The Importance of Being Earnest

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“The Importance of Character”

In this activity, students will work in groups dedicated to specific characters, using critical thinking and collaborative learning to develop a deeper understanding of the characters and their roles in the play.

Behind a veil of satire and wit, the characters of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest have their own personalities and motivations. Work in small groups and focus on a character from the play. Each group should analyze their character, seeking to answer the following questions:

• What are the character’s main conflicts and how are these conflicts resolved?
• What are the character's personality traits and motivations?
• How does the character contribute to the satire of the play?
• What are the character’s attitudes toward social class, family, love, and marriage?
• Does the character develop or evolve throughout the play?

Include a visual aid with words and images that will help the class at large to remember your main points. Present your analysis to the class once you have finished. To conclude your presentation, initiate discussion through questions to the larger group on how the character connects to the overarching themes, symbols, and motifs of the play.

Teaching Suggestion: Encourage students to use textual support in forming their analysis and making their presentations, drawing on quotations from the play that support their conclusions. Encourage the class to make comparisons between the different characters to identify common themes and contrasts in the worldviews and values represented in the play.

Differentiation Suggestion: English language learners, students with dyslexia, and those with attentional or executive function differences might find it difficult to sort through the entire text to find evidence. You might direct these students to watch a video or film production of the play at home. As they do this, they should note their ideas about the choices the actors are making in representing their characters. Do they agree with these decisions? How would they portray the characters differently?