The Importance of Being Earnest Marriage Quotes Page 3
Citations follow this format: (Act.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue.
| Quote #7 Miss Prism: You are too much alone, dear Dr. Chasuble. You should get married. A misanthrope I can understand - a womanthrope, never! |
Here, we see yet another opinion on marriage – this time from two respectable, and more mature individuals, Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble. Miss Prism’s comments reveal her belief that all respectable men should get married. Her logic is as follows: bachelors permanently become temptations for women if they stay single. Thus, it is their duty to stop leading women astray. Her comment that "young women are green" suggests that women should wait to marry until they are mature enough to value their husbands.
| Quote #8 Chasuble: Your brother was, I believe, unmarried, was he not? |
Miss Prism – like Algernon – differentiates between business and pleasure. But she differs from Algernon in that she embraces responsibility and duty. So while she believes that marriage is a social responsibility, she considers it an honor and a mark of respect.
| Quote #9 Algernon: But why on earth did you break it off? What had I done? I had done nothing at all. Cecily, I am very much hurt indeed to hear you broke it off. Particularly when the weather was so charming. |
Cecily’s comment that "it would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn’t been broken off at least once" hints that she thinks marriage is a big deal. But, because Cecily is so young and believes in happily-ever-afters, she has not quite grasped the seriousness of marriage to the extent that Lady Bracknell or Miss Prism have.
