Who delivers the line 'The truth is rarely pure and never simple'?

• A. Jack Worthing
• B. Cecily Cardew
• C. Miss Prism
• D. Algernon Moncrieff

Answer: (D)

Algernon Moncrieff delivers that line, and it fits his wry, epigrammatic way of talking about truth. He enjoys turning conventional wisdom on its head, so when he quips that truth is rarely pure and never simple, it shows his belief that honesty is tangled with motives, appearances, and social games. This kind of remark is characteristic of his voice and Wilde’s satirical edge, which uses him to poke fun at Victorian attitudes toward sincerity and disguise. In the moment, the joke arises from a lighthearted discussion about truth and deception in social interactions, especially around love and marriage. The other characters—Jack, who tends toward earnestness and propriety; Cecily, playful and romantic; Miss Prism, serious and proper—don’t tend to treat truth in such a sharp, ironic way, so the line naturally belongs to Algernon.