What is learnt about attitudes towards marriage in Act 1 of The Importance of Being Earnest.

... What is learnt about attitudes towards marriage in Act 1 'The Importance of Being Earnest', having being written in the late Victorian period, shows examples of the contemporary society's attitudes to and customs of marriage. These attitudes serve a very important role throughout the play. The problems and trials of marriage provide the basis for this play. Although this theme of the problem of marriage has featured in a number of English authors' works, for example Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde adapted the theme in order for his contemporary audience to relate to it, and so the play is quite unique. Act 1 of the play opens with Algernon holding a brief conversation with his servant Lane regarding marriage. We immediately have an insight into Algernon's life as a single man; Algernon is more concerned with money and the high life than he is with responsibility and sensibility. He sees that not having

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