Who Algernon Moncrieff is
Algernon Moncrieff is a young man of leisure whose London rooms provide the play's opening setting. He enjoys good food and bad behavior, treating marriage and manners as subjects for witty amusement. His butler, Lane, serves cucumber sandwiches while Algernon talks with his visiting friend Jack Worthing.
Algernon Moncrieff and the others in the story
A cigarette case leads Algernon to question Jack about the different names he uses in town and country. When Jack admits inventing a troublesome brother named Ernest, Algernon is delighted and reveals his own invention, Bunbury.
Gwendolen Fairfax is Algernon's cousin, and Lady Bracknell is his formidable aunt. After learning about Jack's ward, Cecily, he secretly notes the country address and plans a visit.
What Algernon Moncrieff wants
Algernon wants to meet Cecily and arrives at Jack's country house pretending to be the invented brother Ernest. They are quickly charmed by each other, and Algernon proposes to her. Cecily has already imagined their romance in her diary, but her attachment to the name Ernest complicates his courtship.
A best-known line
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”
Questions
Who is Algernon Moncrieff?
Algernon Moncrieff is a witty young London bachelor and Jack Worthing's friend. His appetite for mischief helps set the comedy in motion.
Who is Bunbury to Algernon?
Bunbury is an imaginary invalid friend Algernon invents. Algernon gives the name Bunburying to his practice.
Why does Algernon pretend to be Ernest?
Algernon takes the identity of Jack's invented brother when he visits the country to meet Cecily. She knows stories about Ernest and is already fascinated by him.
