The Importance of Being Earnest

Summary

“If there’s a better comedy in the English language than Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, well then I’ve never heard of it” quipped Noel Coward when he was congratulated on American TV for being “better than Mr Wilde”.

Well whether Coward meant it as a bon mot or not, it’s certainly very true. We sort of all know the play and that must be a testament to its enduring charm. We can quote bits from it of course – “to lose once parent Mr Worthing may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness…” or “All women become like their mothers — that is their tragedy. No man does — that is his…” and inevitably “A handbag?…” A bit like Hamlet, this is a script stuffed with quotable quotes.