The importance of Being Earnest. A Trivial Comedy for Serious People: A play by Oscar Wilde and a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain ... to escape burdensome social obligations

The Importance of Being Earnest A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St Jamess Theatre in London it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London the plays major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Some contemporary reviews praised the plays humour and the culmination of Wildes artistic career while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wildes most enduringly popular play.