The comedy of mistaken identity is a very old dramatic form - as old, in fact, as comedy itself - which Wilde manages to revitalize in The Importance of Being Earnest. The key mistaken identity in this play, of course, is that of "Ernest" himself. What form of Comedy is this (Ideas, Manners, Farce, or Low) and what comic consequences result from Algernon's assuming the role of Ernest Worthing?

Question

Sydney Baird

English

20 December, 15:30

The comedy of mistaken identity is a very old dramatic form - as old, in fact, as comedy itself - which Wilde manages to revitalize in The Importance of Being Earnest. The key mistaken identity in this play, of course, is that of "Ernest" himself. What form of Comedy is this (Ideas, Manners, Farce, or Low) and what comic consequences result from Algernon's assuming the role of Ernest Worthing?

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Mallory Villa · Answer 1

The comic consequences associated with Algernon is to remain truthful and expose Jack's lie to establish a moral obligation of being loyal.

Explanation:

Mistaken identity is a an old dramatic form introduced by Shakespeare and also adopted by Oscar wilde in "The Importance of Being Earnest". Algernon is a secondary hero in this play who is brilliant and thus developed a fictional mistaken identity as Bunbury. Similarly, another character Jack has taken Ernest as a mistaken identity. A salient difference between the mistaken identities of Jack and Algernon is that Jack chose to lie about his identity but Algernon acknowledged his wrongdoing. Algernon believed that has cleverness shall be a delight to him but shall not degrade people surrounding him. His personal philosophy take a lead on his artistic genius and he regarded living an art form to be used honestly.