Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw | Summary & Analysis

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Professor Bill Yarrow of Joliet Junior College provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, themes, and motifs of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion.

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In his touchstone problem play Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw addresses both classism and sexism with prescient wit and compassion.

Linguist Henry Higgins encounters common flower girl Eliza Doolittle, whose Cockney accent identifies her as a member of the working class. He makes a bet with colleague Colonel Pickering that he can transform her from "guttersnipe" to "high-class lady" in the span of a few months.

He sets about the task with enthusiasm, though not without warnings from his mother, who frets about the girl's fate once the experiment is over. Oblivious to Eliza's feelings and fortunes, he ultimately succeeds in his initial goal but predictably fails to consider where this leaves Eliza.

Rich in observations about how appearance and language dictate class relationships, the play clearly sides with the intrepid Eliza as she endures Higgins' patronizing tutelage and emerges a lady, though with her street smarts intact.

Did you know? The title, Pygmalion, refers to a Greek character in Ovid's poem Metamorphoses who sculpts a woman so perfect that he falls in love with her. With the intervention of the goddess Venus, she comes to life.

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw is considered one of the most successful early 20th century writers, and Pygmalion was first performed in 1913. Shaw brought a new, realistic style of drama to theater that took aim—with wit and sincerity—at controversial social topics.

The film adaptation My Fair Lady, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, won eight Academy Awards.

The play contains many powerful themes, including transformation, as Eliza goes from poor flower girl to strong lady, and language, as Eliza breaks through class barriers by learning the language of the upper class. Other themes include appearance and identity, as clothes and language change Eliza’s appearance but make it necessary for her to find her inner strength. Important symbols include slippers, the flower shop, and the mirror.

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