Question

What literary device is used in the title of the play?

• A. Metaphor
• B. Pun
• C. Hyperbole
• D. Simile

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Pun

The title of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest utilizes a pun as its literary device. A pun is a form of wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a word or the similar sounds of different words for humorous or rhetorical effect. In this case, the word Earnest has a dual meaning.