In The Importance of Being Earnest, however, this is not always the case, as gender role reversal is a common theme throughout the play, which naturally leads to comedy, as during the Victorian Era in the Aristocratic part of society, gender roles were very firmly set, so when this is reversed an audience would find it funny as it is completely out of social norms. ... This gives Lady Bracknell the upper hand as many mothers of this time would be ordinarily not be as involved in their daughter's marriage, but this way she gets to personally test whether Jack is a worthy suitor for Gwendol...

• Word Count: 2043
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate