Drama: TIOBE- Act 2 Flashcards
1.How does the opening of Act 2 show a different time of Victorian society?
The scene opens in Jack’s manor house in the country, reflecting industrial revolution and the countryside.
- How does Cecliy’s education differ to what might be expected?
She is taught a lot about other laguages and subjects such a spolitics, which may differ to the ciriculumn delivered to other female students at the time. Her ward, Jack, laid particular stress on her German.
3.How is Miss Prism constructed in the opening of Act 2?
She is made to seem very sympathtetic of Jack, and quite fond of him, shown when she says “You [Cecily] must remeber his constant anixety about that unforutante young man, his brother.”, which also has dramatic irnony for the audeince, who knows he actually doesn’t have a brother.
4.What do we discover about Cecily early on in the act?
She keeps a dirary, which is significant, as it shows how she is quite romantic, despite making quite witty social comments.
5.What does Wilde criticise through Cecily?
He criticises the 3-volume novel, and Victorain literature as a whole, with Wilde believing that fiction should be fiction, and that there is too much moral messaging and relating to memory, something which doesn;t go down well with Miss Prism, who, like her name, is one-track minded, and defends the 3-volume novel, therefore playing the role of the Victorian audience and defening their society.
6.What do we learn about Miss Prism?
She has a crush on Dr Chasuble, and will take any oppotunity to be with him.
7.What satirical messaging is brought forward with Algernon’s entrance pretending to be Ernest?
He says that he has been “rather reckless”, which is used in a comedic manner to woo Cecily, however, it is quite truthful.
8.What Victorian expectation does Algernon throw onto Cecily?
He wants her to ‘reform’ him, meanign Ernest, which was a common thing at the time, which Wilde pokes fun at.
9.What irony is there regarding marriage in Act 2?
Miss Prism says “No married man is ever attractive expept to his wife.”, which may come accross as a sensible answer, but is made to provide a humourous aspect to the play.
- Whos does WIlde criticise Victorian society through Miss Prism?
She says “People who live entirely for pleasure usually are [unmarried].”, which he criticisies their mindset.
11.How is the irony between Jack and Algernon built up with Algernon entrance impersonating Ernest?
-Algernon comments he can’t stay for more than a week, when people expected him to say something shorter.
-Algernon calls Jack a liar, when in fact they both are.
-Jack says he doesn’t like how Algernon talks about Cecily, when he in fact talks similar of Gwendolen.
-Algernon states he won’t leave whilst his friend is in mourning, but he was in mourning as he had killed off his fake brother Ernest, who Algernon is impersonating now.
12.How does the character of Cecily construct the theme of records?
By recoridng Algernon’s remarks to her in her diary, not the first time she has got her diary out in this act.
13.What does Algernon discover when he talks to Cecily?
That they have been engaged for 3 months, as she has decided to propose to herself, buy a ring for herself in his name, he called off the engagmeent, but she forgave him, wrote letters for him to herself, and they are now engaged again, with Ernest, with whom Algernon is playing, having no idea of this ordeal.
14.How does Algernon poke fun at the upper-class Victorian society when Algernon and Cecily talk about names?
Algernon says “Half of the cahps who get into the Bankruptcy Court are called Algernon”, showing that in Victoriain upper-class society cannot keep wealth.
15.What satirical moment does Cecily remark about Dr Chasuble?
She says that he is “a most learned man”, but hasn’t wrote a single book, statements which Victorian and modern audiences may think contradict each other.
