The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde

Ne: Algy has a big imagination which he implements into his daily life. Both he and Jack invent fictional identities, but Algy’s has a creative name, and he talks about him with dry sarcasm. His imagination makes him the perfect match for Cecily. He emotionally invests himself when listening to Cecily’s fantastical diary, and gets upset when she tells him she broke off their imaginary engagement. To be perfectly honest, it seems as though Algy is Wilde’s Ne representee in the play. Algy can’t take anything seriously, especially when he’s under stress.

Fi: Algy does little other than make fun of society. He’s full of mischief and scorns conventional morality. He doesn’t have much self-control, though he definitely has ethical opinions (different from society’s of course). He is inconstant in his behaviours, going from considering marriage business one minute and the next falling in love within minutes. He’s impulsive, to the point of unpredictability.

Te: Algy is blunt and sarcastic and tends to have cynical (though idealistic) approach to life. Algy isn’t great with managing his personal finances and isn’t really the master of self-control. He can talk his way out of tricky situations, but doesn’t always have the logic to figure out how to get out without improvising.

Si: Appearances are important to Algy, but not in the same way they are to Jack (Jack cares about reputation, Algy cares about the way he looks).  He’s a bit effeminate and loves his fashion with a passion (ooh, accidental rhymes!).