Character of Cecily in The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde
A young and beautify ward of Jack is one of the most sentimental characters English literature ever produced. She is the heir to a large sum of funds held with the guardianship of Jack. She is simple and straightforward. However, the author has played upon the foolishness of women using the character of Cecily who is never understandable; in other terms she is the replica of all women. She means "YES" while saying no and vice versa.
Algernon proposes her for marriage and Cecily gives an astonishingly positive response:
"You silly boy! Of course. Why, we have been engaged for the last three months. "
Algernon looks stupid. He inquires her how they are engaged while they are meeting today. She explains:
"On the 14th of February last. Worn out by your entire ignorance of my existence, I determined to end the matter one way or the other, and after a long struggle with myself I accepted you under this dear old tree here. The next day I bought this little ring in your name, and this is the little bangle with the true lover's knot I promised you always to wear. "
Cecily proves to be an extremely sentimental girl and she tells him of his love letters she herself wrote. She further astonishes him with the breaking of the engagement:
"It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn't been broken off at least once. But I forgave you before the week was out".
She too, like Gwendolen, is fascinated by the name of Ernest:
"it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone whose name was Ernest. There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest".
