The Importance of Being Earnest is an excellent example of a Comedy of Manners as it mocks the behaviours of Victorian aristocracy, it explores the social conduct of upper-middle class society. The plot revolves around lust between characters, the play features verbal wit and Algernon acts as an unscrupulous character - these are all main features of a Comedy of Manners. One traditional convention Wilde uses in the first Act of The Importance of Being Earnest is by exploring the social conduct of the Victorian upper-middle class society. He does this with Lady Bracknell's character as she behaves as though she behaves as a male role in choosing who Gwendolyn should marry; "Pardon me, you are not engaged to any one. When you do become engaged to some one, I, or your father, should his health permit him, will inform you of the fact. An engagement ¦ And now I have a few questions to put to you Mr Worthing. While I am making these inquiries, you, Gwendolyn, will wait for me below in the carriage.  This implies that Lady Bracknell will choose who Gwendolyn marries as it was seen as women were too feeble and foolish to chose their husbands for themselves. Lady Bracknell will not let Gwendolyn marry without her approval, she asks Jack a series of questions which gives Jack the opportunity to gain Lady Bracknell's approval of him. " ¦ Should his health permit him ¦  Suggests that males are the weaker gender. The fact that she has taken on the fathers duty to approve his daughters marriage shows that Lady Bracknell is a strong willed woman and doesn't need a male to tell her what to do, she is very free willed and very independent who enjoys being the person in control. Lady Bracknell seems to be the sort of woman who trusts her own judgment and will do whatever she believes is the right thing, she will not listen to anyone but herself. This goes against the common behaviour of society as normally, the male is in charge and in control an