there is no Earnest and that they are both not engaged to the same man (167-168). Once again in the play, the parody of the girls' actions and not wanting to marry Jack and Algernon because their names are not Earnest, becomes apparent to the reader. The ending of The Importance of Being Earnest is a sweet satisfaction for the reader. Jack discovers that his real name is actually Earnest, and that Gwendolyn and Jack, I mean Earnest, can finally get married. It is the last sentence of the play that Wilde comes to reveal the conclusion of "now realizing... the vital importance of being Ernest." The play follows the seriousness of upper-class society life and shows it as a joke. However, although the work is intended to be satirical, the reader and Earnest himself realize why it is useful to be "serious".."