Jack arrives at Algernon's London apartment and reveals he uses the name Ernest while in the city.

Algernon explains his practice of inventing a chronically ill friend named Bunbury to avoid unwanted social obligations.

Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen arrive at Algernon's apartment for their afternoon visit.

Jack proposes to Gwendolen and she accepts, delighted that his name happens to be Ernest.

Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack about his age, income, and family background.

Lady Bracknell discovers Jack was found as an infant in a handbag at Victoria Station and refuses the engagement.

Algernon secretly notes Jack's country address so he can visit the estate uninvited.

Algernon arrives at Jack's country estate and introduces himself to Cecily as Jack's brother Ernest.

Jack arrives at the country estate in black mourning clothes, claiming his brother Ernest has died.

Cecily informs Jack that his brother Ernest has already arrived at the house, exposing Jack's lie.

Gwendolen arrives unannounced at the estate, and both she and Cecily realize they are each engaged to Ernest Worthing.

Jack and Algernon admit their real names and confess their deceptions to both Gwendolen and Cecily.

Lady Bracknell arrives at the country estate and orders Gwendolen to stop all contact with Jack.

Miss Prism confesses she accidentally placed a baby in her handbag and abandoned it at Victoria Station.

Jack discovers his real name is Ernest and receives Lady Bracknell's blessing to marry Gwendolen.

Jack Worthing arrives in London using the alias Ernest to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, but his double life quickly becomes complicated. Lady Bracknell refuses the engagement when she learns Jack was found as an infant in a handbag at Victoria Station, leaving him without a family name. Algernon then travels uninvited to Jack's country estate, where Jack's ward Cecily becomes entangled in further Ernest-related deceptions. When both Gwendolen and Cecily discover they are each engaged to the same Ernest Worthing, the entire scheme unravels at once. Lady Bracknell's arrival at the estate triggers the play's climax, as Miss Prism's long-hidden secret finally comes to light. Jack's true parentage is revealed, his real name turns out to be Ernest all along, and all three couples are finally free to marry.

The main plot from double life to true identity.

Algernon and his butler Lane open the play by chatting about champagne and the habits of married men.

Algernon finds an inscription from Cecily on Jack's cigarette case and demands an explanation.

Algernon eats all the cucumber sandwiches specially prepared for Lady Bracknell before she arrives.

Algernon tries to use Bunbury as an excuse to skip Lady Bracknell's upcoming dinner invitation.

Gwendolen tells Jack she has always dreamed of loving a man with the name Ernest.

Gwendolen secretly returns to Jack's side to pledge her lifelong devotion despite her mother's opposition.

Miss Prism is tutoring Cecily in the garden when Cecily tries to get out of her German lesson.

Dr. Chasuble visits the garden and invites Miss Prism on an evening walk, revealing their mutual attraction.

Jack arranges with Dr. Chasuble to be christened with the name Ernest later that same afternoon.

Cecily reveals to Algernon that she has recorded a months-long fictional courtship with Ernest in her diary.

Cecily deliberately prepares Gwendolen's tea incorrectly and gives her cake instead of bread and butter.

Algernon calmly eats muffins while an infuriated Jack scolds him for ruining his chances with Gwendolen.

Jack and Algernon argue over which of them has the greater right to be christened with the name Ernest.

Lady Bracknell becomes enthusiastically supportive of Algernon's engagement upon learning of Cecily's enormous fortune.

Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism embrace as the third couple united at the play's conclusion.

The play's social comedy begins with Algernon and his butler Lane cheerfully subverting the norms of aristocratic hospitality from the very first scene. Algernon's petty deceptions — eating the cucumber sandwiches, dodging his aunt's dinner — set the tone for the larger charade to come. In the country, Cecily's bored domesticity with Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble establishes the world Jack has been trying to protect with his alias. The introduction of Cecily's fantastical diary and the deliberately ruined tea service reveal that both young women are just as prone to artifice as the men. Jack and Algernon's muffin-eating argument and their squabble over christening rights expose the absurdity lurking beneath their rivalry. The play closes with Lady Bracknell's pragmatic approval upon learning of Cecily's fortune and a quiet moment of happiness for the long-circling Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism.

The supporting details and social comedies behind the main story.

Jack insists his use of an alias is entirely different from Algernon's practice of Bunburying.

Jack asks Gwendolen if she would still love him if his name were Jack rather than Ernest; she says she would not.

Jack resolves to be rechristened as Ernest so that Gwendolen cannot object to marrying him.

Jack tells Algernon he plans to announce that his fictional brother Ernest has died of a stroke in Paris.

Jack reluctantly shakes Algernon's hand at Cecily's insistence before she and the others leave them alone in the garden.

Jack confronts Algernon alone and insists he must leave the estate on the very next train.

Cecily arranges a deliberate delay so Algernon misses his train and is forced to remain at the estate.

Algernon proposes to Cecily and discovers she, like Gwendolen, would only marry a man named Ernest.

Algernon hurries to find Dr. Chasuble to arrange his own christening under the name Ernest.

Gwendolen and Cecily turn hostile toward each other upon realizing both are engaged to the same Ernest Worthing.

Jack and Algernon each promise to be rechristened Ernest that afternoon, and both couples reconcile and embrace.

Algernon informs Lady Bracknell that his friend Bunbury has unexpectedly and finally died.

Jack refuses to approve Cecily and Algernon's marriage, using his guardianship as leverage against Lady Bracknell.

Jack rushes off and returns with the handbag he was found in; Miss Prism confirms it is hers.

Jack consults the Army Lists and discovers his father's name was Ernest, confirming his true identity.

The play's turning points begin with Jack insisting his alias is harmless and his quiet resolve to legally become Ernest in order to satisfy Gwendolen's romantic ideal. Algernon's plan to kill off the fictional Ernest and his uninvited use of the overheard address set off a chain of confrontations and missed trains at the country estate. Cecily's manipulation of Algernon's departure and her acceptance of his proposal under the Ernest condition mirror the earlier scene between Jack and Gwendolen in London. The emotional center of Act Two is the rapid shift from Gwendolen and Cecily's instant friendship to bitter rivalry and then back to solidarity once the men confess. In Act Three, each barrier to the marriages falls in turn: Bunbury is finally declared dead, Cecily's guardianship becomes a bargaining chip, and Miss Prism's confession about the handbag settles the question of Jack's identity. Jack's discovery of his name in the Army Lists is the final revelation, proving that the earnestness he pretended to have was, in fact, his birthright all along.