Mr. Mitch Cox

Works Best in Internet Explorer 7.0 or Higher

Blog iii: "The Importance of Being Earnest," Wed. 4/24 

Respond to one of the following and at least one peer's response by Thurs., 10/14 (6 AM); make sure you copy and paste the prompt above your posting:

1. A comedy of manners, this play satirizes what?  How does this play deal with motifs of appearance versus reality, truth versus deception?

2. In The Importance of Being Earnest, characters often use words such as bad and wicked and make statements about what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Do we ever really see true wickedness in this play or true goodness for that matter? When? How so or why not?

3. Which relationship, if any, seems more likely to succeed: that of Jack and Gwendolen, that of Algernon and Cecily, or that of Rev. Chasuble & Miss Prism? Why?

4. Who is the more believable or realistic character: Cecily or Gwendolen? Why?

5. Although Wilde criticizes both the Romantic and Victorian views of marriage in this play, how could you make an argument that he prefers the Romantic view?

6. Identify key differences between the Oliver Parker 2002 film version of The Importance of Being Earnest and the original play. Why does Parker make the additions and changes he does? How do the affect or enhance Wilde’s original message(s)?

7 What is the overall effect of the play’s references to death? How does the play deal w/ death as a motif? What is the meaning of Earnest’s death? Ernest represents what?

7. Is The Importance of Being Earnest funny or witty? Analyze some aspects of Wildean wit. Is there a difference between being “witty” and being “funny”? Show, through examples, how this play uses wit (high comedy) rather than low humor.

Choose one of the following prompts. Do not write on one you have already addressed in your journals!

Prompt #1: Death/Dust/Suicide: Other than the obvious idea that death is inevitable, does Shakespeare have anything new to add to the idea of death? Does Hamlet reveal anything about how we should live life in spite of the inevitability of death? Some scholars think Hamlet is one of the most modern of Shakespeare’s plays. Is Hamlet an existentialist, someone who seeks to find his own meaning and purpose in life because he believes he lives in a world where we do not have access to an ultimate meaning, in a world where death is the only certainty? What role, if any, does religion play for Hamlet? How do the religious views of his time help or hinder him? In what ways is Hamlet like the narrator of Invisible Man or Grendel in Grendel? Consider especially Claudius and Gertrude’s comments to Hamlet in Act I, Hamlet’s two “suicide” soliloquies, comments on death made by Hamlet during his encounter with Claudius concerning Polonius’ body, comments on death from the gravedigger scene, & your observations about death from the final scene of the play.

Prompt #2: Revenge: Do you think Hamlet supports Claudius’ statement that “Revenge should have no bounds”? Or do you think Shakespeare is criticizing the Medieval code of revenge/family honor? Why or why not? (Consider revenge’s unintended consequences in the play.)

Prompt #3: Contemplation/Inertia (Thinker/Philosopher) vs. Action/Rashness (Man of Action/Warrior): Ultimately, what do you think Shakespeare has to say about thinking and acting? Is it possible to over-think a situation? Is it possible to act too quickly? Consider the contrast between Hamlet on the one hand and Laertes, Fortinbras, & Hamlet’s father on the other?

Prompt #4: Poison: Note the references to poison in the play and the play within the play.-How does the literal poison relate to the poison of distrust and deception in the play? Are there any other types of ‘poison’ in Hamlet? In what ways might Shakespeare be using poison to comment on relationships?

Prompt #5: Appearances vs. Reality: How does Shakespeare convey the idea of appearances vs. reality in Hamlet? Consider the phrases associated with certain characters, the “play within a play”, and the political status of certain characters. What do you think Shakespeare is saying about the politics of his time?

Make sure that you go back and respond to one of your classmate’s responses. You must have a response to a peer’s blog to receive credit! Follow the blog guidelines/etiquette established in the last blog.

Grendel is a fairly close and curious observer of humans throughout the book. What does he think of them as a young monster, before he meets the Dragon, and then after the dragon-encounter? What do you think of the dragon’s advice? Why? How do the dragon’s (and Grendel’s) ideas about humanity differ from yours? Throughout much of Western literature, the dragon (snake) is regarded as a symbol for what? Why? What biblical allusion might be at work here? Is Gardner turning that allusion on its head? Are we to trust the dragon? Why, why not?