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George Bernard Shaw

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Pygmalion: Introduction

Pygmalion: plot summary, pygmalion: detailed summary & analysis, pygmalion: themes, pygmalion: quotes, pygmalion: characters, pygmalion: symbols, pygmalion: literary devices, pygmalion: quizzes, pygmalion: theme wheel, brief biography of george bernard shaw.

Pygmalion PDF

Historical Context of Pygmalion

Other books related to pygmalion.

  • Full Title: Pygmalion
  • When Written: 1912
  • Where Written: London
  • When Published: 1912
  • Literary Period: Victorian period
  • Genre: Drama, comedy, comedy of manners
  • Setting: London
  • Climax: In act four, after winning the bet concerning Eliza, Higgins says he has been bored with his experiment, and treats Eliza poorly. Infuriated, Eliza throws Higgins' slippers at him and argues and fights with him.
  • Antagonist: While Eliza and Higgins argue with each other, they both cooperate in order to fool London's high society. The rigid hierarchy of social classes in Victorian England can be seen as the antagonist against which all the characters struggle, as they deal with issues of class and wealth.

Extra Credit for Pygmalion

Double Threat. George Bernard Shaw is the only person to have ever won both the Nobel Prize in Literature and an Oscar. He won the Oscar for his work on a film adaptation of Pygmalion .

Thanks But No Thanks. At first, Shaw declined to accept the Nobel Prize. He later changed his mind, but still refused the prize money, wanting it instead to fund translations of Swedish literature into English.

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Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although it is often conflated in the popular imagination with the much-loved musical it inspired, George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Pygmalion is somewhat different from the romantic comedy My Fair Lady . Let’s take a closer look at Shaw’s play and some of its prominent themes. Before we offer an analysis of Pygmalion , though, let’s briefly recap the story of the play.

Pygmalion : summary

The ‘plot’ of Shaw’s play is easy enough to summarise. Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, has an almost Sherlockian ability to deduce the hometown or region of anyone based on their accent. He overhears a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle and mocks the common way she talks. The next day, Eliza shows up and asks Higgins to give her elocution lessons so she can learn to talk ‘proper’.

Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle, shows up and tries to get some money off Higgins: he shows himself to be boorish and prone to violence – he tries to strike his daughter when she sticks her tongue out at him – and Higgins, realising the upbringing his young protégé has had, acknowledges that he has taken on a mammoth task in trying to make Eliza into a respectable-sounding lady.

Higgins nevertheless accepts the challenge, with his friend Colonel Pickering betting him that he can’t pass Eliza off as a lady at the ambassador’s party in six months’ time. Higgins is emboldened by this challenge, and a few months later he tests his progress on Eliza by taking her to his mother’s drawing-room party, where Eliza’s diction impresses the partygoers. However, her use of vulgar language – including the swearword ‘bloody’ – is greeted less enthusiastically.

But the young Freddy Eynsford-Hill is smitten by her, and pursues her. At the ambassador’s ball, Eliza charms everyone with her diction and her language, and Higgins wins his bet. However, he loses interest in her afterwards, much to her annoyance. Indeed, he even crows that her transformation is only superficial and possible because of his work on her; when her father appears, announcing his marriage, and Eliza immediately reverts to her Cockney speech, he is triumphant. Eliza accepts Freddy’s attention instead, agreeing to marry him.

Note: the most famous line from the play was also the most daring. When Eliza is leaving Mrs Higgins’s party and Freddy asks her if she plans to walk across the park, Eliza replies, ‘Walk? Not bloody likely!’ Mrs. Patrick Campbell, for whom Shaw wrote the part of Eliza Doolittle, was risking her whole career in saying such a strong swearword, for the times, on the public stage.

Pygmalion : analysis

Most theatre critics regard the musical adaptation of Shaw’s play, the Lerner and Loewe musical My Fair Lady , as a sentimental travesty of Pygmalion , and with good reason – not least because the friendship between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle in Shaw’s play is founded on Higgins’s professional pride (read: arrogance) rather than any romantic interest he has in her. His lifelong bachelorhood is a result of his love for his mother, as Shaw himself made clear, and his interest in Eliza is purely professional.

Indeed, as the great critic Michael Billington notes in The 101 Greatest Plays: From Antiquity to the Present , Pygmalion is actually an ‘ironic inversion’ of the standard romantic plot. It gives us a boy (well, man) who meets a girl and then uses her to try to win a bet, before casting her aside as soon as he’s done so: hardly the way we expect a romantic comedy to end. Shaw felt the need to qualify his ending by adding a long epilogue to the play when it was printed.

Taking the superficial structure of the romantic comedy and inverting it for his own ends, Shaw explores the English class system with all of its petty attitudes and posturings. The fact that a Cockney flower girl can, with a few months’ tuition, be trained up so she will convince even the most blue-blooded within society that she is one of them doesn’t say much for the inherent superiority of the upper classes. It’s all a sham, a show: class is not just a social construct, but an artificial one.

The title of Shaw’s play alludes to the classical myth of Pygmalion, a Cretan king who fell in love with his own sculpture. She was transformed into a woman, Galatea, by Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. But here again, as Billington observes, Shaw inverts this love story: in Pygmalion a woman is turned into a statue, a ‘mechanical doll who resembles a duchess’.

As Shaw makes clear in the epilogue to the play, Eliza makes a carefully considered decision not to marry Professor Higgins, not least because she realises she could never supplant his mother in his affections.

Shaw’s socialist thinking is central to his exploration of the English class system in Pygmalion . In his depiction of the ease with which Eliza is transformed into a lady in fashionable upper-class society, he exposes the hollowness at the heart of that society.

And yet just as Eliza is easily made into a passable lady, so the spell can instantly wear off and she can be transformed back into her former self, such as when Mr Doolittle appears in the final act. It is, apparently, harder to lose or forget our humble roots than it might first appear.

But another of Shaw’s interests – indeed, his life’s project – is at the core of Pygmalion : the English language as it is spoken. In his preface to the play, Shaw famously argued, ‘It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.’ He also states in the preface: ‘If the play makes the public aware that there are such people as phoneticians, and that they are among its most important people in England at present, it will serve its turn.’

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Smart English Notes

Pygmalion : Summary, Characters, Outline, Questions

Table of Contents

Pygmalion is the most successful play of Shaw both on stage and screen. It was first produced at the Halfburg Theatre in Vienna on 16th Oct. 1913. It had achieved wide popularity in all English speaking world. The film based on the play was produced in 1938. It had met a grand success. A musical version of the play was ‘My Fair Lady’. A film version based on ‘My Fair Lad’ was produced in 1963. It was a great success. The play has been translated in Marathi language by Shri. P. L. Deshpande. Its name is ‘Tee Phulrani’. The play achieved a grand success on a Marathi stage. Thus the play has got a universal appeal.

Pygmalion : Summary, Characters, Outline, Questions 1

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Sources 1. The main source of the play is a myth of Pygmalion in ancient Greece. According to the earliest version of the story, Pygmalion was a king of Cyprus. He fell in love with a statue of a girl named Galatea. Then he prayed Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She breathed life into the statue. Then he married Galatea. 2. The play, Pygmalion is based on the old fairy tale of Cinderella. 3. The play Pygmalion had carried the influence of the story of Adam and Eve from the medieval morality plays. The myth of Pygmalion is symbolic. It is related to man’s desire to do certain things which are superior to the things available in the world.

The setting of the play : The story of Pygmalion takes place in London. The first act opens Covert Garden, at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. Then it moves to London slum locality. The second act takes place at the residence of Prof. Higgins on Wimple Street. The third act takes place in Chelsea Embankment; a fashionable locality in London. Then it moves to a foreign embassy in London. The action further takes place in the localities of London Cavendish Square, Hanover Square and Wimbledon Common.

The characters in the play : 1. Henry Higgins – Pygmalion, a Prof. of Phonetics. 2. Colonel Pickering – A student of Phonetics, studied the dialects of Sanskrit. 3. Eliza Doolittle – The flower girl, the student of Prof. Higgins. 4. Alfred Doolittle – the father of Eliza. 5. Mrs Higgins – the mother of Prof. Higgins 6. Freddy Hill – the lover of Eliza 7. Mrs Pearce – the housekeeper of Higgins. 8. Mrs Eynsford Hill – the mother of Freddy and Clara. 9. Clara Hill – Sister of Freddy.

Structure of The Play The play follows a typical Shavion formula – i.e. Exposition – Complication – Discussion. The first act is a prologue. It introduces the main theme and characters in the play. It is an exposition . The first act is a prologue. It introduces the main theme and characters in the play. It is an exposition . The complication and its climax come in the II , III and IV act. They consist of Eliza’s education, the tests of her learning at Mrs Higgins and at the Ambassador’s party. The IV and V acts are concerned with the consequences of Eliza’s education. Structurally, we can divide the play into four parts. 1. Prologue 2. Eliza’s education 3. Tests of Eliza’s learning 4. Consequences of Eliza’s learning. The play progresses from ignorance to knowledge.

The story in Outline / Summary

Pygmalion is the story of Prof. Higgins and a flower girl Eliza Doolittle. It was a rainy night. A number of passengers were standing in the portico of St. Paul’s church for shelter. Eliza was one of them. She was a flower girl. Mrs Hill, Clara Hill, Freddy Hill were standing there. Freddy was gone to search for a cab. While returning he collided against Eliza. Flowers in her hand were fallen in the mud. She shouted loudly in her cockney dialects. Mrs Hill gave her six pence. Eliza requested other bystanders to purchase her flowers. Prof. Higgins was noting down her dialects. Also, he was noting down the features of different- dialects spoken by the people standing there. The people suspected him. He said that he was a professor of Phonetics. He could identify the locality of the people from their way of speaking. There he met a military gentleman Colonel Pickering. He was a student of Cambridge University. Then he had gone to India. He studied Sanskrit there, He specialized himself in Sanskrit dialects. He came to London only to meet Prof. Higgins. Thus Prof. Higgins and Pickering became friends. Prof. Higgins invited him to stay at his house in Wimpole Street. While talking Prof. Higgins said that he could train the flower girl. He could change her from a flower girl to a duchess at an Ambassador party.

The next day, Prof. Higgins and Colonel Pickering were sitting together at Higgin’s house. Prof. Higgins was demonstrating him his methods of teaching Phonetics. Soon, Eliza, the flower girl, entered there. She told Prof. Higgins that she wanted to take a job in a fashionable flower shop. Prof. Higgin surprised but agreed her offer. Further, he boasted he would train her. He would transform her into a fashionable lady within six months. Colonel Pickering bet with Higgins He said if he could do so, he would pay all the expenses of her education.

Freddy was lingering out. Eliza joined Freddy. They wandered together the whole night. The next morning Eliza went to Mrs Higgins. Prof. Higgins and Pickering worried. They rang up the police. Then they reached to Mrs Higgins. Eliza’s father also came there. There we learnt Eliza was his illegitimate daughter. And he was supposed to marry her stepmother.

There was a hot discussion between Eliza and Higgins. She told that she was going to marry Freddy. Though he was an uneducated man, he could be a good father to their children. She would live with him happily.

Act-wise summary of the play

Now we will study the story of the play in detail. We will try to analyse each act. The play falls into five acts. The first act functions as a prologue to the play. It reveals the main theme of the play: i.e. education. The succeeding acts develop the action. They are related to Eliza’s education, her two tests and her rebellion.

ACT I It was a rainy night in London. The time was 11.15 p.m. A number of passengers were taking shelter at the Portico of St. Paul’s Church in London. Among them were Mrs Hill, Clara Hill, they were waiting for Freddy, the son of Mrs Hill. He was gone to bring a cab. As he came empty, he was irritated by his mother and sister. He rushed again. On his way, he collided against a flower-girl Eliza. Her flowers were scattered in the mud. She shouted at Freddy in her typical cockney dialect. Her dress was very poor. Mrs Hill gave her sixpence Prof. Higgins was observing the scene. He was noting down the varieties of dialect used by the people standing there. There came a military gentleman to take shelter. He was Colonel Pickering, Eliza requested him to purchase flowers. She was requesting other bystanders to buy her flowers. Prof. Higgins noted down every word of Eliza. He was mistaken as a spy. Eliza got feared. She shouted that she had done nothing wrong. She had the right to sell flowers. Then Prof. Higgins told that he was mistaken by them. He was a professor in phonetics. He showed his notebook to them. He had written the phonetic script of Eliza’s speech. He added he could identify the native of the person from the person’s (his) dialect. He told Eliza that she was from Lisson Grove. Prof. Higgins and Pickering got acquainted with each other. They became good friends. Prof. Higgins invited him to stay at his house. He told about his profession. Moreover, he boasted if the flower-girl could learn lessons from him he could change her into the duchess at an Ambassador’s party. Eliza was listening to their talk seriously. She got money from Pickering and Prof. Higgins. The rain stopped. People departed Freddy came with a cab for his mother and sister until they went by bus. Therefore, Eliza hired the cab and went to her room. She was quite happy and relaxed. She had got more money on that day. She would dream a lot about her life.

Comments : Shaw exposes the play in this act. The theme of the play is indicated in the act. All the major characters were introduced here. Prof. Higgins was a Pygmalion. He was a creator of Eliza. He was a professor of phonetics. He was boastful about his profession. He said he could change the poor flower-girl into a fine lady of the upper class. Accidental meeting of Prof. Higgins and Colonel Pickering made them good friends. Freddy felt delicate feelings for Eliza. As she had got money on that day, she started planning for her future.

ACT II The second act took place in Prof. Higgin’s house in Wimpole Street. There was a laboratory in his house. He used to give lessons in phonetics to his students. He used to follow his own methods of training others. It was well equipped with necessary instruments of recording and reproducing sounds. He loved his profession very much. He was boastful about his work. He was showing his laboratory to his new friend Colonel Pickering.

Mrs Pearce, the housekeeper, informed the arrival of a girl to Higgins. She was told to send the girl in. As he saw the girl, he stunned. He shouted at her. Do you know, why? She was Eliza, a flower girl. She had the very poor pronunciation of her language. She told her purpose of coming over there. She wanted to take lessons in phonetics from him. She desired to take a good job at some florist. She was ready to pay his fees. He accepted her offer. Even Colonel Pickering took a bet that if Prof. Higgins could change the flower girl into a sophisticated lady within six months he would pay all the expenses of her education.

Eliza’s education started. She was cleaned and washed by Mrs Pearce. She was given a new dress to wear. She was asked to stay in his house only. Mrs Pearce was told to take care of her. She taught her the ways of good manners.

Meanwhile, there came Alfred Doolittle, the father of Eliza to Higgins house. He was a poor dustman. He tried to threat Higgins for taking Eliza in his house. Later he confessed that he would not take Eliza back. He just wanted five pounds from Higgins.

Actual lessons started. Eliza was a slum-girl. She was illiterate. Therefore, it was difficult for her to take a lesson from Prof. Higgins. He was very strict. He was short-tempered. Sometimes she felt to run away to her own slum. But Colonel Pickering encouraged her. He taught her manners. She got parental love from him. She made good progress within three months. She was able to differentiate between human sounds. She could play on piano. Even she could identify and pronounce African dialect. Thus she was ready to face a test before Mrs Higgins, the mother of Prof. Higgins.

Comments : The act reveals various characters in the play. There is the conflict of ideas, opinions and problems raised by different characters. First, Mrs Pearce questioned her master when Eliza would turn into a sophisticated lady. How she could adjust herself with her changed circumstances. Secondly, Eliza’s father raised his problem. He was ‘an undeserving poor’ and ‘middle-class moralist’ was thrust on him. He did not want to change his rank because he could not conduct properly in the changed condition. So he felt happy with five pence. Thirdly, the main conflict comes between Prof. Higgins and Pickering. Higgins boasted to change a flower girl in a duchess in a few months. Pickering challenged him that if he could do so he would make all the expenses of Eliza’s education. Fourthly, Alfred Doolittle came to blackmail Prof Higgins but was satisfied with just five pence and went away. Fifthly, we see a cultural conflict in Eliza. Though she was changed in a sophisticated lady she could not give up her habits, even she could not adopt the free and easy ways of upper-class society. Out of all these conflicts, the story moves forward. At the and of the second act, Eliza was made ready to face her test before Mrs Higgins.

ACT III The third act took place in the drawing-room of Mrs Higgin’s house in Chelsea Embankment. It was afternoon time four and five. Mrs Higgins was an old lady of sixty years. It was her ‘at home’ day. On that day she would remain at her house and would receive her friends and visitors. Prof. Higgins, Colonel Pickering, Mrs. and Miss Hill, Mr Eynsford Hill (Freddy) arrived at the party. Lastly, Miss Doolittle arrived and created a sensation. She was looking beautiful and self-confident. Everybody was impressed by her conduct and small talk. The party was over. Guests had departed. Prof. Higgins, Colonel Pickering discussed Eliza with Mrs Higgins. Mrs Higgins agreed that he had taken efforts towards her pronunciation. She required more efforts to improve her manner. Further, she warned him that if a poor woman had lifted to a fine lady what should be done with her? How she could live unless she had a fine lady’s income. Prof. Higgins attempts were one-sided. He was thinking only of his experiments and their success. He would take more efforts to polish her manners. By the end of her course, Eliza was taken to the ambassador’s Garden Party. There also she created a sensation. She was appreciated as a princess. Thus a flower girl had successfully transferred into a princess.

Comments : This act throws light on various factors. First, why Mrs. Higgins kept her son Prof. Higgins out of her house. Second, Freddy’s attraction towards Eliza was suggestive about their possible marriage in future. Third, Eliza presented herself well. She impressed everyone present at the Higgins. However, she required more training regarding her manners. It was a half success of Prof. Higgins. Fourth, by the end of Eliza’s training, she was brought by the Ambassador’s Gardan Party. There she proved herself the best. Thus her transformation completed Prof. Higgins won the bet.

ACT IV The fourth act took place at the residence of Prof. Higgins. The time was of midnight. Prof. Higgins, Colonel Pickering and Eliza were just returned from the Ambassador’s Party. Prof. Higgins was very much happy as he won the bet. Colonel Pickering congratulated him. Eliza was laid aside. She was quite angry because Prof. Higgins had used her just like a speaking machine. She had expected that Higgins would propose her. But he had not thought her in that way. There was a serious quarrel between them. She threw her slippers on his face. She had a problem where she could go thereafter? Previously she sold flowers but now turned a lady and how she could sell flowers or anything. Thus she had a question before her how to live, what to do by being a lady. She was furious. She could not understand what to do. She gave everything back to Higgins that was given to her. She decided to leave him. Then she went out for a night walk. She met Freddy. They wandered the whole night. Eliza decided to meet Mrs Higgins the next day.

Comments: The action reached the climax in the third and the fourth act. Education of Eliza was completed successfully. The problem remained what Eliza would to do with her changed rank. Prof. Higgins was not at all interested in her. His work was over. Though Eliza was Higgins creation he could not marry her. So Freddy was there. He loved Eliza like anything. The act throws light on the character of Higgins. He was selfish, boastful. He used Eliza to prove his knowledge. When it was proved he left her for nothing.

ACT V Eliza returned to Higgins house in the morning. She collected her things and went to Mrs Higgins. Now Eliza appeared to be conscious about her future. She expected guidance from Mrs Higgins. Here Prof. Higgins and Colonel Pickering were worried about Eliza. They asked Mrs Higgins about Eliza. Pickering rang up the police. Mrs Higgins called them nonsense.

Alfred Doolittle arrived at Mrs Higgins. He revealed his own situation. He was honoured as ‘the most original moralist at present in England’ but he had nothing to do with it. He was a dustman. He wanted to keep his job ahead. He was going to marry then first time in his life Eliza was his illegitimate child.

Alfred invited all of them to his marriage. Mrs Higgins, Pickering and Eliza went to marriage leaving Higgins back alone. The play ends there and then Pickering told Eliza to forgive Higgins and stay with him. Eliza had fatherly affection towards him. She had to agree. Also, she cared for Higgins but he could not understand her. He was making certain absurd proposals before her. So she became furious. She told him at once that Freddy loved her. She wanted to marry him in spite of all his limitations.

Then she would run a flower shop of her own. She could settle herself well in her life.

Comments : The act is concerned with the consequences of Eliza’s education. She became a self-confident and strong-willed lady. Her education was over. Consequences of education on her became visible. She tried to search for her identity and position in the higher social environment. Prof. Higgins, the most practical man, was left alone. Actually, the play ends here but the story of Eliza has given a finishing touch in the epilogue.

The Characters : There are five main characters in the play. They are : i) Prof. Henry Higgins ii) Eliza Doolittle iii) Colonel Pickering iv) Alfred Doolittle v) Freddy Hill There are four minor characters. They support the main action of the play. They are : i) Mrs Higgins ii) Clara Hill iii) Mrs Hill iv) Mrs Pearce. Now we will see the details of these characters :

Prof Henry Higgins:

We have gone through the story. Then guess who is Pygmalion in the story? Yes, Henry Higgins is Pygmalion of Shaw. He does not make a statue. He does not worship physical beauty like Pygmalion in Greek Mythology. He is a professor of phonetics. He desires to make his students perfect in their speaking. He knows peculiarities of different dialects spoken in the localities of London. He could identify the specific locality of the person from the dialect he speaks.

A Typical professor : He is a typical professor. He is devoted to his subject. His only interest is to teach the students to speak English perfectly. He is enthusiastic. He is energetic even at the age of 40. He could not tolerate the rough use of dialect. According to him, one must speak English correctly. He has undertaken the job to refine Eliza. He dreams to transform a flower girl into a duchess. He thinks that it is a challenge to his knowledge.

Short-tempered: He is a short-tempered man. Little things upset him, for example, repeated weeping of Eliza annoys him. He gets angry with Eliza on a small account. He threats her of punishment. He doesn’t control his temper.

A careless person : He is a very careless person. He is rude and untidy. He lacks culture and good manners. His mother had kept him away because of his ill manners. He is unfit to sophisticated society. He uses indecent words in his speech. He lacks table manners. He is rude and unrefined in his manners. Even he does not bother about mannerisms in genteel society. Higgins – Eliza Relations : Higgin is the professor of phonetics. Eliza is his student. He is cynic towards Eliza. He is indifferent towards her beauty and charm. He loves his subject like anything. Here his role is that of creator. He transforms a poor flower girl to a beautiful lady. He is using Eliza in his experiment. He wants intellectual satisfaction from her. That’s why after the Ambassador’s party, Higgins overjoyed on Eliza’s success. He boasts on his success. He doesn’t think about Eliza’s feeling. Eliza expects emotional satisfaction from him. His lessons changed Eliza into a strong-willed woman. Higgins appears a weak-willed person. The two characters are two poles apart.

Higgins loves his profession much. But he could not love any young woman. He believed women upset everything. Therefore, he remained a bachelor at the age of 40. Even he will not marry thereafter.

2. Colonel Pickering He is an elderly gentleman of the amiable military type. He is an elderly person. He appears to be a sincere nobleman. He was from Cambridge. He is a student of phonetics. He has visited India. He has studied and specialized in the dialects of Sanskrit. He has written a book on spoken Sanskrit. He has come to London to meet Prof. Higgins, a professor of Phonetics. Coincidently, he met Prof. Higgins at the portico of St. Paul’s Church. He was much impressed by Higgins knowledge of understanding dialects. Soon they became good friends. He stayed with Prof. Higgins at Higgins House.

Prof. Higgins and Colonel Pickering. : Prof. Higgins was proud of his knowledge of Phonetics. He was boastful about his teaching and experiments in teaching phonetics. He claimed that he could train an illiterate flower girl. He would transform her into a duchess within six months by teaching her speaking English correct. Colonel Pickering challenged him about his boast. He was sober and generous. He took a special interest in Eliza’s education. He supported her and encouraged her for good learning. He treated her with due respect. Whereas Prof. Higgins treated her as a machine. Colonel Pickering played the role of guardian in Eliza’s education as well as in her life. He supported financial help to Eliza and Freddy to set up a flower shop and made them lead a respectable life.

3. Eliza Doolittle : Eliza Doolittle is a young girl of 18. She is the daughter of a dustman. She sells flowers to earn her living. Though she is beautiful, she is untidy, rude and dirty in her appearance. She speaks cockney dialects. She is a shabby and unromantic girl. Yet she became the heroine the play. We met her in the 1st act. She was selling flowers at the portico of the church. On that day she earned enough money. Money made her dream about future. Therefore she decided to learn speaking correct English. She went to Prof. Higgins. She requested him to give her lessons in spoken English. She proved herself an obedient student. She took a keen interest in her learning. She proved herself an efficient girl. That is why she completed her education with grand success. She was made a beautiful lady.

Eliza appeared pathetic. Her transformation into a duchess created a lot of problems before her. She was helplessly asking questions –What I am fit for? Where am I to go? What am I to do? etc. Prof. Higgins didn’t care about her. As her education had completed she was left for her own.

Eliza became a strong-willed woman. After her education, she realized life. She was expecting love from Prof. Higgins. But soon she preferred Freddy as her husband. Education made her live independently. It helped her to search for her identity. It transformed her into a self-confident and strong-willed woman. She could dare to marry an uneducated Freddy. She desired to overcome any difficulty in her way. She dreamed to lead a peaceful family life. Eliza is the only character in the play, who changes, grows and develops her own identity.

4. Alfred Doolittle : Alfred Doolittle is Eliza’s father. He is a poor dustman. His main business is to extort money from others and put it into his pockets. He himself is a lazy person. His name itself suggests his nature. He is immoral. He sells his daughter to Prof. Higgins for five pounds. Alfred Doolittle is a comic character . He creates fun and humour in the play. He is Shaw’s spokesman. He exposes Shaw’s own philosophy of life, marriage, society. He is a social rebel. He feels everyone should get what he wants. He is unconventional. He is a liar. He is a cheat. He is frank about his weakness. He is a man of spirit. He is enthusiastic. His enthusiasm remains throughout the play.

5. Freddy : Freddy is the popular name of Fredrick Eynsford Hill. He belonged to a noble family. He is the young man of 20. He is introduced like another character in the first act. He is a poor chap. His mother calls him ’helpless’. Similarly, he lacks commonsense. He is uneducated. He has completed his elementary primary education at a cheap public school. He is not trained for any profession. Therefore he remains poor.

Freddy loves Eliza. A cab brought them together in the first act. He was impressed by the beauty of the flower girl. Then he met Eliza at the residence of Mrs Higgins. There was a small party at Higgins. Also, it was a trial test of Eliza before Higgins. There he was attracted towards her. He loved her small talk and her cherished personality. He wrote letters to her very regularly. He came to Wimpole Street to see Eliza every night. When Eliza came out of the house after her quarrel with Higgins, Freddy met her and smoothes her. He expresses his love for her. Finally, he marries Eliza.

6. Mrs Higgins : Mrs Higgins is the mother of Higgins. She is an old lady of 60 years. She lives alone in her own flat at Chelsea Embankment. She has maintained her house decently. She lives separate from her son, who is careless, untidy, Mrs Higgins could not tolerate his habits. Mrs Higgins is a loving mother. She has taken a good effort to make her son a scholar in phonetics. She supports him to become successful in his subject with her guidance and encouragement. Yet her love for her son is not blind. She knows everything about him.

Mrs Higgins is kind-hearted and sympathetic to Eliza. She provides her with every help. She supports her. Thus Mrs Higgins is a loving woman.

7. Miss Clara Hill : Clara is Freddy’s sister. She brings Freddy and Eliza together. She makes their marriage possible. Therefore though she is a minor character , she plays an important role in the life of Eliza and Freddy.

8. Mrs Hill: Mrs Hill was the mother of Freddy and Clara. She is a middle-aged lady. She is tolerant, calm and generous 9. Mrs Pearce: Mrs Pearce is the housekeeper of Prof. Higgins. She is sincere and devoted to her work. She plays an important role in the transformation of Eliza into a fine lady.

Now we will study the major themes in the play. Education, a quest for identity, search for belongings, loss of social identity, human relationship, love, etc., are the themes of the play.

Education : Education of Eliza is the central theme of the play. Eliza is an illiterate flower girl. She belongs to a lower class of society. She is crude and ill-mannered. She speaks her cockney dialect. Prof. Higgins observes her. He notes down her cockney dialect. If she is given education she could be a fine lady Eliza goes to him the next day. She requested him to give lessons in spoken English. Prof. Higgins accepted the task. He decided to train the girl. He boasted that he could transform the flower girl into a duchess within six months. The exercises were taken. Eliza was changed. She successfully passed the two tests. One at Mrs Higgins ‘at – home day’ and the other at the Ambassador’s Party. She passed her second test. Everybody appreciated her like a princess.

Quest for identity Due to education, Eliza realized her own identity. She was progressed from ignorance to knowledge. She was completely changed. She was lifted from the lower-class environment to the upper class. So she had a problem what to do with her new identity. She could not return back. So she desires to live up to new social identity. She became confident. Therefore she could confront the problem of identity on her own. Alfred Doolittle faced the same problem of social identity. He was lifted from his slum life to the middle class by Higgins accidentally. Higgins refers to him as ‘the most original moralist at present in England’. Accidentally Alfred was lifted from undeserving dustman to a gentleman. It was true that it was not his spiritual change. Whether he became rich or remained poor it could not make any difference to him.

Human Relationships The success of the play depends on the nature of human relationship : Prof. Higgins and Eliza : Prof. Higgins is a man of genius. Eliza is a poor flower girl. Higgins used Eliza to his purpose. He lifted her from flower girl to a duchess. It does mean he loves her. On the contrary, his first love was phonetics. He was devoted to the experiment in the subject. He trained Eliza to show his knowledge. A man of genius could not think about emotional love/woman’s love.

Eliza was living with Prof. Higgins for six months. She had a certain feeling towards Higgins. Therefore after finishing her education successfully, she expected the same from Prof. Higgins. But he could not understand her.

The life-force : Both man and woman have different purpose according to their biological instincts. Woman’s purpose is to pursue the man to marry him to make him the father of their children. Man’s purpose is to raise life to a higher level. Shaw has presented this life-force as the central motif. The class between Prof. Higgins and Eliza was the result of the life force.

Eliza and Freddy: Eliza and Freddy belonged to the same generation. Freddy was attracted towards Eliza in their first meeting at the portico of St. Paul’s Church. Both of them were uneducated. Eliza was given education and lifted to a high standard. During her education, she was taken to Mrs Higgins at a home day party. It was her first test. She presented well. Freddy, his mother and sister Clara were present there. That was the second meeting of Eliza and Freddy. Eliza was looking beautiful. She was changed a lot. Freddy fell in love with her. He desired to marry her. Eliza agreed his proposal when she was ignored by Prof. Higgins after her grand success in the final test. She thought that Freddy could be the good father for her children.

Appreciation Now we will appreciate the play by discussing the plot construction in the play, the title and the subtitle of the play. Then we will see problems in Pygmalion. 18.6.1 Plot construction: The plot of Pygmalion is logically constructed. There are three main actions in the play. 1. Eliza’s education 2. A consequence of her education. 3. Discussion on the consequences of Eliza education and Alfred Doolittle’s story as a sequel. The task of Eliza’s education was undertaken by Prof. Higgins. He made different phonetic experiment on Eliza. He transformed her from a flower girl to a princess. His task was over. Eliza had to face new problems as the consequence of her education. As Eliza was lifted high from her lower class. She could not return to her previous position. Also being an upper-class lady she could not sell flowers or anything. She had lost her previous identity. She had to search for her new social identity. Then there was a lot of discussion and quarrel on the problem. Education made her self confident and strong-willed. Eliza became independent. So she solved her problem in her own way. She had so many options for earning. The self-realization of Eliza signifies the success of education. Alfred Doolittle’s story is discussed in the play. It is a sequel to the main plot. These actions are skillfully woven together in the play.

The title: The title ‘Pygmalion’ is attractive. It is taken from Greek Mythology. Pygmalion was a sculptor. He made a statue of a beautiful girl, Galatea. He fell in love with the statue. Aphrodite, the goddess of youth and beauty, poured life into the statue. Pygmalion married Galatea.

In the play, Higgins is Pygmalion. Eliza Doolittle is Galatea of the legend. Eliza is an uneducated flower girl. Higgins experimented over the girl in his phonetic laboratory. She was trained there. Then she became a refined lady. The experiment resulted in success. Eliza was taken as a princess. Thus Prof. Higgins is the creator of Eliza but he did not marry Eliza, his creation. The subtitle :

The subtitle of the play is A Romance. It is ironical because Higgins, the hero, is anti-romantic. He is an old bachelor. Eliza, the heroine, is his creation. But he has used her only for his scientific purpose. The transformation of Eliza into a beautiful lady is quite romantic. But the hero Higgins does not marry her. When his experiment is over, his interest is Eliza is over. Shaw treated the play in his own style. He was an anti-romantic. He was an iconoclast. He made it clear in Pygmalion.

The love story of Eliza-Freddy has the element of romance. Eliza and Freddy fell in love with each other. Then they got married.

Pygmalion is mainly a problem play, Shaw has given a touch of romance only in the creation of Eliza as a new creature and the love story of Eliza and Freddy 18.6.3 Problem in Pygmalion: Pygmalion is a problem play. A number of problems are presented and discussed in it. Here we will look into some of the problems in the play.

1. The problem of education : Eliza successfully completes her education. But it creates problems for her. Education has given her a new status. So she cannot go back to her former status. She has a dilemma. She has lost her identity and she is alienated in the new society. The problem of education is not limited to Eliza but it has become a world problem. Education creates a desire for a new life. So it led towards personal and social unrest. 2. Alfred Doolittle was called undeserving poor. The poor are divided into deserving and undeserving poor. What criteria should be used for such division? 3. Alfred Doolittle grows suddenly rich. He is lifted to middle-class status. He has lost his former identity. 4. The concept of middle-class morality is exposed in the play. Whether it is hypocrisy or reality?

Wit and Humour : Pygmalion is Shaw’s most amusing and popular play. It is full of wit, humour and paradox. He has transformed the science of speech into an entertaining drama. Shaw makes fun of conventional morality of speech. He has used wit and paradox for the purpose. He makes fun of characters, their habits and their relationship with one another. Alfred Doolittle is the most popular one. Shaw’s dialogues are always amusing. There is humour, suspense in the play.

Paradox means self-contradictory statements. They are related to truth. In Pygmalion both the character and situation are paradoxical. First, the myth of Pygmalion is treated paradoxically. Pygmalion, Prof. Higgins, doesn’t marry Eliza –Galatea. Secondly, the treatment of the Cinderella story is paradoxical. Eliza doesn’t marry a prince but she marries Freddy. She works with him and supports him. Thirdly, Higgins is paradoxical. He is an eminent scientist. He teaches Eliza the refined way of speaking English. He uplifts her from the lower class. But he himself is untidy, ill-mannered. He is rude and insulting. Similarly, the play is rich in paradoxical statements. It is built on paradox.

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Pygmalion Essay

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Discussion Questions

Discuss the similarities between Higgins and Pygmalion. Examine how Eliza and Pygmalion’s statue are alike and how they are different. How might Shaw be commenting upon the Pygmalion story? How are the lessons in the two stories similar or different?

How does Eliza Doolittle change over the course of the play? Which changes are the most meaningful? What do the constants in her character suggest about her character and Shaw’s themes?

How does Shaw reveal the hypocrisy and inconsistency of Victorian high society throughout the play? How does the transformation of Eliza reflect these flaws? Does Shaw present the possibility of social transformation as a positive or negative idea?

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Pygmalion essay questions.

How does the play deal with the issue of social class? Does Shaw ultimately uphold it or not--is there enough evidence in the play to demonstrate Shaw's point of view? Consider Pickering, for example, who is very much a product of the British hierarchy, and who is one of the most sympathetic characters.

Does the play suggest that true love is possible and good? On the basis of evidence in the text, what are the feelings that Liza has for Higgins and Freddy, and why does Liza marry Freddy?

Does language itself have transformative power, or does its power come entirely through the people who use it? In what sense is Eliza a new person after she learns to speak differently?

The subtitle of the play is "A Romance in Five Acts." Discuss the ways that the play is a romance--or might it more properly be called a tragedy or a comedy?

Is Freddy the perfect match for Eliza? If the story is a romance, is Freddy or Higgins a romantic hero?

How does the knowledge that Shaw was a socialist color one's reading of this play? Consider, for instance, Doolittle's speech on the undeserving poor. Does Shaw sympathize with this "class" of people, or should we view his presentation of each character uniquely?

How does the movement from the public space of Covent Garden to the private spaces of Wimpole Street and Mrs. Higgins's home affect the behavior of the characters? What is the safest space for Eliza?

How does the audience appreciate dramatic irony in the play? For instance, What does it mean when Clara swears using the term "bloody"?

Shaw gives one of the reasons that a marriage between Eliza and Higgins would never work out as that Eliza would have been unable to come between Higgins and his mother, suggesting that such a dynamic is necessary in marriage. Given the events of the last act, does this reason seem accurate?

How does the quotation from Nietzsche that Shaw quotes at the end of the play, "when you go to women, take your whip with you," relate to Eliza's relationship with Higgins? With Pickering? With Freddy?

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Pygmalion Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Pygmalion is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What tensions already show in the relations between the Mother (later named as Mrs. Eynsford Hill), the Daughter (later named as Clara), and the son, Freddy?

It is raining in Covent Garden at 11:15 p.m. Clara complains that Freddy has not found a cab yet. Freddy returns to his mother and sister and explains that there are no cabs to be found. They chide him, and as he runs off to try again to find a...

What does Higgins mean when he says, “teaching would be impossible unless pupils were sacred”?

Higgins is answering Pickering's charge that he cannot be involved in an experiment where the girl (Eliza) is not treated with the utmost respect. Higgins replies that his pupils are sacred, which means regarded with reverence and respect.

explain the myth of pygmalion in what significant ways and with what effect.has shaw transformed that myth into his plav?

This story is about a sculptor who sculpts the most beautiful woman in stone ever and then falls in love with her. The sculptor's name is Pygmalion; the goddess in the myth transforms the stone into a real woman and they live happily ever...

Study Guide for Pygmalion

Pygmalion study guide contains a biography of George Bernard Shaw, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About Pygmalion
  • Pygmalion Summary
  • Character List

Essays for Pygmalion

Pygmalion essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

  • An Atypical Romance in Five Acts
  • Nurture or Nature: The Gentleman Versus the Guttersnipe
  • Pygmalion and Pretty Woman
  • The Extent Contextual Attitudes and Values Regarding Gender and Class are Maintained or Altered in Pygmalion and Pretty Women
  • The didactic purpose of Shaw's 'Pygmalion'

Lesson Plan for Pygmalion

  • About the Author
  • Study Objectives
  • Common Core Standards
  • Introduction to Pygmalion
  • Relationship to Other Books
  • Bringing in Technology
  • Notes to the Teacher
  • Related Links
  • Pygmalion Bibliography

E-Text of Pygmalion

The Pygmalion e-text contains the full text of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

  • Preface to Pygmalion

Wikipedia Entries for Pygmalion

  • Introduction
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pygmalion essay outline

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Essays on Pygmalion

Prompt examples for "pygmalion" essays, class and social mobility.

Discuss the theme of class and social mobility in "Pygmalion." How does Eliza's transformation challenge the boundaries of class, and what commentary does the play offer on social hierarchies?

Character Transformation

Analyze the transformation of characters in the play, particularly Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins. How do they evolve throughout the story, and what motivates their changes?

Language and Identity

Examine the significance of language and identity in "Pygmalion." How does Eliza's mastery of language impact her sense of self, and how does it influence her relationships and perceptions of others?

Gentility and Manners

Discuss the portrayal of gentility and manners in the play. How do notions of proper behavior and etiquette play a role in the characters' interactions and societal expectations?

Gender Roles and Feminism

Explore the themes of gender roles and feminism in "Pygmalion." How does Eliza's transformation challenge traditional gender norms, and what feminist perspectives can be applied to the play?

Pygmalion and Mythology

Analyze the connection between the play's title and the Pygmalion myth from Greek mythology. What parallels can be drawn between the characters and themes in the play and the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea?

Pygmalion Eliza’s Character Analysis

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The Portrayal of Victorian Society and Its Values in Pygmalion

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Bernard Shaw’s Use of Eliza to Elevate The Lower Social Class and Women in Pygmalion

Analysis of eliza's illusory empowerment in pygmalion, superficiality of the upper class and society's expectations in pygmalion, accent and cultural language: pygmalion, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

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Marxism and Colonialism Theories in 'Pygmalion' & 'The Lion and The Jewel'

Middle class morality in pygmalion, the summary of pygmalion, evaluation of humor as portrayed in pygmalion and my fair lady, the role of nature and nurture in pygmalion, corruption of innocence in ‘great expectations’ and 'pygmalion', compare of pygmalion by myhtihcal form, george barnard shaw: literary path, language and social class in play pygmallion, oppression of women in the victorian age: play pygmallion, shaw's didactic purpose in pygmalion, pygmalion and pretty woman: two interpretations of ancient story, pygmalion and pretty woman: gender and class values revised, artist as a mediator between nature and art in pygmalion and metamorphoses, the portrayal of pygmalion and galatea in mannequin, a movie by michael gottlieb, first scenes in shaw's "pygmalion" and lerner's "my fair lady", the process of personally designing a scene of pygmalion by bernard shaw, pygmalion vs. my fair lady.

16 October 1913, by George Bernard Shaw

Romantic comedy

Henry Higgins, a phonetician, accepts a bet that simply by changing the speech of a Cockney flower seller he will be able, in six months, to pass her off as a duchess. Eliza undergoes grueling training. When she successfully “passes” in high society—having in the process become a lovely young woman of sensitivity and taste—Higgins dismisses her abruptly as a successfully completed experiment. Eliza, who now belongs neither to the upper class, whose mannerisms and speech she has learned, nor to the lower class, from which she came, rejects his dehumanizing attitude.

The main theme of "Pygmalion" is that social class is not something to be valued. Those of a higher social class may not be good people, and those of lower social class can have many virtues of their own.

Professor Henry Higgins, Colonel Pickering, Eliza Doolittle, Alfred Doolittle, Mrs. Pearce, Mrs. Higgins, Mrs. Eynsford-Hill, Clara Eynsford-Hill, Freddy Eynsford-Hill

Pygmalion was the most broadly appealing of all Shaw's plays. The play was well received by critics in major cities following its premieres in Vienna, London, and New York. The play became famous as a motion picture in 1938 and later as the stage musical My Fair Lady (1956), with a musical score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. A 1964 film version of the musical featured Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

“What you are to do without me I cannot imagine.” “If you can’t appreciate what you’ve got, you’d better get what you can appreciate.” “Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby” “What is life but a series of inspired follies? The difficulty is to find them to do. Never lose a chance: it doesn’t come every day.”

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Essay Samples on Pygmalion

The open-ended in pygmalion play by george bernard shaw.

The play talks about Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor, He is betting on his ability to train Eliza Doolittle poor girl to speak the perfect English, she speaks in a tactless manner that can be described by vulgarity. Higgins mother began to fear her...

  • Literature Review

The World’s Wife Borrowed From Other Texts

It is often that literature, whether being a poem or a book, often provides a voice for those who lack one. The work by Carol Ann Duffy is an accumulation of poems titled 'The World's Wife', first published in 1999 and the present works through...

  • Drama (Play Genre)

Depiction of Inequality in Victorian Society in Literature Works Pygmalion, Romeo and Juliet and Jane Eyre

Society in the 19th to the turn of 20th century Britain was governed by social class, marriage, and religion. In the Victorian era, women were obligated to dedicate her life solely to her home, her family, and most important her husband. George Bernard Shaw's, Pygmalion...

  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Social Class

Pygmalion Effect - Usage in Business and Software

The primitive responsibility of management is to establish expectations for employee performance and behavior. This article explains the Pygmalion effect and outlines how it is practiced to affect employee behavior. So what is Pygmalion Effect? The notion that the majority of people will adapt their...

  • Employee Retention

Pygmalion Is One of the Most Famous Plays by Bernard Shaw

An anti-hero is a central character of a movie, show, or book that lacks heroic qualities making it a fine line between hero and villain just like Higgins. Higgins would be considered an anti-hero because he decided to help Eliza Doolittle who was underprivileged and...

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George Bernard Shaw’s, Chronicle - Pygmalion

Pygmalion, is one of the festinated romantic dramatic comedies in English. Shaw’s play demonstrates and explores aspects of language in a variety of ways of social classes speaking and inequality of social status and how silliness of class. A silly Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle,...

Pygmalion - A Man’s Sworn Love For Women

Traditionally, Cinderella’s story is the tale of a young girl who is mistreated by her step-mother and eventually makes her way into a royal family. In a unique twist on the classic fairytale, Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw is about more than transforming a flower...

Best topics on Pygmalion

1. The Open-Ended in Pygmalion Play by George Bernard Shaw

2. The World’s Wife Borrowed From Other Texts

3. Depiction of Inequality in Victorian Society in Literature Works Pygmalion, Romeo and Juliet and Jane Eyre

4. Pygmalion Effect – Usage in Business and Software

5. Pygmalion Is One of the Most Famous Plays by Bernard Shaw

6. George Bernard Shaw’s, Chronicle – Pygmalion

7. Pygmalion – A Man’s Sworn Love For Women

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Essays on Pygmalion

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The Myth of Pygmalion and Galatea

The protagonist of the story, Pygmalion, is one of the figures with distinctive qualities that characterize his personal...

The Myth of Pygmalion

A sculptor from Cyprus named Pygmalion fell in love with an ivory statue of a woman. To fulfill his high expectations, Pygmalion set out to crea...

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  1. Pygmalion Study Guide

    The best study guide to Pygmalion on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. ... involved social critiques. Shaw was a very prolific writer, writing over 50 plays in addition to articles, reviews, essays, and pamphlets. His popularity rose in the early 1900s and he started to become a ...

  2. Pygmalion: Mini Essays

    Pygmalion is a sculptor who creates a sculpture of a woman so perfectly formed that he falls in love with her. Aphrodite is moved by his love and touches the statue to life so that she becomes Galatea, and the sculptor can experience bliss with his own creation. While Shaw maintains the skeletal structure of the fantasy in which a gifted male ...

  3. Pygmalion: Suggested Essay Topics

    Use the lines and behavior of the characters throughout the first five acts to support the outcome of your finale. If possible, try to watch the film version of Pygmalion (1938, screenplay by Shaw), and even the Audrey Hepburn film of the musical My Fair Lady (1956). Consider what has been changed, removed, or enhanced in the move from the ...

  4. Pygmalion Critical Essays

    The Pygmalion of Shaw's play turns up as Henry Higgins, a teacher of English speech; his Galatea is Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl whom Higgins transforms into a seeming English lady by ...

  5. A Summary and Analysis of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion

    Pygmalion: summary. The 'plot' of Shaw's play is easy enough to summarise. Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, has an almost Sherlockian ability to deduce the hometown or region of anyone based on their accent. He overhears a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle and mocks the common way she talks.

  6. Pygmalion : Summary, Characters, Outline, Questions

    Pygmalion is the most successful play of Shaw both on stage and screen. It was first produced at the Halfburg Theatre in Vienna on 16th Oct. 1913. ... The story in Outline / Summary. Pygmalion is the story of Prof. Higgins and a flower girl Eliza Doolittle. ... Essay on Kamaraj; How to Read Literature Like a Professor: An Insider's Guide;

  7. Pygmalion Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines

    PAGES 4 WORDS 1277. Myths and Fables in "Pygmalion" and "Sexing the Cherry". This paper discusses the use of myths and fables in the two books, 'Pygmalion' and 'Sexing the cherry' written by George Bernard Shaw and Jeanette Winterson respectively. While Shaw's play is inspired by the Greek myth of a talented sculptor Pygmalion, Winterson has ...

  8. Pygmalion: Study Guide

    Overview. George Bernard Shaw' s Pygmalion , first premiered in 1913, is a satirical play that investigates issues of class, identity, and social mobility. The plot centers around Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, who takes on the challenge of transforming Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, into a refined lady.

  9. Pygmalion Essay

    Pygmalion Essay. Writer's block can be painful, but we'll help get you over the hump and build a great outline for your paper. Organize Your Thoughts in 6 Simple Steps Narrow your focus. Build out your thesis and paragraphs. Vanquish the dreaded blank sheet of paper.

  10. Pygmalion Summary

    Pygmalion Summary. Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw in which linguistics expert Henry Higgins teaches flower seller Eliza Doolittle to speak the dialect of upper-class English society ...

  11. Pygmalion Summary and Study Guide

    Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student ...

  12. Pygmalion Essay Topics

    Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student ...

  13. Pygmalion Essay Questions

    Pygmalion Essay Questions. 1. How does the play deal with the issue of social class? Does Shaw ultimately uphold it or not--is there enough evidence in the play to demonstrate Shaw's point of view? Consider Pickering, for example, who is very much a product of the British hierarchy, and who is one of the most sympathetic characters. 2.

  14. How to Analyse Pygmalion for HSC Standard English

    Step 1: Choose your argument. It is important to make sure you are basing your Pygmalion analysis on an argument, not just a vague theme. For this analysis we are going to make the argument that: Cruel language and insults are used to dehumanise the working class, suggesting value is found in wealth.

  15. Pygmalion Eliza's Character Analysis: [Essay Example], 614 words

    Pygmalion Eliza's Character Analysis. George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, follows the journey of Eliza Doolittle, a poor, uneducated flower girl who undergoes a remarkable transformation into a strong, confident woman through her interactions with Professor Higgins. This essay will examine Eliza's character development, exploring her ...

  16. Essays on Pygmalion

    Pygmalion was the most broadly appealing of all Shaw's plays. The play was well received by critics in major cities following its premieres in Vienna, London, and New York. The play became famous as a motion picture in 1938 and later as the stage musical My Fair Lady (1956), with a musical score by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.

  17. Pygmalion Essays: Samples & Topics

    Pygmalion Effect - Usage in Business and Software. The primitive responsibility of management is to establish expectations for employee performance and behavior. This article explains the Pygmalion effect and outlines how it is practiced to affect employee behavior. So what is Pygmalion Effect? The notion that the majority of people will adapt ...

  18. Essays on Pygmalion, Free Examples, Topics, Titles, Outlines

    Free essay examples on Pygmalion for students looking for paper ideas. Explore topics, summaries, outlines, and samples. Find your inspiration here!

  19. Written Task 2 Essay

    Written Task 2 Outline Prescribed Question: "How has the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects?" Part of the course to which this task relates: Part 1 - Language in Cultural Context Title of text for analysis: Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw 1913 My Critical Response will: 1. Show how Shaw used the storyline of Ovid's Pygmalion to create his own play.

  20. Pygmalion: Full Play Analysis

    Pygmalion derives its name from the famous story in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which Pygmalion, disgusted by the loose and shameful lives of the women of his era, decides to live alone and unmarried. With wondrous art, he creates a beautiful statue more perfect than any living woman. The more he looks upon her, the more deeply he falls in love with her, until he wishes that she were more than a ...

  21. The Impact of the Pygmalion Effect: Exploring Education,

    UNIT 1 - EXPOSITORY EXEMPLIFICATION ESSAY WITH MLA DOCUMENTATION In unit one, you will read about the Pygmalion effect also known as the Rosenthal effect as well as the self-fulfilling prophecy. This psychological effect derives its name from the Greek myth, Pygmalion, from Ovid 's narrative poem Metamorphoses. You will read about the mythical story, Pygmalion, and how the self-fulfilling ...

  22. Pygmalion Essay

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