The Importance of Being Earnest Annotated

In the sophisticated drawing-rooms of Victorian London, Algernon Moncrieff, a dandy of the highest order, finds himself intrigued by his friend Jack Worthing's curious double life. Jack, known in the city as the respectable 'Ernest,' maintains a country estate where he is known as the responsible 'Jack,' guardian to the charming and impressionable Cecily Cardew. This elaborate deception, which Jack employs to escape the burdens of responsibility and indulge in city pleasures, Algernon dubs "Bunburying," after his own fictitious invalid friend, Bunbury, whose precarious health conveniently calls him away from tiresome social obligations.

Jack, in his guise as Ernest, has fallen deeply in love with Algernon's cousin, the elegant Gwendolen Fairfax. However, Gwendolen, a woman of impeccable taste, declares she could never love a man who was not named Ernest. This presents a considerable predicament for Jack, who has decided it is time to kill off his imaginary, wayward brother Ernest and become truly earnest himself.

Meanwhile, Algernon, having discovered Jack's country address and his beautiful ward, Cecily, decides to pay a visit to Jack's estate, masquerading as the notoriously wicked brother Ernest. Cecily, who has long been fascinated by her guardian's scandalous sibling, is immediately captivated by Algernon's charm, and they quickly become engaged. She, too, has always dreamt of marrying a man named Ernest, and has even chronicled their imagined romance in her diary.

The comedic tangle intensifies when Gwendolen, having followed Jack to the country, encounters Cecily. A polite but increasingly frosty exchange ensues as both women discover they are engaged to a man named Ernest Worthing. The arrival of Jack, still in mourning for his supposedly deceased brother, and Algernon, still pretending to be Ernest, exposes the full extent of the deception, much to the ladies' indignation.

To win back their beloveds, both Jack and Algernon decide they must be christened with the name Ernest. As they prepare for this transformation, Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen's formidable mother, arrives on the scene, having followed her daughter. Upon learning of Cecily's considerable fortune, Lady Bracknell approves of Algernon's engagement, but still refuses to sanction Gwendolen's marriage to Jack, citing his mysterious origins – he was found as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station.

A series of astonishing revelations then unfolds. Miss Prism, Cecily's governess, is discovered to be the woman who, years ago, mistakenly placed a baby in a handbag and left it at Victoria Station, while inadvertently putting her manuscript novel in the perambulator. It is then revealed that the baby in the handbag was, in fact, Jack. Further investigation, through an old Army List, unveils that Jack's true name is Ernest John Moncrieff, making him Algernon's elder brother. With their true identities, and the coveted name of "Ernest," finally established, both couples are free to marry, and the importance of being earnest, in more ways than one, becomes delightfully clear.