How does the play critique class and social status through humor?

• A. By praising aristocratic traditions without question.
• B. By exposing the absurdity of social rules and the vanity of those who uphold them, especially through Lady Bracknell.
• C. By ignoring social rules altogether.
• D. By presenting a valorized lower class revolution.

Answer: (B)

Humor in this play is a tool to reveal how social rules and status shape behavior, often exposing their ridiculousness. The aristocratic world is shown as performative and fragile, held together by heavy expectations rather than real virtue. Lady Bracknell stands as the sharpest example: her pompous, meticulous interrogation about a suitableness of lineage, wealth, and social connections turns the marriage market into a satirical spectacle, highlighting how much weight is placed on appearances and pedigree. Through her self-importance and the absurd standards she upholds, Wilde invites the audience to laugh at the vanity and rigidity of high society. The humor also comes from mischief like Bunburying and mistaken identities, which undermine the seriousness of social conventions and reveal them to be malleable. This is why the answer that focuses on exposing the absurdity of social rules and the vanity of those who uphold them—especially through Lady Bracknell—best captures the critique.