Genga 1
Jade Genga
Mrs. Izzo
AP English
1 May 2009
The Ultimate Study Guide for AP English
· 4 Works
o 1 Comedy
o 1 Tragedy
o 1 Novel
o 1 Choice
· 15 Plot Events
· Character Summaries
o 4 Characters need 1 paragraph
o 4 characters need one line
· Setting Description
o 2 Major Settings
· Symbols
o At least 2
· Motifs
o At least 2
· Themes
o At least 3
· Literary Criticism
o 1 copied and annotated
The Importance of Being Ernest
Oscar Wilde
Plot Summary
Act One
· Jack tells Algernon that he wants to propose to Gwendolen and Algernon questions him whether it is “business” or “pleasure,” when either way he does not approve
· Algernon interrogates Jack, who he knows as Ernest, about his lighter addressed to “Uncle Jack” and from “Little Cecily,” and Jack confesses that his name is actually Jack, but he calls himself Ernest when in the city
· Algernon introduces “Bunburyism”: when Algernon needs to get away, he says he must visit his invalid friend Bunbury, and when Jack must escape, he leaves to visit his sick brother Ernest
· Gwendolen arrives with Lady Bracknell (Aunt Augusta to Algernon), and Algernon tells Lady Bracknell that he cannot dine with her because his friend Bunbury is very sick… again, and Lady Bracknell says that he should make up his mind whether to live or die
· When Lady Bracknell is pulled away by Algernon, Jack proposes to Gwendolen and she accepts after she has explained that she loves him because his name is Ernest, yet Lady Bracknell enters and proclaims that Jack must prove himself eligible for her hand in marriage
· Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack on whether or not he smokes, his age, his income, his land, and where his houses are, almost becoming dissatisfied with his townhouse placement, but then truly becoming appalled at the fact that he was found in a handbag in Victoria station and does not know his parents
· Jack and Algernon discuss how Jack does not plan to tell Gwendolen the truth yet, but plans to kill off his brother Ernest due to a severe chill, then Gwendolen enters and Jack gives her his country house address
· Algernon tells Lane to prepare his clothes because he plans to go Bunburying
Act Two
· Cecily is being coaxed by Miss Prism to work on her German although she thinks it makes her sound and look “plain”
· Cecily tells Miss Prism that she wishes Jack would bring Ernest to the country house
· Dr. Chasuble enters and Cecily says that Miss Prism should go with Dr. Chasuble because of her headache, which she does not actually have, and Dr. Chasuble replies that if he were her pupil he would “hang upon her lips,” which he claims was inspired by the bees
· Algernon arrives as Ernest, Jack’s sick brother, and says that Cecily is the “prettiest girl [he] ever saw”
· Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism discuss marriage until Jack enters claiming that Ernest is dead, but Cecily tells him that Ernest is in the rose garden
· Jack is angry with Algernon who claims the death was a joke
· Algernon confesses his love for Cecily and proposes and Cecily claims that they are already engaged as she wrote in her diary, and that she loves him mostly for his name: Ernest
· Cecily meets Gwendolen and both say that they are in love with “Ernest Worthing,” but when Jack and Algernon return, the girls realize they have been lied to and turn their backs on them
· Jack and Algernon fight over who can eat muffins releasing their stress over the situation but then agree that they must be Christened “Ernest”
Act Three
· The girls ignore Jack and Algernon until they say that they will be Christened and the girls take them back
· Enter Lady Bracknell, who Algernon tells of Bunbury’s death, disapproving of both marriages, then approving Algernon and Cecily when learning that Cecily comes from money
· Jack says that he will consent to Cecily’s marriage if he is allowed to marry Gwendolen
· Miss Prism explains how she left a child given to her by Lady Bracknell in a handbag in Victoria station, and Lady Bracknell explains that the child is actually her sister’s child, which is Jack
· After searching through military records of his actual father, Jack uncovers his true name: Ernest
Character Summaries
Jack (Ernest) Worthing
Jack Worthing is one of the protagonists of The Importance of Being Ernest, who was found in a handbag as an infant, but continued to grow into a very wealthy and reputable man and also became the guardian to Cecily. He is initially selfish in creating his sick brother Ernest to escape from his life, yet by the closing he manages to love Gwendolen and is even willing to change his name for her. Throughout the play he is a plentiful source of verbal, dramatic, and situational irony. Wilde also uses Jack’s exaggerated interactions with other characters to exploit the absurdity of society’s expectations and morals.
Algernon Moncreif
Another main character of the play, Algernon Moncrief is a close friend of Jack Worthing, elder cousin to Gwendolen, and the love of Cecily. He creates an imaginary, invalid friend by the name of Bunbury, whom he “visits” when he wants to escape from reality. He also refers to Jack’s creating of Ernest as “Bunburying.” While fairly cynical, he is the more suave and witty of the two protagonists. Algernon is also willing to admit his own faults amidst attempting to expose flaws of others, unlike Jack, who refuses to admit that his lies are wrong in any way. Wilde uses Algernon in contrast to critical Jack to show the impulsive face of society: those who act on a moment rather than a lifetime.
Cecily Cardew
Cecily Cardew, the young woman in love with Algernon, lives in the country house with Miss Prism, Dr. Chasuble, and Jack, her guardian. Though she is innocent and naïve, Cecily is quite fond of crossing the line. Whether she is falling for “Ernest” or attempting to send Miss Prism off with Dr. Chasuble, she is always intrigued by a little taste of fun. Her wild imagination also makes quite an impression when Algernon proposes to her, and she claims they have been engaged for three months. She tells him all about their engagement stories and the letters she’s written from him and to him. Miss Cardew is used as a figure representing the dreaming teens of society that love to rebel a bit with their high-flying optimism.
Gwendolen Fairfax
Gwendolen, the love of Mr. Jack Worthing, is the epitome of a typical, judgmental citizen. Although she prides herself on her “constant improvements,” she is a very shallow and hypocritical person. She falls in love with Jack mostly because she loves the name Ernest. She tends to create ideals for herself, such the perfect husband with the perfect name, who she believes she has found, yet she leaves him after she finds out the truth about his name. Then she returns to him because more important is his “style not sincerity.”
Lady Bracknell
Lady Bracknell is Gwendolen’s mother as well as Algernon’s Aunt Augusta. She is the largest source of comedy due to her absurdly corrupt and outspoken societal views.
Dr. Chasuble
Dr. Chasuble, the reverend at Jack’s country house, is a very quiet and romantic older man. His flirtiness with Miss Prism add a great bit of awkward romantic comedy throughout the play.
Miss Prism
Miss Prism is Cecily’s governess at Jack’s country house. Her relationship with Dr. Chasuble, as stated previously, is a sparatic source of humor throughout the play. She was also the person who left Jack in a handbag as a child.
Lane
Lane is Algernon’s servant. At the beginning of the play, Lane is the only person who knows about Algernon’s case of “Bunburyism.”
Settings
Algernon’s City House
Act One takes place in Algernon’s home in London. When in London, Algernon finds out about Jack’s imaginary brother “Ernest,” and Jack is told about Algernon’s imaginary invalid friend “Bunbury.” Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen, and Algernon also become aware of Jack’s handbag origins. Whenever the characters are in the city, they tend to expose more answered questions and unsolved problems.
Jack’s Country House
Acts Two and Three are set at Jack’s country estate in Hertfordshire, where both Act Two and Act Three are full of deceit and discovery. This is where Gwendolen and Cecily first meet and where the girls finally find out the truth about their lying fiancées. This is also where Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism unveil Jack’s true origins and Christened name.
Symbols
Foods – symbolic of the unnecessary, pointless, and petty conflicts that occur in a “higher society”
Diaries – the idealism and ignorance to reality
Motifs
Living a double life, verbal irony, hypocrisy
Themes
Comedy vs. Tragedy: Comedy exposes the absurdity of society’s ignorance to reality more effectively than tragedy due to its satirical humor.
Title: Being truly earnest is not important, as long as one knows that he should be earnest.
Cynicism: While it may be easier to focus on the negative aspects of life, it is more important to focus on the negative aspects in positive light so that change can occur.
Othello
William Shakespeare
Plot Summary
Act One
· Iago convinces Roderigo that Othello should be hated because he did not place Iago as his lieutenant and he stole Desdemona from Roderigo
· Iago tells Roderigo to go to Brabantio’s house and rat out Othello and Desdemona; and so they do just that; Iago tells Brabantio that he’s been robbed
· Iago tells Othello that Roderigo hates him, Cassio comes to tell Othello that people are looking for him, then Brabantio comes and seizes him, even though the Duke’s guard are sent for him
· Othello is brought to the Duke anyway and is told that he is needed in Cyprus to lead the forces against the Ottoman enemy, but Brabantio continues to rant about how his daughter could never love Othello unless he performed witchcraft
· The duke sends for Desdemona, who confesses her love for Othello, so Brabantio believes her but warns Othello that she betrayed her father and can betray her husband yet
· Iago tells Roderigo not to kill himself over Desdemona, because he does not love her, and lust is nothing to commit suicide for
Act Two
· Turkish ships are caught in a storm, and Othello hasn’t made it to Cyprus yet, Iago, Desdemona, Roderigo, and Emilia arrive; meanwhile Iago is skeptically scrutinizing Emilia for being promiscuous, until Othello finally arrives
· Iago convinces Roderigo to assist him in getting Cassio drunk and angry so that Desdemona will see the ruthlessness of some men
· At a welcome Othello party/marriage reception, Iago gets Cassio drunk, convinces Montano that he can’t be trusted because he drinks too much alcohol, creates a quarrel between Roderigo and Cassio, and then finishes with a brawl between Montano and Cassio
· Othello arrives hearing the alarm, Iago tells Othello what has happened, and Othello fires Cassio from his position; while Cassio is upset, Iago tells him to go get on Desdemona’s good side so that he can find his way back to leuitenant
Act Three
· Cassio enters and speaks with a Clown and Musicians about the “wind instruments” and the infection of the nose (syphilis); Cassio sends the Clown to get Emilia, then sends Emilia to get Desdemona, then Iago says he’ll get Desdemona out and Othello out of the way
· Desdemona assures Cassio that she will get Othello to accept him again, then Iago and Othello return so Cassio steals away without a word; Othello becomes suspicious and Iago ignites the flame with reverse psychology
· Desdemona comes to plead Cassio’s case, heightening Othello’s suspicion, and offers him her handkerchief, but he denies it, so she drops it
· Emilia finds the handkerchief and runs it to Iago, who plans on planting it in Cassio’s chamber
· Othello is convinced because of the handkerchief and Cassio’s alleged “dreams” that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair and he declares his plan for vengeance with Iago right beside him
· Othello demands the handkerchief of Desdemona, but she says repeatedly that it “is not with [her],” changing the subject several times, and Othello yells at her
Act Four
· When Iago begins to confuse Othello about whether Cassio will “lie with her,” “lie on her,” or “belie her,” he goes into an epileptic fit; when he returns to normal, Iago tells Othello to listen to the conversation he is about to have with Cassio
· Cassio and Iago talk about Bianca, Cassio’s wife, and Cassio’s feelings towards her, but Othello mistakes the object of the conversation for Desdemona; Bianca then enters and yells about his having another woman’s handkerchief and then they both exit
· Othello plans to murder Desdemona, he sends Emilia to get her, and leaves after immense confusion on why she’s “lying” to him; then Iago talks to Desdemona and says that everything will be fine; then Roderigo stands up for himself, then Iago convinces him to kill Cassio
Act Five
· Roderigo tries to kill Cassio, and Iago acts like he has no idea what has happened and so he kills Roderigo, but Emilia blames Bianca for the “adultery” situation
· Desdemona repeatedly says that she is innocent, but Othelo smothers her to death; her last words are telling Emilia that it was not Othello
· Emilia figures out what has happened, tells Othello about everything, and Iago kills her
· Othello kills himself, and Iago is left to be sentenced by Cassio
Character Summaries
Othello
Othello is the protagonist of this play who is actually manipulated by the antagonist, Iago. Othello (referred to occasionally as “the Moor”) is a very trusting, highly-respected figure who is deeply in love with the beautiful Desdemona. However, Iago, whom he trusts with everything, manipulates him into believing that his wife and best friend are having an affair, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Because of his trusting nature and passion for justice, he is able to be molded into whatever Iago wants him to be.