What theme does Lady Bracknell's interrogation foreground in terms of marriage?

• A. Love
• B. Fame
• C. Money and pedigree
• D. Religion

Answer: (C)

The focus is on how marriage is treated as a social arrangement governed by wealth and family status rather than romance. Lady Bracknell’s interrogation makes that point explicit by turning the match-making moment into a test about fortunes, lineage, and social connections. She asks about a suitor’s income, his parentage, even his place of birth, all to determine whether a union will secure or elevate the family’s position. This shows Wilde’s satirical view of the Victorian marriage market, where the value of a potential spouse is measured by money and pedigree more than by love or personal compatibility. That context is why the theme centers on money and pedigree—the real stakes of marriage in the play’s world.