Category: Pygmalion

In the play Pygmalion, by Bernard Shaw, a common flower girl goes from on the street selling flowers, to having the most beautiful dresses and diamonds on her wrist. There are many themes displayed within in play. Two dominate themes are social class and appearance versus reality.

Social class, is shown in Pygmalion because we get a deeper understanding of what its like to be in low class compared to middle or high class. Events that portray this is when Eliza comes in contact with Higgins. Eliza is treated poorly because of the way she speaks. While she speaks like this from her low social class. Higgins states in the beginning of the play,”You see this creature with her kerbstone English: English that will keep her in the gutter to the end of her days.”(18) Telling us that its hard to find your way out of a low social class once your in it. But, Eliza has nothing else to expect but to speak like this because her parents didn’t have much money and were low class themselves. Eliza had to live on her own from when she was really young and all these This causes Eliza to stay at these combined unfortunate things in Eliza’s life kept her at the bottom of social class. Her being low social class is also a reason why she gets treated so poorly, To be treated respectfully you need to be high in social class. Even tough you might enjoy getting treated better being of higher social class also holds more responsibilities. Mr Doolitle states, “I have to live for others and not for myself thats middle class morality.”(89) Mr. Doolittle is now held to the expectation of helping others once given money by Higgins. Now instead of asking others for money Mr. Doolittle has the responsibility of trying to help others. This reveals to the reader that social class is a big part of their society and to be respected you have to be high in social class, yet being of high social class also has some sacrifices.

Appearance versus reality reveals how people tend to judge people on the outside of someone before the get to see who they are inside. Higgins states, “They’re such fools that they think style comes by nature to people in there position. (75) This shows the significance of appearance in peoples such as Higgins eyes. We get to see this when we get to know Higgins throughout the play. Higgins cares a lot about how you are on the outside and what your appearance is. Higgins himself always looks professional on the outside. He has money, and he is able to live in a good neighborhood and have a nice house with nice things such as servents and fancy clothes. We later learn that Higgins doesn’t care for anyone but himself and he constantly objectifies Eliza throughout the play. We get to see Higgins’ outside appearance and how he really is on the inside, which represents the theme, appearance versus reality. Next, when at the dinner party everyone treated Eliza respectively because she was dressed up nice and her appearance was good when in reality she came from the gutter and sold flowers in the gutter, where none of the guests would have ever wanted to talk to her if she wasn’t as dressed up like how she was at the party.

The book Pygmalion clearly shows the themes, social class and appearance versus reality. These are shown threw many of the characters.

The following paper takes a look at Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and the social criticism that it contains. To begin with, Pygmalion was written in 1912. This was the end of the “Victorian” era in England. This is a story about a culture that is transitioning into a new state. Next, the story is briefly summarized before a deeper conduct of its twists and turns is carried out.

Eliza Dolittle (the main character) is a common woman (not of high standing in society); she sells flowers. By accident, she meets Henry Higgins, who is a famous linguist. Higgins and Pickering make a bet. Higgins bets the latter that in 6 months he will make Dolittle into a respected society woman, and he does succeed. However, at the end of the day, the reader is left wondering whether this is her or his victory. We should not forget that the teacher is always as important as the student. Ultimately Dolittle is accepted as a woman of high standing. However, after the party is over, no one is really sure where all of this should take her in the end.

In the book, Dolittle is trying to get rid of her overt frankness and excess simplicity in terms of manners. Being who she is, she is independent. She earns money. She can be herself. Truly be herself. Though she is “dirty” (her clothes and her surroundings), still, she has so many privileges that women in high standing do not have. In fact, Mrs. Higgins and the housekeeper are the two women who recognize and acknowledge what Dolittle is to lose if she gives up her position in society. One could actually think, “Giving up? But what is she giving up?” In the plot it is evident that she gives up so many things, simply because women who have a high position in that society are either housewives or widows. They are not independent, they are too attached to the male figures in their lives.

This is what often happens in life. We strive toward things that, in the end, turn out to be different than what we expected them to be. For Dolittle, this is just the case. While this might sound rather strange, when Dolittle enters the higher circle, she clearly understands that a woman of such high standing has no other choice but to “sell” herself to a good party, becoming a wife. Basically, this social position robs her of all freedom. For Dolittle this compromise is too big. The author goes a long way in comparing the various social classes of 20th century society. He looks at all of the hidden compromises and incongruences that might otherwise stay unnoticed.

Pygmalion emphasizes that speech alone can define one’s social standing. In the book, Higgins says that he created Eliza (“this thing”) “out of squashed cabbage leaves” (Shaw). Aside from speech, the play emphasizes how one is treated determines his/her social class. Pickering treats Dolittle with respect, as if she were a lady, when he meets her. Thus, he marks her as somewhat above the class that she occupies in the beginning of the story. The story also refers to the middle class. In particular, it shows how people who belonged to the middle class differed from those in the lower and higher classes. There is the pushy and lacking personal containment Clara. She is pretentious in her manners. Thus, we can see in the story that the lower, middle, and higher classes really differ in terms of their manners, behavior, and lifestyles. At the end of the story, the submissive Eliza Dolittle is no longer there. Therefore, one can see how topics of social class, feminism, and gender equality intertwine. In the play, Higgins is the “leader” or “master” of the situation the whole time. However, toward the end of the play, we see how Eliza is making her first steps toward attaining greater psychological equality with him. She is no longer willing to be an object that he manipulates, teachers, and instructs. She has a voice and she wants to use it. Shaw’s play shows that one’s social standing is not something natural. It is not a caste that cannot be entered. Through various characters (Dolittle and some others) Shaw demonstrates that it is possible to enter another (a higher) class. We can learn manners and learning these manners has the potential to move us up the social ladder. In the Fifth Act, Pickering says that Eliza actually fulfilled her role better than most ladies who were born into this high social status. This way, he underscores that status is not fate. It is happening in and of its own.

Education is one of the topics that is explored profusely in this play. Shaw stresses that one’s education has the power to determine where one will be located on the socioeconomic ladder. However, still, the play points to the “dependent” position that most women are in, where their education is only bound to determine the kind of husband that they can get for themselves. The more educated a woman, the more intelligent, the more likely she is to marry someone of a high social standing. This education focuses on manners, speach, and behavior. We should also keep in mind that Shaw was a socialist. Thus, he wrote about matters that according to him were of social importance. The situation with Dolittle shows the reader that it is possible to enter another social class if one learns to adhere to the rules that prevail among those people. However, there are inevitable compromises that one cannot shy away from. For Eliza this means becoming more reserved but also more determined. Together with new manners she obtains a voice that prior was hushed.

Shaw was aware of the fact that workers were largely exploited by the higher classes. Thus, his play can be interpreted as a manifesto of sorts that demonstrates that one can leave the confines of social restrictions/boundaries. This play shows the situation that prevailed in British society during a time when the capitalist order reached its “full height.” To sum up, the various characters that are a part of this story represent a certain segment of society based on socioeconomic standing. These are stereotypical representations of what a person from a given social class might do, how they might act, etc. These are Shaw’s perceptions that are most likely representative of the time in which he lived.

Ultimately this play somewhat ironizes the very concept of class and social standing. It stresses that all things are flexible, even those which seem rigid. Social class mobility is much easier than it seems. However, there are consequences that come with this mobility, which are equally highlighted by Shaw in this play.

Pygmalion play is a play which written by George Bernard Shaw, it is presented in the first time on the theater in 1913. This play was about a flower girl called Eliza, she is transformed into a lady from high class by the phonetics professor ‘Henry Higgins’. He wagers Colonel Pickering that he is ablt to change a girl like a flower girl, and he can change her to look like a duchess in few months. She accepted to go to Professor Higgins’s house, and she offers to pay him to learn speaking clearer, so she can improve herself and job. When they have been done, Higgins took Eliza to a party where she get a success, and fools many people to believe that she is a lady. But, after the experiment is implemented, she wonders where is the place that will fit her in this society. The end of the play was an interesting issue, since Higgins did not think that Eliza can leave him, he has become accustomed to be part in his life, he takes her for granted. But Eliza became a strong and independent woman, she left him. After the end of the play, the viewers are still not quite sure whether he will win or she will. This essay will investigate the issue of the end of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, and its purpose in the play.

In the end, Eliza realized that she had moved from the low class to the high class, but she could not belong to it. Higgins sees her as an object through which he won the bet, he did not expect that Eliza would rebel and leave him, but it was not clear to the audience that she had left him or would back to live with him. I think the play has an open end because Eliza is now in a big trouble, she has learned and improved herself, so it is unreasonable to back to selling flowers as a woman of the low class. At the same time, she is not quite a lady from high-class because she still does not know much about them and Higgins cannot consider her belong to the same high class.

Shaw said about the end in his afterward: ‘History of Eliza Doolittle…, transfigurations have been achieved by hundreds of resolutely ambitious young women… Nevertheless, people in all directions have assumed, for no other reason than that she became the heroine of a romance, that she must have married the hero of it. This is unbearable…’. Shaw sees that Eliza’s change refers to her independence and strength, and this is what is meant by the open end, the decision will be with Eliza. Imagine that the ending would be too romantic is unlikely, or we could say it was rejected by Shaw.

I think that the end tends to be realistic, Eliza realized in the end that she does not belong to any social class, so if she does not know herself, she will not know her decisions will depend on any basis, does she choose as a woman from the low class or from the high class? It is realistic for the end to remain open because the main character lost her identity, and she is baffled to leave or stay.

In the play, there are many indications that Eliza cannot determine her choice. She does not know if she is a woman from the high class or low class. In the beginning of the play, because Eliza was from the low class, she simply agreed to live in Higgins’s home, and she knows that his only goal from teaching her phonetics is to win the bet with his friend. However, after she became independent, she refused to live with him and his friend in an informal relationship. This means the radical change in Eliza’s personality. On the other hand, Eliza was a florist and her desire was to own flower shop in order to improve her income, but after she learned to speak as a high-class people, her desire changed, she wanted to compete Higgins, and teach phonics. But at the end of the play, none of these indications were implemented. She did not make her decisions as a woman from high class firmly because the side which belongs to the low class in her personality would like to choose something else.

There are similarities between Eliza in Pygmalion and Nora in A Doll’s house, both of whom are female figures who suffer of persecution because of male power. Nora and Eliza have undergone dramatic changes in their lives because of men, whether Higgins or Torvald, they treated them as less than humans, this contributed at the end to create the moment of realization that they lost their identities. Therefore, ultimately Eliza and Nora decided to leave everything and live for themselves.

The end in the play was a major issue, Eliza found it is difficult to make decisions because she does not know which social class she belongs to. So, when Shaw made the ending open, it was realistic. It makes sense that Eliza will be confused about the end that she will choose because it is crucial. In conclusion, this essay concludes that the end of Pygmalion is caused by the loss of identity that Elisa suffered from, and thus the audience can create the end by themselves.

What makes someone themselves? Is it their appearance, music taste, personality or the way others see them? Avril Lavigne explored the changing behaviour of her boyfriend around her and his friends through her hit song ‘Complicated’ and no she’s not dead folks. Her annoyance is expressed through the lyrics “the way you’re acting like somebody else gets me frustrated”. However, her clueless boyfriend is unable to detect the problem with his behaviour around her. Her song makes great connections with George Bernard Shaw’s text ‘Pygmalion’ as Higgins is clueless of his rude behaviour towards Eliza similar to Avril’s boyfriend. Both Eliza and the boyfriend undergo the crisis of maintaining their ‘true identities’ especially when under the influence of others. Sounds simple? Well, not when you’re being forced to change your true identity in the case of Eliza Doolittle and also when you are unsure of what your true identity is. The important question is can you recreate who you are or were you always the same person? I know, it sounds a bit ‘complicated’, but it all comes down to how true an individual is to themselves and others around them. Really, it’s just that easy.

2000’s pop punk was known to be a weird, chaotic and loud genre of music that made many older people’s ears bleed. Many fans of the pop punk genre idolised Avril and her music mainly because it advocated the issues of maintaining one’s true identities and not conforming to society’s expectation, allowing them to collectively weep to her music and lyrics, knowing it would be too hard to actually be themselves. Although Avril was known to be a very weird and expressive artist, set an example of what it meant to be your own individualistic self. Shaw, a historical playwright author, on the other hand, implements the theme of changing one’s identity to fit society’s expectations through the character Eliza which completely contradicts everything Avril advocates in her song. However, both Shaw and Lavigne explore the change in an individual’s identity when faced with certain situations. Is your identity really changing or are you just faking it for others?

In the context of her song, Lavigne is upset with her boyfriend because he is not ‘acting’ like himself ironically enough. But what if he’s not acting, what if that’s the way he truly is? No one will ever know…Lavingne expresses her frustration similar to Higgins when Eliza suddenly acts formal with him during Act four when she won Higgins bet for him. Eliza plays around with his emotions through setting the barrier between them by speaking to him in a formal manner and replying to his sentences with short, truncated and ambiguous sentences, Higgins becomes frustrated as she is not acting comfortably around him. His anger is reasonable, because if I was suddenly speaking to a friend of mine like I am Shakespeare’s best friend for instance, well there goes my friend. His expresses his anger towards her sudden change through the quote “damn Mrs Pearce; and damn the coffee; and damn you; and damn my own folly in having lavished my hard-earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe”. Higgins feels as though he and Eliza are back to square one. He is aware of the change in identity within Eliza and it frustrates him as he was the once who initiated this whole change in Eliza’s identity only for it to bite him back later on. Shaw’s use of language also effectively portrays the change in identity Eliza is undergoing through the description of her appearance. In the beginning of the play, she was seen to be a grisly, dirty girl and her lower class status was obvious through her thick cockney accent. However later on through Shaw’s vivid description of Eliza’s new clothes, jewelry and accessories, he displays the 360 degree change in her identity. Eliza’s newfound look and beauty amplifies her change in identity merely through the use of altering one’s outward appearance based on their surroundings.

In the music video of ‘Complicated’, it depicts that Avril and her boyfriend and her group of friends crashing at the mall initially having a blast. In spite of the seemingly fun and exciting environment of the group, Avril’s lyrics and symbolic meaning throughout the video explores the inability to truly maintain their identity when others have created a set identity of them in their minds. They are not expressing who they are because of others perceptions of them. This is highlighted in the scene of her friends trying on different and contrasting clothes to what they wear normally. Her friends although perhaps just mucking around, symbolise Eliza’s change through alteration of her appearance in Pygmalion. However, when Avril shakes her head roughly at the clothes that they were wearing questions of her friends as well are being true to her. “Take off all your preppy clothes, you know you’re not fooling anyone else” the following lyric displays the attempts of her friends trying on preppy outfits and Avril shutting it down completely. On the contrary, one might think they are simply fooling around, however symbolically it can be seen in a perspective that her friends were perhaps expressing their true selves. A lot of people might believe the boyfriend is at fault, but sometimes girls are just as hard to read. In the eyes of Avril, her boyfriend is at fault similar to how Higgins views Eliza in act four, in her boyfriend’s eyes perhaps Avril is not understanding that his identity is not an unchanging entity and will continue to alter around certain individuals as every normal human being does.

Higgins attitude and behaviour towards Eliza in the play is harsh and poor. Upon the transition of Eliza from the lower class to the upper class, her identity alters through the language she has adapted. Shaw effectively describes the fluctuating change of Eliza’s identity as she changes herself externally through her clothes, hygiene and appearance, however her manners, morals and treatment of others remain the same. Ultimately, she becomes more aware of her social position and adapts her behaviour according to what she is looked out to be. However, the implications of this is that her identity never remains in its true form as it is always changing according to different circumstances, therefore causing her to internally question herself what fake identity she must showcase. She also must alter her whole identity to fit into the upper class society, similar to the song where Avril’s boyfriend has to change his personality to meet the expectations of his friends and the same time his girlfriend. However, the contrast between the two characters is that Eliza’s change in identity affects her true identity and the maintenance of it throughout the whole play, where as Avril’s boyfriend only portrays the fake identity in the presence of his friends and girlfriend at the same time.

In an age, where relationships are getting more a more complicated between teenager due to the lack of mutual understanding and expression of their true identity, conflicts between couples are bound to arise. Avril feels out of place and almost like a stranger when she sees the way her boyfriend acts around his friends, however her boyfriend is unaware of this due to the fact that she expected him to be a certain way and does not know that he has changed due to the lack of communication between the two. Similarly in Pygmalion, Eliza does not express her discomfort in her transition until towards the end of the play which causes conflict to rile up with Higgins. This is proven through the quote “I can’t turn your soul on. Leave me those feelings and you can take away the voice and the face. They are not you”. The following quote proves the betrayal Higgins feels towards Eliza and demands her to take the initial identity of hers during the beginning of the play and to leave the false pretentious identity she developed for him. Higgins perceived his relationship between himself and Eliza one of friendship unaware of her conflicted state, leading to a feeling of betrayal as he thought that he was an exception in terms of understanding who Eliza truly is. Similarly, Avril feels betrayed by her boyfriend as she believed that she knew his true identity, however when she did realized that she did not, it lead to conflict between the two of them. Therefore, the importance of maintaining one’s identity is crucial as conflict will arise due to others feeling betrayed and out of place.

All aspects considered, maintaining an individual’s identity is explored in the texts ‘Pygmalion’ written by George Bernard Shaw and Avril Lavigne’s hit song ‘Complicated’ through the quote “the way you’re acting like somebody else gets me frustrated”. Both artists implement the consequences of what occurs when an individual is not remaining to their true identity and the importance of it. Although, the characters contrast, the implications of them faking their identity is highlighted throughout both the play and the song. The main reasons why an individual might find it difficult to remain true to their identity is solemnly due to the fact that upon certain situations or people, the human subconsciously alters their identity to meet the expectations of theirs and also because of the alteration of one’s appearance or language.

Collective Identity and social norms can shift an individual’s sense of self and make them change themselves to fit into society and access the same opportunities. Through the comparison of individual identity and social self, collective identity and judgement we see how the points included in this essay are applicable to the play ‘ Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw. The studies of how the pressures of society can shape collective and individual Identity and how changing into a social self can be difficult are evidently shown in Shaw’s play and will be discussed in this evaluative essay. It will focus on the protagonist Eliza and her literary trainer Higgins.

The pressures of society can shape the ideology of collective and individual self, but in doing so can leave damaging effects on self and society. We see this as soon as we enter act one of Pygmalion where we are introduced to Eliza where she is confronted by the community around her when she is selling flowers. Using mood, audience engagement and emotive language we are given an early connection with the emotions of a scared young woman trying to do her job. “[springing up terrified] I ain’t done nothing wrong by speaking to the gentleman. I’ve a right to sell flowers if I keep off the kerb. [Hysterically] I’m a respectable girl: so help me, I never spoke to him except to ask him to buy a flower off me’ Eliza then backs up her statement later on with “Ive a right to be here if I like, same as you”. From these lines, the audience feels compassion for Eliza. The audience is then shown the collective judgement of society as the notetaker, Henry Higgins; the one to first judge Eliza, says “A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere- no right to live” the emotional audience engagement to Eliza being berated is an example of how the audience can relate and understand Eliza’s issue and feel sympathy for her. Once Eliza has gone through the early states of her tutoring she is escorted by Higgins and Pickering to meet Higgins mother At this point, Eliza’s lower-class identity still shows through her upper-class appearance, revealed both through her speech (as in ‘done the old woman in’) and lack of proper manners in talking about death at a party. Eliza does not yet fit in with Mrs. Higgins’ upper-class guests, as shown by her lack of manners in speaking of inappropriate subjects and her unpolished language. And so Higgins cuts short this experiment, once again treating her like a subject rather than a person. Mrs. Higgins worries that her son is treating Eliza, a vulnerable young woman, like a plaything for his academic enjoyment. He now insists that his project is to entirely transform Eliza, not just to help her pretend to be someone she’s not. Mr’s Higgins realises the damaging effects this will leave on Eliza, as we see how Mr’s Higgins feels for Eliza’s future the audience engagement comes into play again and we sympathise for Eliza at the foreshadowing of the drastic effects it will have on her individual identity and her relationship with the collective community especially her father.

People changing into a social self is difficult and the intimidation and judgement that comes with it can make them feel unhappy about their choices. When Eliza goes to Higgins and begins taking lessons we can already see how he expects change out of her simply alluding to the fact of not to wipe her tears on her sleeve but on a handkerchief as it would be neither ladylike nor in accordance with good manners. As pickering offers to pay for Eliza’s tutoring in revelation that an annual garden party is coming up Higgins wastes no time berating Eliza calling her ‘so deliciously low—so horribly dirty.’ and ‘I will make a duchess of this draggle-tailed guttersnipe.’ By only planning to change her outside appearance and social self they don’t think of whether such exterior changes might involve actually changing who Eliza really is. Higgins, although tutoring Eliza, clearly shows no more consideration to Eliza’s own thoughts or feelings. His willingness to ‘walk over’ Eliza has to do both with her lower-class status and her gender. These scene changes of Eliza changing herself are met with black humor and comedic relief as higgins continues to order Eliza around, revealing his lack of empathy. He is excited by the prospect of fooling members of the upper class by merely changing Eliza’s appearance and speech. Once Mr Doolittle comes to pay higgins for Eliza, Higgins rudely disregards what Mr. Doolittle actually says Even before Eliza has really transformed, the simple change of her appearance and clothing is enough to make her at first unrecognizable to her own father. The destruction of Eliza’s old clothes symbolizes the loss of her old identity. Moments after Higgins comments on how Eliza has ‘risen’ based purely on her change in appearance, Eliza’s decidedly un-classy exclamation indicates her lower-class upbringing, showing how far she has to go to transform into a noble lady. The dramatic irony then comes into play at the party, after all her training and berating insults Eliza is mistaken as a Hungarian Princess by one of Higgins other students who claims he can pinpoint everyone’s accent and where they come from. After the party Higgins and Pickering discuss the events that led up to the party. Higgins is insensitive to Eliza’s feelings, saying that he has been bored with ‘the experiment’—he doesn’t even think of her as a person. Eliza is finally fed up with having to deal with Higgins treating her as if she was nothing more than a test and loses it yelling and comedically throwing a tantrum. Eliza (Links to an external site.) calls Higgins (Links to an external site.) a ‘selfish brute,’ and says that now she will be thrown back ‘in the gutter,’ where she came from. Higgins refers to her as ‘the creature,’ Eliza says she knows Higgins doesn’t care about her at all. Higgins says that no one has ever treated her badly at his house, and says that Eliza must simply be tired after a long day a small example of the emotional manipulation Higgins has over Eliza. We sympathise with Eliza as we connect with her point of view. We also see that, while at times he has no patience for the Victorian social hierarchy, Higgins is still prejudiced against the lower class. The juxtaposition between Eliza and Higgins social self is outstanding to the audience letting them truly engage themselves in the play.

In conclusion, the idea of collective and individual identity, social selves and the damages of society is clearly shown throughout ‘Pygmalion’. The characters and events that happen with them expressively shows the statements addressed in this piece allowing audience connection and a clear range of understanding throughout the play.

For many years, people have come to criticize other people’s aspects without being aware of why they are that way. In English society, especially during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, social status has always been viewed as something significant. In this society power was determined by the way the language was spoken, the more proper the more power. This play is based off the play My Fair Lady. This play is about a man that idolizes a sculpture and imagines that they are together. Pygmalion however, shows the relationship between two real people and how one molds the other into what they think society should see them as. In Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw uses Eliza Doolittle’s character along with others to show a parallel between language and power.

The characters in this play illustrate the relationship between social class and the expectation of each other. All of the characters are put in this situation and it shows the importance of them being able to define their social standing. For example, the mother is depicted as the world would see a woman of that time, expecting others to doing things for her. “You really are very helpless, Freddy. Go again; and don’t come back until you have found a cab” (Shaw 11). Mrs. Higgins is a lady and in this era it would not be socially acceptable for her to catch her own cab. She is showing her social authority in a lady like manner all the while showing how she should be treated. She does this through belittling others who aren’t respecting of it. This is how the mother uses her power and language to increase her social power.

Arguably the main character of this story, the flower girl named Eliza, displays how Shaw uses language to influence power and society. From the beginning of the play Eliza is taken by Mr. Higgins to learn how to properly speak. As a flower girl she is seen as a part of low society that cannot interact with the higher class. The main thing that is holding her back is her dialogue. For example Eliza says “Ow, eez ye-ooa san, is e? Wal, fewd dan y’ de-ooty bawmz a mather should, eed now bettern to spawl a pore gel’s flahrzn than ran awy athaht pyin. Will ye-oo py me f’them?”(Shaw 11). In this quote it shows the natural speech that Eliza uses in her society. In this era, the high English society did not speak like this they used more complex words and pronounced them properly. This is a reason that the lower and upper class cannot mix. The lower class often used words that were used by others but in a slang sounding way so that they could speak around the upper class. Lower class had their own code. They do not understand each other’s dialogue, which influences their positions of society.

The way Eliza speaks and acts continues through the play and clearly shows the lack of linguistic competence. Through social grace and language, Shaw is showing the vulgarity of the lower class language. The importance of power in language is further brought into view when Eliza, the flower girl, meets Mr. Higgins in the street. This is an important moment because Mr. Higgins distinguishes character’s origins from their accent. “A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere—no right to live. Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech (Shaw 27).” In this quote, because Mr. Higgins is putting Eliza in her place. He is telling her that her way of speech and dialogue has no right being where she is, but that she could speak correctly if she tired. Mr. Higgins knows that in order to hold a good job one needs to be able to speak as though they are part of the that high society. This is Shaw showing once again that language supports power in this English society. Without being able to speech and act with dignity you will not make it.

Eliza is not the only character that Shaw uses to exploit power and language, Mr. Higgins plays a big role in this. Shaw uses Mr. Higgins in a clever way to show the vulgarity of dialects and criticize the lower class all while showing the superficiality of upper class. He belongs to the upper class of society and is a very diverse man. His main claim in this play is that he is a gentlemen and speaks Standard English with clear flawless pronunciation. This level of sophisticated language paired with class, made it feel acceptable to him to act rudely with lower classes in order to feel superior. He shows this through the way he talks with them, especially Eliza. Mr. Higgins uses degrading to refer to Eliza and lower class people. For example, “draggletailed guttersnipe”, “Squashed cabbage pig”, “Bilious pig” and many more. Shaw showed through this character that his higher class status and level of speech that it gave him the opportunity to speak to the lower class like this.

Mr. Higgins and Eliza are two characters that show the journey of language and power throughout this play. Higgins boasts in the beginning of the play about being able to build people up from the bottom. He creates a new identity for Eliza, bridging the “gulf that separates class from class and soul from soul” by training her speak correctly and dress like a lady. This arrangement however, continues to show the class distinction in this play. Eliza does not achieve higher social status just because of her new accent, she gains the manners and habits. Higgins points this out to her in this quote “…the manners and habits that disqualify a fine lady from earing her own living without giving her a fine lady’s outcome (Shaw 31).” After this transformation Eliza is seen as a kind of misfit in the higher class society. Which is odd to the reader because Shaw this entire play is preaching to us that language and power of high class society go together. Even though Eliza has all the skills to be a part of this upper class, she is incapable of finding a place for herself in the higher strata of society. Shaw has shown in this character that you can achieve higher class status with language and power.

In conclusion, Bernard Shaw shows a Victorian era British society in transition, where he hopes that equality of classes can be reached. However, language, power of social class and stereotypes are what run this era. In the end Shaw show that being a part of the upper class isn’t all that great and special. Eliza finds herself reliant on others and a misfit in her new society, but she refuses to let this be the final destination for her. Mr. Higgins has given her power to be in a higher society and obtain a better job through her speech that he has taught her. Eliza takes this gift and decides to be her own person. Shaw uses these two characters to show the power of language. The way that it can alter how others perceive you in this era of time. One of Shaw’s main points in this play was to show how language and social class power went together. He accomplished this through Eliza and Mr. Higgins.

In George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, there are a plethora of notions that form a clear distinction between the original written play and the 1938 film production. In this play, there are two accounts that are placed in Elizas hands that give her the difficult option of whether to pursue an intimate relationship with the poor boy Freddy, as depicted in the original play, or to stay chained to Higgins side forever, of which is represented in the film production. Although the original writing of the play is better as it is, the 1938 film adaption presents a different, yet intriguing medium that boosts the tension between the characters and even helps the audience visualize the characters true personas. The vast majority of the film aligns with the written play and it was produced successfully to inhabit many themes. Both the film and written play show the audience that not only did Higgins turn Eliza into a woman of high class and status, but he also ripped away the independence that she once inhabited; even though that independence was being a poor flower girl on the streets.

In this time period, women learned how to value their individuality over the needs of others; including men. Bernard Shaw wrote this play during an extremely vital time in the history of women’s rights. Women all over the United States were beginning to search for their own freedom and have feminist view points. Women had a lack of place in society and it was extremely frustrating at the time. During the Twentieth Century, World War I was taking place and there was a need for women to take on jobs while their husbands were off fighting in the war. This was the first instance of women proving their independence from the grasp of men by going to find jobs that would further help them provide for their families, instead of sitting at home taking care of the house. Not only did this spark a fire in women all over the nation, but it put a yearning to find their rights to work and vote. Later on in 1920, women slowly received the right to vote and furthermore ignited the rise of feminism throughout the United States. Throughout Pygmalion, the audience can feel and visualize the effects of the characters finding their independence, specifically through the character of Eliza. Even so, the audience can also witness the dominance and power of control that is portrayed through Mr. Higgins.

Eliza carries an abundance of roles throughout the play, but it can be proven that her main role is to empower women to find their independence and to break away from the strong grip of dominant men. At the beginning of the play, she is known as a poor flower girl, of whom has no education and therefore cannot speak intelligently. Even though she has some poor qualities, she contains the power of quick wit and can strongly stand up for herself. In the film, the audience can see how she stands up for herself when she notices a man taking notes about the things that she says (0:7:13). After she lowers the dignity that she has for herself, she allows Higgins to help her with phonetics and to make her into a woman of high class and authority. Even though she is receiving an education and bettering herself, Higgins is slowly taking away her independence and her original personality. Eliza is then placed in a situation where she either has to marry someone or she stays alone having no means of providing for herself. Thus, Higgins indirectly limited her opportunities and talent, which has made her ultimately dependent on men. Eliza admits to Higgins that, “I tried to get back into the old way with her; but it was no use…Well, I am a child in your country. I have forgotten my own language, and can speak nothing but yours” (Act 5, Line 311-315). Her realization of being held captive emotionally and mentally by Higgins allows her to have a sudden breakthrough. It isn’t until she has this realization towards the end of the play that she comes to the conclusion that she has to break away from his grip that is slowly strangling her feminist qualities out of her and changing her character as a whole. In the written play, Eliza strives to portray her independence by leaving Higgins and to inform women that a man doesn’t define oneself. On the other hand, the film production shows how Eliza loses power in her character by crawling back to Higgins and his dominance over her. Even though it was of her free will, she still has her power sucked away from her. The ending of the film production strips one of the main themes, independence, away from the original play.

Although there are different opinions on the film adaption of Pygmalion, it provided the theatre play to be seen in a new light that is beneficial to the characters and the overarching theme. The majority of the film highlighted and brought to life the qualities of the characters, but there are subtle changes in the film that have altered the entire tone of the original story. In the film production, the audience sees a much more complex side of the array of characters. The film contains more comedy than the play, whereas the written play places the character’s in a more happy disposition. The film depicts a more mischievous side in Eliza and a more domineering side in Higgins. Even so, the film allows the audience to witness the mental instability of Eliza when she tells Higgins that he does not own her anymore. She becomes the dominant character by saying that she was going to leave him and use what he taught her to gain money for herself. The film allows her to put off an “insane” vibe before she leaves him to go with Freddy. (1:31:15). Although this is a great scene, it does not allow the audience to visualize the internal battle that she is going through. The persistent belittling that is thrown at Eliza by Higgins is what caused her to go slightly insane. The actress who is portraying Eliza attempts to make her seem unstable and lowly throughout the entire film. The audience only sees her independence a handful of times. The actor of whom plays Mr. Higgins attempts to portray a more dominant and selfish character than the written play succumbs to. Higgins’ arrogance and pride is more visual throughout the film, but he also portrays a certain sexual tension that is not noticed as much through the original written play. This sexual tension can be felt by the audience and it makes the storyline much more interesting and intense. By allowing there to be sexual tension between Eliza and Mr. Higgins, it makes the scene much more enthralling and allows the audience to see the real reason behind the dominant and submissive attitudes from both characters that is portrayed throughout the entire film. It even allows there to be a much bigger visual for the chase that is happening between Eliza and Higgins. Higgins enjoys chasing after Eliza and begging for her to stay at the end, but Eliza also gets a high off of being chased and even teased. The longing that the two characters have for each other is portrayed so well and it lightens up the tone of the play as well.

Through the years, there have been at least four different adaptions of Pygmalion. Each of the different incarnations of the play make great use of the opportunities that come with the mediums presented. The majority of these adaptions were kept true to the original literature, but there are some differences; specifically with the 1964 production of My Fair Lady. This production was based off of the original play and is largely similar in plot and character choice to the film and original play. Although they are similar, the musical mutilated the characters’ personalities and purposes into completely bipolar things. The musical made the characters more humorous than originally intended, but even took away Eliza’s main focus of independence. The musical also allowed for Eliza and Higgins to fall in love, whereas this belittled the characterization of Eliza. It strengthened Higgins character and made Eliza look submissive and ditsy. Although this is a different version from the film production and the written play, it allows for a different viewpoint to what Bernard Shaw was trying to convey originally.

In conclusion, the film production and original written play both finish with great emotional distance between its two protagonists. The audience witnesses a transition of a poor girl with an aspiration to become a respected woman to an intelligent woman with little to no independence. Whether there is an affectionate reconciliation between the two characters or a bitter farewell, the original meaning of the play remains the same and the story line still shows a transformation of the characters.

George Bernard Shaw’s play ‘Pygmalion’ explores various themes that resonate with the audience, providing thought-provoking insights into society and human nature. Through the story of Eliza Doolittle, a working-class flower girl, and Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, Shaw tackles themes such as social class, language and identity, and the power dynamics between men and women. This essay will critically analyze these themes, shedding light on the play’s underlying messages and their relevance in contemporary society.

One of the central themes in ‘Pygmalion’ is social class and its impact on individuals’ lives. Shaw challenges the rigid social hierarchy of Edwardian England, questioning the notion that one’s social status is predetermined by birth. Through the transformation of Eliza from a cockney flower girl to a refined lady, the play highlights the arbitrary nature of class distinctions. Shaw criticizes the class-based prejudices prevalent in society, emphasizing that one’s worth should not be determined solely by their background or accent.

Language and identity are also prominent themes in ‘Pygmalion.’ Shaw explores the power of language in shaping perceptions and social mobility. Professor Higgins, through his experiments with Eliza, demonstrates how mastering proper speech can lead to upward mobility. The play raises important questions about the connection between language and identity, challenging the idea that one’s accent or dialect defines their intelligence or worth. Shaw highlights the importance of recognizing the complexity and diversity of language and the need to move beyond superficial judgments based on speech patterns.

The power dynamics between men and women is a recurring theme in ‘Pygmalion.’ Shaw presents a complex portrayal of relationships, particularly between Eliza and Higgins. While Higgins initially sees Eliza as a mere experiment, their interactions gradually reveal a power struggle and the potential for mutual growth. The play explores issues of independence, autonomy, and agency for women in a patriarchal society. Eliza’s journey to self-discovery and assertiveness challenges traditional gender roles and highlights the need for equality and respect in relationships.

Furthermore, ‘Pygmalion’ delves into the theme of personal transformation and self-actualization. Eliza’s journey from a marginalized flower girl to a confident and independent woman showcases the transformative power of education and self-belief. Shaw emphasizes the importance of self-improvement and challenging societal expectations. However, he also questions the notion of transformation solely for external validation or conformity, raising ethical concerns about the manipulation of individuals for personal gain.

It is worth noting that ‘Pygmalion’ has resonated with audiences beyond its initial context. Its themes continue to hold relevance in contemporary society. The play’s exploration of social class challenges ongoing inequalities and prejudices based on socioeconomic status. The examination of language and identity speaks to the importance of inclusivity and the celebration of linguistic diversity. The portrayal of power dynamics between genders encourages conversations about gender equality and agency. Finally, the theme of personal transformation prompts reflection on the motivations behind self-improvement and the pursuit of authenticity.

In conclusion, ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw explores themes of social class, language and identity, power dynamics between men and women, and personal transformation. Through the story of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins, Shaw critically examines these themes, challenging societal norms and prompting reflection on contemporary issues. The play’s enduring relevance lies in its ability to provoke thought and discussion about the complexities of human relationships, social hierarchies, and the pursuit of individuality. ‘Pygmalion’ continues to captivate audiences, inviting us to question and challenge the world around us.