Oscar Wilde, the author of The Importance of Being Earnest, was certainly a particular character. This is present in his writings, particularly in the work cited above. The Importance of Being Earnest uses unusual situations and surprising wordplay to produce humor that would be appreciated by almost all people. The Importance of Being Earnest was almost a Victorian example of a “Seinfeld” episode. The characters contained within often find themselves in the most peculiar situations, so strange that we can find them funny. Sometimes they even seem to represent situations in which we might find ourselves involved. One such example is in the first act, where Jack realizes that Gwendolyn loves the name Ernest. He tries different ways to talk to her and find out if she would love him if his name was Jack. She considers the whole issue hypothetical and unimportant, since she always knew it was Ernest. The entire dialogue that occurs during the discussion contains humorous bits that add to the colorful nature of the work. A piece of dialogue is spoken by Jack, where he says: "Gwendolyn, I must be baptized at once - I mean, we must get married at once."; Wilde shows how society tends to care about what is on the outside of a person, such as their name or their wealth, rather than their character. Another example of this situation is when Algernon talks to Cecily about their engagement. Cecily knows that Algernon is Jack's brother Ernest, and is as enamored of that name as Gwendolyn. Algernon tries to ask, similarly, whether Cecily might love him if he bore another name, like Algernon. Cecily responds similarly. Wilde found the piece amusing and consequently included it in the first act. He therefore decided to repeat a similar situation in the second act of the opera. Another example of Wilde's use of humor is in his witty observations and epigrams. Using these devices adds color to a character and helps balance them well against others instead of creating a "flat"; I wait. The most notable character who demonstrates these attributes is Algernon, whose timing throughout the story is impeccable. In Act I, after Jack finishes talking to Lady Bracknell about marrying Gwendolyn, Lady Bracknell leaves the room..