I really enjoyed reading The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Out of all of the comedic elements that Wilde uses in this play, I loved the interactions and the relationships between the characters the most. The relationship I enjoyed the most throughout this play was the relationship between Jack and Algernon. During the entire play they act like brothers, even though they think they aren't. In the first act, Algernon questions Jack, who he thinks to be Ernest, about his intentions toward his cousin Gwendolen, his cigar case, and the inscription on it from Cecily.
During the second act, Algernon and Jack spend a lot of time fighting childishly with each other about several things. They first fight about whether or not Algernon should return to the city or not. For example, Algernon says that he cannot leave his "brother" when he is in morning. Jack replies with "Well, will you go if I change my clothes?" At the end of this act, Jack and Algernon argue about who should get to eat the muffins and about getting rechristened with the name Ernest. I found this part of the play extremely funny, because instead of going after the two girls they supposedly loved, they decide to sit, eat, and argue. In the end Jack and Algernon discover that they are actually brothers, they both are allowed to marry the women they love, and everyone is happy.
I also found the fact that the brothers sat down and discussed the decency of eating muffins very comical. I mean they were just dumped by their fiancés and instead of breaking down into immense grieving or chasing after their lovers to make amends, they act as if the event was just another minor dilemma in the day. This sense of ridiculousness is what I think makes the play so very humorous and entertaining.
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