Question

Whose arrival does Algernon’s butler, Lane, announce in the play’s opening scene?

• A. Gwendolen Fairfax
• B. Lady Bracknell
• C. Jack Worthing
• D. Ernest Worthing

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Jack Worthing

• In the play’s opening scene, Algernon’s butler, Lane, announces the arrival of Mr. Jack Worthing (who is initially introduced as "Ernest Worthing").

• Lane’s role in the opening scene is to set the tone of Wilde’s satire on upper-class life. His witty and indifferent responses to Algernon’s questions highlight the absurdity of social conventions. For example, when Algernon asks Lane if he drank the champagne at a previous dinner, Lane dryly replies that “I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate brand.”

• This exchange establishes the play’s comedic style and themes of deception and class distinctions before Jack (posing as "Ernest") arrives, setting the main plot in motion.