Answer:
“The Importance of Being Ernest” is a restoration comedy where Jack and Algernon compete in a battle of wits throughout the play, one tries to outdo the other with the rapid-fire observations on how people in the high society should and should not believe. That's where the witticisms come in.
Explanation:
Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Ernest," is different from classical drama. The statements that have been usually made don't promote the plot. They are preposterous and sometimes irrelevant to the context. They are also at times rational, amusing and entertaining. The examples of witticism are given below:
“It is simply washing one’s <u>clean linen</u> in public.” This particular phrase refers to the reversal of clichés, a policy of the Victorian era. In other words, it is about doing the opposite of what one is told.
“More than half of <u>modern culture</u> depends on what one <u>shouldn’t </u>read.” Here, <em>modern culture</em> is considered as vulgar and the word <em>shouldn't </em>refer to not being allowed in the Victorian era.
“Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven’t got the remotest knowledge of <u>how to live</u>, nor the <u>smallest instinct about when to die.</u>” Here, <em>how to live </em>stands for those in the Victorian period who don’t know how to break the rules and appreciate life. Secondly, the <em>smallest instinct about when to die</em> is probably uttered by Lady Bracknell who doesn’t care if they live or die. It also shows that Algernon is extremely affected by the Victorian era.
“All women become <u>like their mothers</u>. That is their tragedy. No man ever does. That’s his.” There is a finality in these highlighted words which points out that the system keeps going on.
“It is perfectly phrased! and <u>quite true</u> as any observation in civilized life should be.” The phrase directly opposes the Victorian ways.
“The <u>only way</u> to behave to a woman is to make love to her, <u>if she is pretty </u>and to someone else, if she is plain.” The <em>only way</em> refers to the absolute rules set by the Victorian Society so the reprisal is also the same but with absolutely opposite rules. The second phrase confirms that is all about appearances.
