According to the Bible, “The love of money is the root of all evil. ” There is fine line between loving the money or character of a person. The root of all evil starts when one doesn’t notice the difference. Lady Bracknell, an antagonist in The Importance of being Earnest, is a powerful, pompous and pontifical person who values money more than love and comprehends marriage like business deals in terms of allusions, connections and irony. Lady Bracknell’s character is revealed by allusions throughout the play.
One can tell that she is very powerful and pompous from few examples of allusions in the text. Without a doubt, Algernon says “Ah! That must be Aunt Augusta. Only relatives, or creditors, ever ring in that Wagnerian manner. ” (I) This means that his aunt, Lady Bracknell or creditors coming to collect tax would ring the bell in such Wagnerian manner, which means to be intense and loud. Lady Bracknell is also called Aunt Augusta and this is referring to Emperor Augustus. One thinks Wilde uses the name Augusta because Lady Bracknell and Augustus have many things in common.
They were both cruel, ruthless, and their public moral attitudes were strict. Jack also states that she is like a Gorgon, a female creature described as dreadful, mean, ugly and repulsive. “Her mother is perfectly unbearable. Never met such a Gorgon. I don’t really know what a Gorgon is like, but I am quite sure that Lady Bracknell is one. In any case, she is a monster, without being a myth” (I) Wilde uses the idea of Wagnerian manner, Emperor Augustus and a Gorgon to describe the character of Lady Bracknell and furthermore strengthening it.
In addition to allusions, Wilde uses connections to the Victorian upper class negativity and repressive values to illustrate Lady Bracknell’s strong character. Lady Bracknell can be said that she is Wilde’s invention to present his satire on upper class of Victorian Era. Wilde satirizes the hypocrisy and stupidity of the British Aristocracy through her. She is the authority figure that has a pretense of having virtuous character and moral principles that she doesn’t really possess.
Likewise, the author shows how the upper class discriminated the lower class in the Victorian Era by excluding who didn’t fit to her class. For example, Lady Bracknell looks down to Jack because he does not know his parents. She calmly says, “I would strongly advise you, Mr. Worthing, to try and acquire some relations as soon as possible, and to make a definite effort to produce at any rate one parent, of either sex, before the season is quite over. ” (I) She instantly assumes that since Jack doesn’t know his parents, she doesn’t know which class he is in so she encourages him to find his parent.
In addition to condescending the lower class, class structure drawn in the play is Wilde’s commentary about how the privileged class of England kept its power. As her authority and power extends over every character throughout the play, her as a Victorian upper class character is strengthened and developed. Her decision about the suitability of both marriages provides the conflict of the story. For example, Jack and Gwendolyn are furious about her for opposing their marriage; Algernon and Cecily have bit of trouble earning her approval of the marriage.
Wilde’s symbol of dominant Victorian ethic is also described, as she is alone unlike other characters like Jack and Gwendolyn, Algernon and Cecily, and Miss Prism and Chasuble. Oscar Wilde strongly develops the character of high class Victorian Era by use of his connections to her attitudes and behaviors toward love and marriage. Lady Bracknell can be expressed in many different terms such as powerful, pompous, snobbish, domineering, narrow minded, and authoritarian. Ironically her perspective toward love and marriage can be expressed in one word, wealth.
She expresses her opinions toward love and marriage ironically where she says one thing and it comes out to have another meaning behind it. For example, during the interview with Jack, she was mostly saying that Jack’s answer was satisfactory but was quite sarcastic about it. “That is satisfactory. What between the duties expected of one during one’s lifetime, and the duties exacted from one after one’s death, land has ceased to be either a profit or a pleasure. ” (I) She sees marriage as an alliance for property and social security but love or passion is not part of it.
Since she had prodigious marriage, her primary goal in life seems to be to see her daughter doing the same. She wants her daughter, Gwendolyn to marry an upper class noble in order live a pleasant life. She tells her daughter quite explicitly, "Pardon me, you are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to someone, I or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact. " (I) She sees marriage as a business deal because she insisted about Jack’s parent as the most vital thing.
Knowing the parents are crucial for Lady Bracknell because they are the ones who are going to share the money and do the business with her. Another example of Lady Bracknell favoring money could be seen from Algernon and Cecily’s marriage. In the beginning, she opposed Cecily and Algernon’s marriage but Jack mentions that she has hundred and thirty thousand pounds in the funds. In a matter of second, she changes her mind and approves their marriage. Lady Bracknell surprisingly and excitingly responds “A moment, Mr. Worthing. A hundred and thirty thousand pounds!
And in the Funds! Miss Cardew seems to me a most attractive young lady, now that I look at her. ” (III) In fact, she was very firm about every decision like opposing Jack and Gwendolyn’s marriage but when it came to wealth she was extremely flexible. The idea of wealth and money has enormous influence and irony on her attitudes toward love and marriage where she is both firm and flexible with the idea. By using allusions, connections and irony, Wilde shows that Lady Bracknell is a dominant character that considers money is more important than love.
She is a powerful, pompous and pontifical person illustrating upper class of Victorian Era by extending her authority to every character. In addition to extension of power throughout characters, she shows that when a person values one’s wealth more than one’s character, that person will eventually bring animosity to other people who are around him/her. According to Bible, “The love of money is the root of all evil. ” Lady Bracknell’s love of money started her evils and brought hatred from other characters.
