John "Jack" Worthing: Jack is the play's protagonist; he is the most sympathetic, plausible character, whose love for Gwendolen is far more believable than the other desires we witness. He was found in a handbag on a railway line, and as such feels less at home in aristocratic society than does Algernon. He lives in the country but has invented a wicked brother named "Ernest" whose scrapes require Jack's attendance in the city. Algernon Moncrieff: …showed first 75 words of 450 total…

…showed last 75 words of 450 total…a passive servant. He is especially perceptive about class tensions, and uses his humor to deflate them. Chasuble: A rector, Chasuble frequently visits Jack's country house to see Miss Prism. Though he is celibate, he seems well matched for the educated Miss Prism. Merriman: Jack's butler, Merriman has a much less significant role than Lane has, but in one scene he and another servant force the bickering Gwendolen and Cecily to maintain supposedly polite conversation.