Earnestly Reading

So I thought I might comment on a few of my favourite quotes from one of the scenes in The Importance of Being Earnest because there are some pretty fun quotes in that scene.

Algernon: She will place me next Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner-table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent… and that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one’s clean linen in public.

So in this quote Algy is talking about how he is disgusted by people who flirt with their spouses. Why on earth can't married people flirt with their spouses? I mean I guess he does also comment on how unmarried people flirt and that doesn't seem to be his cucumber sandwich either. It kind of funny though.


Algernon. [Picking up empty plate in horror.] Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially.
Lane. [Gravely.] There were no cucumbers in the market this morning, sir. I went down twice.
Algernon. No cucumbers!
Lane. No, sir. Not even for ready money.
Algernon. That will do, Lane, thank you.
Lane. Thank you, sir. [Goes out.]
Algernon. I am greatly distressed, Aunt Augusta, about there being no cucumbers, not even for ready money.

Speaking of cucumber sandwiches, this part of the scene is really funny. Algy has eaten all the cucumber sandwiches before his aunt arrived and then when she asks for one and their aren't any, the butler has to come up with a story to cover for Algy.

From the beginning to about :50.

Aunt Augusta: Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or to die. This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd.

In this quote, Aunt Augusta is saying that someone needs to decide to live or to die. Its kind of ridiculous because in some cases you don't necessarily have the choice. 

So Oscar Wilde must have had a good sense of humour in order to come up with all the fun wittiness in the play and I am glad for it.