Algernon moncrieff biography examples

Character Analysis

Algy and Jack

Jack and Algernon certainly are a lot alike. So much so that it feels like we’re writing a Siamese twin character analysis. Take a look at the first section of Jack’s "Character Analysis" and come back for more Algernon-specific details.

Algernon’s Dandy Ancestors

Algernon is a toned-down version of a character type Wilde enjoyed writing: the dandy.

A dandy is an educated, dedicated follower of fashion... and a flouter of conventional male duty. Today we might call them metrosexuals.

Algernon moncrieff biography examples

Appearances are very important to Algernon, especially neckties and buttonhole flowers. He doesn’t hide his vanity from Cecily, confiding that "I never have any appetite unless I have a buttonhole first" (II.71), and that Jack "has no taste in neckties at all" (II.57).

In An Ideal Husband, the play Wilde wrote just before this one, a similar character (with a similar girlfriend) appears.

This character, Lord Goring, even has a scene with his butler that resembles