Oscar Wilde

First one must understand what the social norm of the day was concerning marriage. This play premiered in 1895. Although it is true that marriage was slowly becoming more as it is today it still had a Middle Age feel to it. The reason for getting married is the main theory this paper deals with. In the early 20th century men and women got married for a variety of reasons. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia’s marriage to Wickam was regarded as a scandal because they ran off to Scotland and eloped without telling anyone. Lydia’s reason to marry is because she thinks it will be fun. People in the book treated it as something of unspeakable shame. However it is a marriage precisely like this one that is not only accepted but commonplace nowaday

The other pair is Jack and Gwendolyn. These two are in about the same boat as Jack and Gwendolyn. They both state that their reason for marriage is also love. They have known each other for a bit longer, however, so their marriage might seem a bit more acceptable. They do meet with resistance in the form of Lady Bracknell. She is Gwendolyn’s mother and she does not approve of the marriage on the grounds of Jack’s background. “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.” She find Jack’s upbringing to be inferior and not worthy of her daughter’s hand. This is hardly a romantic conception.

Still another view of marriage customs of the time being ridiculous was the class limits on who someone can marry. It didn’t matter whether there were feelings for each other unless both people were of the same class. This is shown to be as ridiculous as the fact that both Gwendolyn and Cecily are sure that they could not possibly love anyone whose name was not Earnest. When Jack discovers that is his real name just adds to the silliness.

s. Las Vegas is a place streaming with Lydias and Wickams. The reason that this marriage took place was very uncommon in those days. Another marriage was that of Lizzy to Darcy. This was also met with a good deal of resistance. People felt that because of their different social classes it was not fit that they should be wed. Alas, the loved each other and so it was. And that was their reason. Love. Another uncommon reason in the early 1900’s but almost

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