Compare and contrast Act One and Act Two Essay

Throughout act one and act two, there is a huge amount of drama, comedy and sarcasm. Combining to form a carefully formed section of this immensely funny play. In these two acts there are examples of; love, arguments, deceit, ‘death’ and engagement; all this within the space of two days in the lives of young aristocrats. In act one; the scene is set in the â€Å"morning-room in Algernon’s flat in Half-moon Street. The room is luxuriously and artistically furnished†, immediately displaying Algernon’s extravagant nature. In Act two, the scene is set in the â€Å"garden at the Manor House. A flight of grey stone steps leads up to the house. The garden, an old-fashioned one, is full of roses. Basket chairs, and a table covered with books, are set under a large yew-tree†. The obvious differences in the scene settings is due to the fact hat act one is set in the town and act two is set in the country. Compared to Algernon’s â€Å"artistically furnished† flat, the country house appears to be much more contemporary, with a much calmer atmosphere. In act one, there are many introductions of the characters. Algernon, Jack, Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen and Lane are all revealed to the audience. The events throughout the scene result in, for almost everyone a smile, or even a giggle due to the blunt and sarcastic nature of the characters. The first conversation in act one is between Algernon and Lane; his butler. The relationship between these two characters goes against the audience’s expectations; they appear to be of equal status, not as a relationship should be between an upper class aristocrat and his butler in that time. In this conversation, Algernon is immediately portrayed as arrogant and cynical; and Lane is seen as sly and subversive. Lane then exits and Jack comes into the room. Jack is portrayed as much more withdrawn then Algernon; he is also not as arrogant and cynical. The conversations between Jack and Algernon are always humorous, because they are always so childish and they talk about such pointless things, never about everyday conversational topics such as money and work. Their conversations are always decorated with epigrams and repartees, making them enjoyable to read and watch. This argumentative relationship between Jack and Algernon is maintained throughout act one and act two. It will be humorous to the audience that Jack and Algernon argue so much, but yet they are still friends (or brothers as revealed in act three). There is a certain amount if irony and humour in this dialogue. The irony is that in act one, especially in this conversation, Algernon is very cynical about love and marriage, but by the end if act two, he is in love with Cicily and engaged to be married, therefore contradicting all his previous beliefs. The humour in this conversation is, for example [JACK puts out his hand to take a sandwich. ALGERNON at once interferes] then Algernon says, â€Å"please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta†, he then [takes one and eats it]. This is comical because Algernon has just gone against what he has just said, but he doesn’t seem embarrassed by it at all. Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen interrupt in the middle to Algernon’s argument over Jack’s cigarette case and his imaginary brother ‘Ernest’. Throughout acpt one and act two, Lady Bracknell is portrayed as a very superficial woman whose only joy in life is to have dinner parties and a high social status; she is very cynical about her society. Gwendolen, her daughter and Algernon’s cousin is very much her mother’s daughter, although she refuses to believe it and Jack is blind to it. Gwendolen is a very manipulative woman and always seems to want to find new things to annoy her mother, [to Jack] â€Å"And I often wish that in public, at any rate, you had been more demonstrative† she said this because she knew that it would annoy her mother immensely. She also hates to be wrong and tries hard to prevent this from happening, making her seem sometimes overbearingly arrogant. Lady Bracknell and Algernon go into the music room, leaving Jack and Gwendolen alone together. Jack breaks the silence by commenting on the weather; which is quickly dismissed by Gwendolen as an obvious excuse to talk about something else. There is an immediate example of humour at the beginning of this conversation because Jack addresses Gwendolen as Miss Fairfax, and she calls him Mr Worthing when Jack is planning to propose to her. Gwendolen is immediately a completely different person around Jack then she was around Lady Bracknell. She becomes very dominant, and also arrogant, † I thought so, in fact I am never wrong†. Jack seems very nervous around Gwendolen and uses more naturalistic language then the other characters, for example pauses and hesitation. Jack’s speech is mostly not as fluent as the other characters; his nervous behaviour is very similar to Algernon’s attitude around Cecily in Act Two. After much hesitation, Jack confesses his true feelings to Gwendolen; she then says unexpectedly, † Yes, I am quite aware of the fact†, creating a comic effect. Jack then stares at her in amazement while Gwendolen informs him â€Å"even before I met you I was far from indifferent to you†; this in itself will completely go against the audience’s expectations and produces a comic effect because, obviously, you cannot actually love someone before you have met them. She then produces a sense of dramatic irony by telling Jack that really the only reason that she loves him is because of his name-Ernest (which, at the time wasn’t really his name at all). The mode of address changes at this point, Jack and Gwendolen start to call each other by their first names. Jack also asks Gwendolen if she would still love him if his name was Jack; in response to this, she states, very confidently â€Å"I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John! And I pity any women who is married to a man called John†. This again is dramatic irony, because the audience know that Jack is actually his real name at this point in the play. Jack then proposes to Gwendolen†¦although Gwendolen actually accepts before he has even asked. Almost immediately after Gwendolen had accepted Jack’s proposal, Lady Bracknell interrupts them, presenting a comic effect because Gwendolen had said before that her mother always comes into the room at the most awkward of moments. Gwendolen informs her mother that she is engaged to Jack. In response to this, Lady Bracknell decides that it is her duty to interview Jack to discover whether or not he is suitable for her â€Å"simple, unspoiled† daughter. The interrogation between Lady Bracknell and Jack produces a huge comic effect on the audience; especially at the beginning when she has a [pencil and notebook in hand ]. Throughout the interview, Lady Bracknell questions Jack about aspects of his personal life, for example; his income, his properties (one of which she was not happy about, but was willing to change), his hobbies, and amusingly whether he knows everything or nothing, she seemed content with Jack’s answer that he knew nothing; stating that, â€Å"Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit, touch it and the bloom is gone† – an epigram. Lady Bracknell is very dominating over Jack, much like Gwendolen was in the previous scene. Jack appears very nervous and unsure around her, as if he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing to jeopardise his chances of marrying Gwendolen, this nervousness is shown by his constant hesitation and continuing to tell Lady Bracknell pointless facts in order to prevent an awkward silence. Jacks attitude changes around Lady Bracknell towards the end of Act Three, when he has control over the situation of Cecily’s engagement to Algernon. Jack is more relaxed around Lady Bracknell then because he has something that she wants; therefore he has the upper hand. The interview appeared to be going quite well until Lady Bracknell enquires after Jack’s parents. Jack then confesses to Lady Bracknell that he isn’t actually sure where his parents are because â€Å"the late Mr Thomas Cardew† had found him as a baby in the cloakroom at Victoria Station. Lady Bracknell’s response to Jack’s past is very amusing for the audience, she looks straight at Jack and says, † You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter – a girl brought up with the utmost care – to marry into a cloakroom, and form an alliance with a parcel. Good morning, Mr Worthing!† She then [sweeps out in majestic indignation ]. Lady Bracknell’s attitude also produces dramatic irony because she finds out later in the play that in fact Jack is her nephew. Algernon comes into the room and immediately comments on Jack’s attempted proposal to Gwendolen, Jack rejects this obvious sarcasm and begins to insult Lady Bracknell by calling her a Gorgon, regardless of the fact that he does not even know what a gorgon is, but he is sure that Lady Bracknell is one. This is humorous because the audience know that there is no such thing as a gorgon, and the fact that Algernon is happy about Jack insulting his aunt also goes against the audience’s expectations. This scene is also comical because Jack cannot see that Gwendolen is a lot like her mother. This dialogue shows Jack’s naive personality in that Algernon is calling Jack a fool, only Algernon and the audience can see it, Jack is completely unaware that Algernon is insulting him. Gwendolen enters and she talks to Jack alone; she asks him the address of his country house where he is going to stay until Monday, and Algernon who is standing in the corner notes down the address on his shirt cuff. There is one particular event that occurs in this scene that is not fully addressed in the play; Algernon’s debts. When Jack and Gwendolen have gone outside, [LANE presents several letters on a salver to ALGERNON. It is to be surmised that they are bills, as ALGERNON, after looking at the envelopes, tears them up. ] Algernon then calls in Lane and informs him that he is going Bunburying. At the end of Act One there is a slight cliff hanger and an example of dramatic irony, [ALGERNON lights a cigarette, reads his shirt cuff and smiles ] the audience knows that Algernon is planning to visit Jack’s country house and see Cecily posing as ‘Ernest’, Jack’s ‘brother’. But Jack does not know this. The Second Act takes place in Jack’s country house. The first scene opens with Miss Prism and Cecily in the garden. Miss Prism is Cecily’s teacher, she believes herself to be very knowledgeable, but she is not very good with her words, and often speaks nonsense, producing a comic effect for the audience. Cecily is shown to be very much like Gwendolen, she appears to be very innocent but she can also be quite arrogant â€Å"but I felt instinctively that you had a headache†. Cecily is obviously educated because she uses more advanced language. Miss Prism is trying to get Cecily to do her German, but Cecily argues that German â€Å"isn’t at all a becoming language. I know perfectly well that I look quite plain after my German lesson†. This shows Cecily to be very influenced by the trends of the time. Dr Chasuble interrupts Cecily’s lesson, and Cecily informs him that Miss Prism has a headache so it will do her good to go for a walk, that way she will be able to get out of her lesson. The relationship between Chasuble and Miss Prism is often used for comedy throughout Act Two and Act Three because it is obvious to the audience that Miss Prism and Chasuble have feelings for each other, but because of the social expectations of the time, they could not display their affection for each other (apart from the fact that neither know that the other has feelings for them). The three of them talk about Jack, and immediately he is seen as a completely different person in the country then he is in the town. In Act one, Jack is seen to be living entirely for pleasure, although he is more serious then Algernon, he does not appear to have any real responsibilities. However, in the country he is shown to be much more serious, and Miss Prism and Cecily do not believe that he has any pleasure or fun in his life. Miss Prism and Chasuble go for a walk together to the schools, leaving Cecily alone to do her work, which she doesn’t even start. At this point, Algernon is introduced to Cecily as Mr Ernest Worthing by the merriman. Cecily was nervous to meet ‘Ernest’ because she had â€Å"never met any really wicked person before. I feel rather frightened. I am ever so afraid he will look just like every one else.† This assumption produces a comic effect because ‘wicked’ people rarely look any different to normal people. When Cecily first meets ‘Ernest’ she is unusually confident and surprises Algernon by her forward manner, and Cecily tells him that Jack is planning to send him off the Australia, Algernon responds to this by saying, † The accounts I have received of Australia and the next world are not particularly encouraging. This world is good enough for me, Cousin Cecily.† This is amusing for the audience because Algernon does not seem very worried that Jack wants to send him to Australia. Algernon then asks Cecily if she will help reform him at the same time as flirting with her; she responds by saying, â€Å"I’m afraid I’ve no time this afternoon†. This has a comic effect because to completely change someone is obviously going to take more than one afternoon. The final comical aspect of this dialogue is when Cecily says; † Oh, I don’t think I would care to catch a sensible man. I shouldn’t know what to talk to him about†. Dr Chasuble and Miss Prism return from their walk just as ‘Ernest’ and Cecily pass into the house. They are talking about Dr Chasuble’s love life, Miss Prism believes that â€Å"men should be more careful; this very celibacy leads weaker vessels astray†, she thinks that Chasuble should get married because that way he would not be a temptation for women. Just as they were wondering where Cecily is, Jack comes into the garden, [dressed in the deepest mourning, with crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pe hatband and black gloves ]. He tells Miss Prism and Chasuble of the death of his brother Ernest; this produces dramatic irony because Jack does not know that Algernon has come to the house posing as his brother. The comedy effect for the first part of the scene is Jack’s exaggerated mourning for his ‘dead’ brother. The conversation then leads on to christenings, and Jack displays his wish to be christened, his attitude to christenings is very casual; † Oh, I thought I might trot round at about 5 if that would suit you†. This has a comic effect on the audience because christenings are not supposed to be casual affairs, and do not usually take place for a grown man. Cecily then enters, very excited announcing to Jack, Chasuble, and Miss Prism that Jack’s brother was here; Jack immediately says â€Å"what nonsense! I haven’t got a brother† because according to him ‘Ernest’ had died in Paris of a severe chill. Cecily then returns hand in hand with Algernon; this entrance has a very comical effect on the audience because of the look of sheer horror on Jack’s face when he sees that Algernon is pretending to be Ernest, and he had just made a fool out of himself by saying that his brother had died. But he cannot say anything to Algernon when they were around Cecily, Miss Prism and Chasuble because they would all find out that he had been lying the whole time about his brother and they would not have as much respect for him as they had before. Miss Prism and Chasuble decide then that it would be best that the two ‘brothers’ (a sense of irony there because in act three the audience find out that Algernon and Jack are in fact brothers) were left alone together, and Cecily follows them back into the house. Jack, who cannot believe that Algernon has done such a thing is astounded when the merriman informs him that Algernon’s luggage has been unpacked in the room next to his. Jack immediately orders a dogcart for Algernon, who seems completely oblivious to the fact that Jack has just insulted him. As usual, Jack and Algernon begin to argue, Jack tells Algernon that he does not want him to call Cecily a darling, and Algernon comes up with a childish reply and tells Jack that he does not like his clothes and, that being in mourning for a man who is actually staying at his house is â€Å"grotesque†. Jack tells Algernon that he does not want him staying in his house for a whole week and to this, Algernon replies; â€Å"I certainly won’t leave you so long as you are in mourning. It would be most unfriendly†, completely contradicting what he had said before and producing a comic effect on the audience. Algernon sees Cecily and tells her that he has to leave, she replies, â€Å"It is always painful to part from people who one has known for a very brief space of time. The absence of old friends one can endure with equanimity. But even a momentary separation from anyone to whom one has just been introduced to is almost unbearable†. This goes against the audience’s expectations and produces a comic effect, because usually it would be more difficult to part with someone that you had known for a long time then to part with someone that you had just met. In this scene, Algernon proposes to Cecily, but she informs him that they had actually been engaged for the last three months (only in her head though, producing a comic effect). This is a parallel of events because Cecily claims, like Gwendolen, to have loved Algernon before she had even met him; which is obviously impossible. Another similarity in this scene is when Algernon says to Cecily; â€Å"I have dared to love you wildly, passionately, devotedly, hopelessly†. This utterance does not make any sense because you cannot love someone devotedly and hopelessly at the same time, he is talking nonsense because he is so nervous around Cecily; much the same way that Jack was around Gwendolen in Act One. The final parallel of speech is when Cecily tells ‘Ernest’ that she loves him for his name, like Gwendolen did in Act One, ‘Ernest’ asks Cecily whether she would love him if he was called Algernon, she immediately tells him, like Gwendolen, that she does not like that name, only the name ‘Ernest’ â€Å"inspires absolute confidence†. Algernon almost immediately tells her that he has to â€Å"see him [chasuble] at once on a most important christening – I mean on most important business† Algernon was thinking out loud, like Jack did in Act One. There is a great deal of comedy in this scene, especially from Cecily. The main example is when Cecily tells Algernon of their ‘engagement’. Throughout the three months that Cecily had decided that she was engaged to Jack’s ‘brother’; he had bought her gifts and written her letters. Also, according to Cecily, she had even broken off their engagement once saying that â€Å"It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn’t been broken off at least once.†. She had even written it in her diary; â€Å"Today I broke off my engagement with Ernest. I feel it is better to do so. The weather still continues charming† this is comical within itself because if someone had broken off their engagement, the last thing they would be thinking about was the weather. Algernon leaves the room to go and see Chasuble, and the merriman announces to Cecily that Miss Fairfax has come to visit, and wishes to see Jack, but because he is busy Cecily invites her in for tea. Almost immediately, Gwendolen tells Cecily; â€Å"I like you already more than I can say. My first impressions of people are never wrong.† This produces a comic effect because you cannot like someone so much when you have just heard his or her name. There is also a slight parallel of speech because in Act One, Gwendolen says â€Å"I am never wrong†, this is similar to what she said to Cecily, this again displays her arrogant nature. Cecily and Gwendolen immediately start to call each other by their first names, however, the atmosphere seems a bit tense. Gwendolen and Cecily talk about Lord Bracknell, and Gwendolen enquires after Cecily’s parents, Cecily tells her that she has â€Å"no mother, nor, in fact, any relations†. Gwendolen seems surprised at this; producing echoes of her mother’s reaction to Jack’s past in Act One. Gwendolen tells Cecily; â€Å"I have liked you ever since I met you†, this produces a comic effect because she hasn’t known Cecily long at all, it also shows how superficial she can be. She also tells Cecily that she â€Å"can’t help expressing a wish you were – well, just a little older than you seem to be – and not quite so alluring in appearance† when informed that she was Mr Worthing’s ward. She then asks Cecily if she may speak truthfully, Cecily knows that Gwendolen is just about to insult her, but she doesn’t seem to care, and she tells her that she wishes that Cecily was 42 and more than usually plain for her age. There is an example of dramatic irony when Gwendolen says; â€Å"disloyalty would be as impossible to him as deception†, this also has a comical effect because the audience know that this is not true, but Gwendolen believes it so much. At this point, the plot begins to unwind; Gwendolen reveals that she was talking about Ernest (Jack) and Cecily tells her that she is not Ernest’s ward, but his older brother’s. Gwendolen asks why Ernest (Jack) had never told her that he had a brother, and Cecily explained that it was because they had not really been on speaking terms. Cecily then tells Gwendolen that she is engaged to be married to Ernest (Algernon). To this Gwendolen [quite politely rising ] says; â€Å"My darling Cecily, I think there must be some slight error. Mr Ernest Worthing (Jack) is engaged to me.† Cecily responds to this by; [very politely rising ] and saying; â€Å"I am afraid you must be under some misconception. Ernest (Algernon) proposed to me exactly ten minutes ago†. She then shows Gwendolen the entry in her diary to prove it, and Gwendolen shows the entry in her diary to prove that Ernest (Jack) had proposed to her the previous day. Gwendolen then states that because Ernest had proposed to her first, she had the prior claim, and Cecily said that this as not true because he had clearly changed his mind. This argument produces a comic effect and a sense of dramatic irony; it is comical because although the two women are very angry with each other, they cannot show their true feelings because it was not seen as lady-like behaviour. The dramatic irony in this dialogue is that the Audience knows that there are actually two people pretending to be Ernest, but Gwendolen and Cecily do not know this. The conversation continues between Cecily and Gwendolen, but they are being sarcastic and spiteful to each other whilst pretending to be polite. An example of this is when Cecily asks Gwendolen if she wants sugar in her tea; Gwendolen says no because â€Å"sugar is not fashionable any more† then [CECILY looks angrily at her, takes the tongs and puts four lumps of sugar into the cup ]. Cecily then asks Gwendolen if she wants cake, or bread and butter, Gwendolen says that she wants bread and butter because â€Å"cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays† then Cecily [cuts a very large slice of cake and puts it on the tray ]. Gwendolen becomes very angry at this deliberate attempt to annoy her and tells Cecily; â€Å"From the moment I saw you I distrusted you. I felt that you were false and deceitful. I am never deceived in such matters. My first impressions of people are invariably right†. This produces a comical effect because Gwendolen has just contradicted herself from what she said to Cecily when she first met her, but she still tries to make out that she has been right about her all along. The climax of the play occurs when Jack comes into the room and interrupts Gwendolen and Cecily. Gwendolen embraces him and asks Jack whether he is engaged to Cecily; Jack obviously denies this and Cecily reveals that the â€Å"gentleman whose arm is at present round your waist is my guardian, Mr John Worthing†. Gwendolen says â€Å"Jack! Oh!† and pulls away from him. Algernon then walks into the room, and Cecily asks him if he is engaged to be married to Gwendolen, and he says no. Gwendolen then reveals to Cecily that â€Å"the gentleman who is now embracing you is my cousin, Mr Algernon Moncrieff† Cecily says â€Å"Algernon Moncrieff! Oh!† and pulls away from him. There are two examples of symmetric speech in this section of the scene; the first is when both Jack and Algernon say to Gwendolen and Cecily â€Å"What could have put such an idea into your pretty little head†. The second example is the identical way in which Gwendolen and Cecily reacted to the news that both their fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s had different names then they had thought. This produces a comic effect because this is the climax of the play, and all of the deceit is being revealed to Gwendolen and Cecily. The relationship between Gwendolen and Cecily drastically changes as [the two girls move towards each other and out their arms round each other’s waists as if for protection. ]. They ask Jack and Algernon if what they have heard is true, they both say that it is, even though â€Å"it is very painful for me [Jack] to be forced to speak the truth†. This confession goes against the audience’s expectations producing a comic effect because normally people may find it painful to tell a lie then to tell the truth. Gwendolen and Cecily decide that they are going to resign to the house because they have just found out that they are both not engaged to anyone, and â€Å"it is not a very pleasant position for a young girl suddenly to find herself in.† Jack and Algernon are left alone in the garden and the girls retire to the house. The last section of Act Two is the conversation between Algernon and Jack. They talk about Gwendolen and Cecily and how they feel about them. However, Jack makes it very clear that he is not sure that Algernon and Cecily will actually marry, and Algernon states that he thinks it very unlikely that Jack and Gwendolen will marry. The conversation soon sways onto the christenings and Algernon advises Jack that; â€Å"If you are not quite sure about your ever being Christened, I must say I think it rather dangerous your venturing on it now. It might make you very unwell†. This produces a comic effect because it is completely impossible that being christened will make you unwell. The Act closes on Jack and Algernon arguing over the muffins that are being served on the table, showing their almost childish relationship. In conclusion, there are many similarities between Act One and Act Two, this could be part of what makes it so comical. The characters have developed the plot up to the climax, there is only the end to be revealed. In Act Three all of the deceit and the mysteries will be solved.