The Controversial Ending Of Pygmalion Essay

The Controversial Ending of Pygmalion Essay
The Controversial Ending of Shaw's Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion is a play that has become a classic in today's world. It is a
retelling of an ancient story, of the same name, by the Roman poet, Ovid, in which a sculptor falls in love with a statue he carved. In Shaw's story,
Henry Higgins, an expert in phonetics, happens upon a poor flower girl with awful English and street manners named Eliza Doolittle. Throughout the
course of the play Higgins transforms her into an elegant independent woman. The play tracks Eliza and Higgins's journey and the transformation of
their relationship from teacher and pupil to one where both are equally accustomed to the other and have become integral parts of the others lives.
Shaw does...show more content...
It is also mentioned that we should not assume that Higgins would marry Eliza since in his eyes, no woman would ever compare to his mother.
Shaw then details the future life of Eliza and her marriage to Freddy, and it still is not a perfect one. Shaw does give some assurance that Eliza
constantly visits her old home with Higgins and the Colonel, and that Eliza and Higgins bicker just as ever before, but reaffirms his stance that she
simply does not like him in a way that is fitting for marriage (Shaw). This simply would not suffice for those reading, attending, and directing the play
though. Despite Shaw's addendum to the ending of Pygmalion, directors still fought for a different ending so as to please their audiences. The
production of a movie version of Pygmalion, was started in 1938. The producer, Gabriel Pascal demanded that there be a different ending to please
the general public to which this would be released. Shaw, in a sort of compromise, sent him a revised ending that he felt retained the truthfulness of his
story. In it Eliza and Higgins have an affectionate goodbye instead of the bitter almost non–existent farewell written in the play, and there is then a
scene of Eliza and Freddy happy in a flower shop. Pascal accepted this from Shaw, but secretly filmed the ending that was actually released which
included Eliza returning to Higgins and repeating a line spoken at the
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Critical Analysis Of Pygmalion
Kate McHenry Doctor Nicole Jerr English 211– Essay #2 16 October 2017 Word Count: 1,270 Class System During 20th Century London In the story
Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw writes about a garden flower girl, Eliza, who has troubles speaking. Two scholars of dialect, Henry Higgins and Colonel
Pickering want to use phonetics to make a duchess out of Eliza by teaching her proper English. Pygmalion was written in 1912 during a time
where classes were separated and the upper class constantly looked down on the lower class. The setting of this story takes place in London,
England. During the early 20th century, England had declared war and War World I began in 1914. Pygmalion represents the British class system
along with Bernard Shaw's views of women during that time. He decided to emulate the social classes during the early 20th century England in a
very non typical way. He used characters in the play to create these stereotypical views of things such as the way women were treated and thought
of, and the lower class citizens. The play starts out in Act One with a mother and daughter waiting for their son, Freddy, to get a taxi for them to
take home. Freddy searched the area getting soaking wet in the rain for a cab which he was unsuccessful finding. When he returned, the two ladies
stood dry undercover and his sister stated, "It's too tiresome. Do you expect us to go and get one ourselves?" (10). Freddy was only asking for help
looking for a taxi because he had been out in the rain

Pygmalion Essay
Essay question: Plays make powerful comments about societal structures. How does Shaw's Pygmalion critique values and attitudes prevalent in the
early 1900's?
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish immigrant in England, ostracised from society because of his appearance and heritage rather than from judgement
of his person, this kept him apart from most social classes of the time. This feeling of not fitting in may have inspired Shaw to write the play
Pygmalion which premiered in 1914 to comment on the shallow nature of the people of this era and satirise the class system. To do this Shaw
introduced Eliza Doolittle, a class chameleon, to guide the audience through the corrupt social hierarchy and give light to those who don't have a real
place in the structure, like himself and Eliza who are judged based on appearance and speech. Shaw confronted his audience with his satirical
reflection of reality; speech defines a persons' class instead of what they have to say and to appear beautiful is more important than to be kind.
Emphasising these important aspects in different ways in various characters gives an interesting view on how this class system influenced the people in
their context. Pygmalion is a both reflection of influence of class and the values it promotes which Shaw skilfully uses to criticise inequality of all
those within it.
Shaw critiques the shallow views of people from the 1900's by completely disregarding their belief in the correlation between

Pygmalion Character Analysis
Don't Pick Your Flowers Before They Bloom
Eliza Doolittle of Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, is first introduced in Covent Garden with an impression that isn't easy to forget. Her slanged
language and persistent personality make her a notable character in literature. As she comes under the wing of professor Henry Higgins, she learns
simple etiquette and improved phonetics. However, Higgins' crude demeanor causes Eliza to violate the pillars of respect and responsibility, though she
continuously complies with the trustworthiness pillar of character. The six pillars of character–trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, fairness
and citizenship–are the framework of a good character with ethics and kindness.
To start, Eliza Doolittle of Pygmalion violates the pillar of respect. Charactercounts.org states that a part of the pillar of respect is to "Treat others
with respect; follow the Golden Rule." The Golden Rule can be simply stated as treating others the way you would like to be treated. Eliza wanted
this civil treatment from Higgins, but when it came down to her actions, she was rather rude to him. She clearly disrespects and threatens Higgins
by exposing his lie to the public. "I'll advertize it in the papers that your duchess is only a flower girl that you taught, and that she'll teach anybody
to be a duchess just the same in six months for a thousand guineas." (Act V). It's hypocritical of her to treat Higgins with disrespect, when just a
few minutes ago she was pleading for his attention and kindness. Under the pillar of respect, charactercounts.org states a person of good character
should "Use good manners, not bad language." But Eliza's exposure to Higgins' crass choices of words has majorly influenced her to speak fouly as
well. In Act III, when Eliza visits Mrs. Higgins and her guests, she swears fouly. In response to Freddy's question of if she will walk home, Eliza says,
"Walk! Not bloody likely. [Sensation]. I am going in a taxi." (Act III). Eliza disrespects the people around her again as she blatantly swears. Her loss
of good manners at this moment reflects poorly on her and Higgins. Overall, Eliza violates the pillar of respect by treating Higgins with disrespect and
swearing in

Equality and Social Class in Pygmalion Essay
Equality and Social Class in Pygmalion
The idea of ranking individuals based upon their wealth and behaviors has endured through all cultures, countries, and times. George Benard Shaw's
Pygmalion addresses an individual's capability to advance through society, an idea as old as social distinction. Shaw does so through the social parable
of a young English flower girl named Eliza Dolittle, who after receiving linguistic training assumes the role of a duchess. She receives instruction, as a
bet, by a self–absorbed language professor named Henry Higgens. However, Eliza does not take her social ascension alone, as she is joined by her
drunken father Alfred P. Dolittle. The manner in which they rise from poverty demonstrates...show more content...
Moreover, the strongest point of Shaw's social commentary is Eliza's inner feelings of equality, mostly with Higgens (Lorichs 134).
Though, personal equality results from an individual's innate humanity, social behaviors form class separations in Eliza's London. Social habits
separate people into communal divisions. Shaw's depiction of language and pronunciation becomes not only a distinction between classes of people,
but the only distinction between classes of people, completely preventing social equality (Mugglestone 377). Differing social actions or ideas establish
a "gulf that separates class from class and soul from soul" (58). To draw attention to the distinctions in classes and lifestyles, Shaw stresses the outward
distinctions between a variety of classes" (Lorichs 139). Shaw's most incredible insights during his social commentary is into the social interaction of
language with "the finely graded social stratification that speech habits reflect." (Boardsmore 715) Moreover, personal behaviors limit social mobility.
Eliza's poor and improper pronunciation of English limits her advancement through society. Also, through Shaw's depiction of "the close correlation
between linguistic usage, social stratification and social mobility" he demonstrates how poor pronunciation both creates social boundaries and limits
individuals to them (Beardsmore 719). Shaw uses

Class Distinction in Pygmalion Essay
The play Pygmalion offers the readers a view on the theme of class distinction, and the problem of the barriers separating classes and people. Shaw
reveals to us the truth about the artificiality of classes and how anybody can overcome them, He also shows us that society puts up high standards and
that people are distinguished by their way of speaking, and their appearance alone and of course that's wrong. In the first act of Pygmalion, Shaw
chooses a setting that really helped shedding light on this theme, for he chose the st. portico square between the church and the theatre, a setting that
embraced everybody from different classes and made them all clash under one place for shelter. The gathering of all those...show more content...
Mrs. Higgins thinks of the experiment that her son and Pickering are doing with Eliza as child's play, she tells the professor not to be happy for her
didn?t succeed in passing Eliza as a duchess he only made her look better. Mrs. Higgins sees classes as something people acquire through their life,
and they are taught as children how to behave according to their social classes. Eliza Doolittle the cockney flower girl that came from the gutter
snipe, and who by the end of the play is a delicate beautiful lady, is the embodiment that crossed the class barriers and showed how artificial they
are. When Eliza is first introduced to us in Act one, her appearance and way of speech gave away her very low class, and everybody treated her
badly including Freddy who will fall in love with her later on. However, after Eliza spends months and months at the Professor's trying to improve
her pronunciation of words and her outside behavior, everybody is impressed, Freddy and his family are impressed, even though she is the same
girl they looked down on in the first act. Eliza's character developed through out the play tremendously, she became more aware of her feelings and
what people said about her. Eliza thought that since she looked, talked and acted like a lady then she deserved to be treated like one, in fact, Eliza's
definition of a lady is not how she acts but how she is treated. There are also the Eynsford Hills', and they represent the

Summary Of Pygmalion And Galatea
When comparing Ovid's representation of the Pygmalion story and one of Jean–LГ©on GГ©rГґme's artwork (Pygmalion and Galatea), the viewer will
be able to pinpoint multiple references that coincide with each other. Starting with the two faces on the right, the two faces most likely represents how
Pygmalion feels at the start of this story. Pygmalion informs the reader that he is angry at the faults a woman has been given by nature. However,
Pygmalion is also saddened because he knows that he will not be able to find someone else to love and his "ivory girl" will always be a statue.
Pygmalion is mad at women but is also saddened that he might never meet the woman of his dreams. Furthermore, Pygmalion continues this
"battle", shown by his shield in the painting, by creating his own "perfect" woman and continues to drown it with gifts he believes a woman will
love. Rather than creating a compromise where both sides will be at peace, Pygmalion pushes forward with his "ivory girl". Even when he does
ultimately gets the girl, Pygmalion continues to improve the "ivory girl", as a hammer is seen near them. Possibly referencing back to Pygmalion's
"battle" between his emotions and on deciding on what details makes a woman perfect. Once Pygmalion is finished with his artwork, he gives the
"ivory girl" beauty no woman could have and fell in love with it. The stature itself is currently places on top of pedestal. Giving a sense that
Pygmalion greatly admires the "ivory girl", and it is

Essay On Pygmalion
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) the versatile dramatist used contemporary social, political and religious problems as subjects for his plays.
Pygmalion, perhaps the only one of his many plays in which he points out to his audience and his readers that he has used an ancient classical myth to
explore a problem that is not merely contemporary but one that has lasted through time. This myth is the story of Pygmalion – Galatea which has been
told and retold by several later writers in differing forms. In the most familiar version of this myth, Pygmalion was the king of Cyprus. He was also a
great sculptor who used to make beautiful statues of bronze, marble and ivory. He was devoted to his art and always sought for perfection at any...show
more content...
Dressed in Opera Cloak with diamonds, fan, flowers and all other accessories she passes like a Duchess, creating sensation in the whole
atmosphere. Nepummuck, the marvelous interpreter (and Higgins' previous student also to whom he taught phonetics) identifies her as a
Hungarian princess. Thus her success at the ambassador's reception is overwhelming. But the experiment is followed by its aftermath. As
euphoria of triumph is over, Eliza is faced with the stark reality. She has become disclassed, left unfit for her old life and unable for her old life and
unable to forge a new one Eliza is tragic in her fear and despair. Higgins is also quite unsentimental and unromantic in his approach to Eliza.
Looking to this attitude of Professor Higgins Eliza shouted on him asking; "What am I fit for? Where am I to go? What am I to do? What to
become of me? Higgins' this attitude of indifference drives her to Freddy, who worships her. Eliza leaves Higgins house and so takes decisive step
into the future. Shaw explains the sexual attitude of Higgins towards Eliza in terms of the Oedipus Complex. In Appendix he says "If an imaginative
boy has a suffering rich mother who has intelligence, personal grace, dignity of character without harshness and a cultivated sense of the best art of her
time to enable her to make her house beautiful, she sets a standard for him a disengagement of his

Pygmalion Essay
The distinctive voices, characteristic in any text/s, can be deconstructed to develop an understanding which may validate, challenge or disprove
society's values and/or beliefs within a given context. Language, in all its forms, is a human thing, and allows the traces or imprints of human use, not
inherently but in its use. A text may promote obvious distinction between the authorial voice and character's viewpoint. This can be seen in the play of
Pygmalion in by George Bernard shaw and the film Pleasantville directed by Gary Ross. Both of these texts show distinctive voices through dialogue
the use of dialogue which highlights the relationships and differences between characters.
Pygmalion is a play in five acts. It is about a young...show more content...
Another distinctive voice in Pymalion is that Henry Higgins . is an important character in the play as he is Eliza's tutor. He Is an expert in
phonetics and is very proud of his skill and his ability to transform Eliza into a lady. However he fails to follow the rules of social conduct when
they are out in public. This is evident in Act III when he was rude to the hostess saying: "fearful bore for you this sort of thing. Forgive my part in
it". However he is most rough with Eliza. His voice is characterised by the severe tone, high volume and use of profanity or insults. He also uses a
harsh tone, particularly when talking to Eliza e.g "You won my bet! You! Presumptuous insect!/ I won it." In this quote he uses exclamations,
repetition and italics to show his emotion.This quote uses exclamations and repetition of you to emphasise his emotion. He also uses the metaphor of
Eliza as an insect to communicate his anger but also create the sense that she is small and meaningless. This quote shows his inability to acknowledge
that eliza worked hard for the bet. " Damn Mrs.pearce ; and damn the coffee; and damn you: and wildly damn my own folly in having lavished my
hard–earned knowledge and the treasure of my regard and intimacy on a heartless guttersnipe". At this point Mr.Higgins has truly lost his temper. This
is shown in the repetition of the curse "damn". He has been hurt by what Eliza has said because he believes that she is ungrateful. Eliza has won

Othello And Pygmalion Essay
The Treacherous Follies of Society
Desdemona from Othello by William Shakespeare (1969) and Eliza Doolittle from Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (2003) are characters who
struggle with the repercussions of prejudice created by society and who defy social norms. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed
beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason. Although both theater pieces are based on different eras, both characters have similar
characteristics and ideologies on how to behave within society. In this essay, I will argue social prejudice is the antecedent of the negative outcomes
which impact Desdemona and Eliza's rebellious actions and through the use of meter, diction, and punctuation; the authors reveal the extremism of the
claim. Though I agree that their rebellious attitudes played roles in their misfortunes, I still support that their misfortunes...show more content...
In Desdemona's case, she felt the need to help erase the misconception of Cassio to bring out the truth whilst, society can easily confuse this for more
intimate matters. ToOthello this seems innocent at first; however, even he could not escape the prejudice of society. This becomes evident when
Othello's impulsive personality leads to the fatality of Desdemona.
Desdemona is portrayed as a very inquisitive women, whom loves to explore the things and people outside of her class. She fell in love with
Othello because of her curious nature and being attracted to his acts of bravado. Her intentions are sincere; however her curiosity in this act is seen
as folly. She asks her cousin Lodovico about his arrival and informs him of Cassio's dismissal. This angers Othello as she is praising another man,
taking a persona of being proactive about him. For Othello this concludes that she is disobedient and has dishonored him – to put her in place, he
resorts to violence:
OTHELLO. I am glad to see you

"Pygmalion is a serious analysis of class and gender conflict."
Bernard Shaw's play, entitled Pygmalion, transcends the nature of drama as a medium to be utilized for sheer entertainment value. Shaw's play
powerfully comments on the capacity for the individual to overcome the boundaries established by systems of class and gender. Dominant
assumptions and expectations may essentially prevent an individual from becoming socially mobile within a seemingly rigid hierarchical social
structure. However, Liza, the protagonist utilizes language as the tool which enables the her to escape the confines of the lower class and to be
regarded as a human of a certain degree of worth within society. As Liza transforms from flower girl to duchess,...show more content...
This is exemplified by Clara Einsford Hill's distaste as others are made aware that she is originally from Earlcourt, rather than her mother's place of
birth, which is near Epsom. Epsom is a well known town of wealth and class, as opposed to Earlscourt, which is typically `middle class.' Clara becomes
frustrated, as in, 'Will you please keep your impertinent remarks to yourself.' (Shaw, 2003:16) Higgins is determined to clarify the origins of each
person's accent, subsequently undermining the sense of class that Clara seeks to exude.
In addition, the way that Shaw chooses to spell each dialect creates a stark contrast between each of the characters. The flower girl's language stands
out as being tedious and mispronounced, whilst the reader is made aware that the Einsford Hill's speech is the dialect which is to be considered
normal through the spelling of their diction. For example, the flower girl's dialect is represented in such a way: `Wal, fewd dan y' d–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, 2003:11) In this passage,
Shaw makes it quite clear that there exists an obvious difference between the two types of language. Ultimately the difference that Shaw wishes to
convey is not only that which is prevalent between the dialects, but the defining difference that separates the certain

Pygmalion Play Essay
Discuss the different ways of representing class conflicts. Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw, 1914 My Fair Lady, George Cukor, 1964 "As the purpose of
comedy is to correct the vices of men, I see no reason why anyone should be exempt." This famous quotation of French playwright MoliГЁre
proves how powerfully theater and social criticism are linked, and how in its different genres, drama as well as comedy, theater can, and maybe
must, be a way of communicating and expressing the human and society's flaws. Indeed, theater, as defined by Marvin Carlson, is a "collaborative
form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place." This
specificity of theatrical...show more content...
In this scene from the movie, Eliza has attempted to clean up and change her appearance in order to look more lady–like. However, even after her
efforts, she stands out as poor and inadequate compared to Henry Higgins, Colonel Pickering and even Mrs. Pearce, who is also of the working
class. Physical appearance is of utter importance when it comes to differentiating each class, and can also be modified in order to move among the
social hierarchy. During the Vth Act, a maid mistakes Alfred Doolittle for a gentleman, and Bernard Shaw insists on the fact that it is due to his new
physical aspect: " He is brilliantly dressed in a new fashionable frock–coat, with white waistcoat and grey trousers. A flower in his buttonhole, a
dazzling silk hat, and patent leather shoes complete the effect." Furthermore, Eliza's transformation is made most evident throughout her clothing,
which consists of at the beginning of her flower girl outfit, dirty and gloomy, and ends with her ball gown, rich and bright. However, what matters
most when it comes to class distinction is speech. The play and the movie are all based on the importance of language, and its power on to build or
break an individual. Eliza at the beginning of the plot speaks in a terrible manner, proving her low origins. Her speech contrasts vividly with Henry's,
especially

Pygmalion Essay
Pygmalion
An interpretation of Class Relations in Pygmalion
In Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, there is a distinct variance in class relations and the way that early 20th century Britains were perceived as being
different by their speech, money, wealth, style, manners, and appearance. Being a lady or a gentleman was an acquired status desirable among most of
London's society. However, in Pygmalion, Shaw tells a story about the transition of a homeless young woman with the aspiration to become a respected
lady.
Eliza Doolittle is an 18 or 19 year–old young women, making a living from selling old flowers on the streets. When she comes across a rude Professor,
named Henry Higgins, he sarcastically offers her to "learn how to speak...show more content...
Another example is when Eliza goes to get in the taxi and the driver is trying to keep her out, assuming that she has no money to pay for the ride.
When Higgins meets Eliza, he comes across as very rude, saying:
"Woman; cease the detestable boohooing instantly; or else seek the shelter of some other place of worship......A woman who utters such depressing and
disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere – no right to live.... this creature with her kerbstone English: the English that will keep her in the gutter
till the end of her days...Well sir, in three months I could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party....."
He then goes on to call her names like "squashed cabbage leaf" ; "disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns" and an "incarnate insult to the
English language". With obviously no respect for the poor girl, he would say anything that he wants to her, with no spare to her feelings at all.
An example related to this scenario can be compared to "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", by Peggy McIntosh. In this article,
she describes how gender, race and sexual preference are a problem in America. In this case, however, it is more a subcultural problem, but it is
related to the way classes differ. She discusses how white people, males particularly, have "skin color that was an asset for any move one was educated

Essay about Pygmalion, by Bernard Shaw
Bernard Shaw Pygmalion A Romance in Five Acts 1. Summary of the Play, page 2 2. Introduction and Short Analysis of the Main Character, page 4 3.
Interpretation, page 5 4. Additional Information, page 7 5. Literature and Links, page 8 1. Summary London at 11.15 a.m., on a rainy summer day.
EverybodyГўв‚¬в„ўs running for shelter because of the torrential storm. A bunch of people ist gathering in St. Pauls church, looking outside and
waiting for the rain to stop. Among the crowd, there is a young flower girl which grew up in the slums of London and therefore has a terribly bad
language, although she is a good–natured, simple and pure being. She is carrying a basket with flowers. As there is nothing else to do while waiting
...show more content...
So he lets Eliza live with him (heГўв‚¬в„ўs quite rich, an he has a big house), and he buys her clothes. And the most important thing: he teaches her
how to speach proper English. As for the manners, it is Pickering who shows Eliza how to behave like a lady (as Higgins cannot). For Eliza, this is
very hard in the beginning, but after a while sheГўв‚¬в„ўs getting along pretty well, and she is improving fast. After some time, they are visited by
ElizaГўв‚¬в„ўs father, who is an unreliable, greedy alcoholic (and has never cared for her anyway). He is theoretically the only familiy Eliza would
have, but she always had to look for herself. He insists on taking her with him, but it soon turns out, that he only wants money, having heard that the
gentleman whome Eliza is living with at the time is quite rich. Higgins freezes him out. A few months later Eliza faces her first test: Higgins
introduces her to his mother. Unfortunately, his mother is already expecting visitors, and Eliza is getting more and more nervous because there are so
many people. At the end, she rushes out, and Higgins must agree that she is not quite ready. At the end of the six months, he finally lets her accompany
him to the ambassadorГўв‚¬в„ўs ball. Everyone who passes her way looks at her in amazement, for she is now due to be a queen. She is not a flower
girl

Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, describes Shaw's viewpoint on social class distinctions in the 1900s by describing characters of the upper,
middle, and lower classes in the play. Through the characters' descriptions, language, and actions, the distinction between classes becomes very
prominent. Similarly, Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, describes Brecht's take on the social class structure during Galileo's time and how the differences
between classes affected Galileo's opportunity to do scientific research. Both plays depict a society ruled by the upper–class and a lack of coherence
among the upper, middle, and lower classes that leads to eventual conflict. In both Pygmalion and Galileo, the authors highlight the advantages and
disadvantages of the different social classes in order to critique how the relationships between people from different classes affect their interactions with
each other. The different classes in both plays had their advantages and disadvantages; however, some classes had more benefits than others. In
Pygmalion, the upper–class was the most privileged money–wise. Henry Higgins was an upper–class educated man who had quite a reputation and
enough money to take on the challenge of transforming Eliza, a lower–class woman, into an upper–class citizen. As a member of the upper–class,
Higgins had access to "chocolates, and taxis, and gold, and diamonds" that members of the lower–class didn't necessarily have (Shaw 19). These
objects are associated with

Pygmalion Research Paper
In the book Pygmalion a young flower girl had to sell flowers on the street in order to provide for herself this book was put into visual in the musical
"My Fair Lady". Both Pygmalion and My Fair Lady are very similar but they also show many differences. The story Pygmalion is about a young
woman by the name of Eliza Doolittle who is poor and uneducated so her speech is very bad but with the help of Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering
becomes a well–spoken and well–mannered woman. Pygmalion is the base of the musical and does not have as much flash as the musical does. The
movie and the musical are similar in the way that the characters are presented as well as the relationships between the characters. In Pygmalion, a
young woman by...show more content...
The first major way being that My Fair Lady is a musical which adds a whole new dynamic to the story being told as a whole. For example in
Pygmalion the audience knows that Eliza is fed up with being commanded all of the time but in the song she sings to Freddy it is more apparent that
she is tired of words and people telling her empty words. Another major difference is the party that Eliza attends, in the book it is a small get–together
to see how Eliza does around others but in the musical it is a huge ball. The ball in the musical was filled with royalty and women dressed to the
nines. As well as the ending of the musical being a little more vague than the play which directed us to Eliza and Freddy getting married but in the
play it was more of an idea. The musical was leading to the audience believing that she would maybe begin to date Freddy or she might move back
in with Higgins at the end of it all. In conclusion, the play Pygmalion and the musical My Fair Lady are very similar but have many differences that
stick out like a sore thumb. In both the musical and the play Eliza was presented the same way as being attractive, young, and feisty. Although they
are alike in the ways of characters the musical is more in depth as well as some of the scenes being out of order and over

George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" Essay
For many decades, we as people have come to criticize on every aspect of one another's being without learning the cause of why one portrays
themselves in such a way.
In the book of Pygmalion, a play of an English woman who is looked down upon by society
Because of her dialect and occupation, is no exception to what many struggle with to understand.
The book takes place in London, England were a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle tries to sell flowers to a bystander who becomes disgusted by her
when she calls a man by his first name("Freddy, look wh' y' goin' deah" Shaw 12). Moments later she tries to sell flowers to two men named Henry
Higgins and Colonel Pickering, whom turn away from her and speak openly about her awful...show more content...
George Bernard Shaw's life was a full one filled with many great accomplishments and life quotes that many people follow and say today.
In the beginning of the book, Eliza Doolittle has trouble conversing with bystanders and towns people when trying to sell her flowers because when
she approaches them, hey feel offended because of her word choices and how she comes off offensive when talking to them or yelling ("Impidence!"
Shaw 23) , and throwing her basket at someone when things don't go her way. Because of this behavior, it shows that she has a conflict with society
due to her upbringing and that being all that she has learned. When Colonel Pickering and Henry Higgins take Eliza in, She feels that they think she is
beneath them because they do not want to accept her money because she is no good for it, but without her knowing it , the two gentlemen have
decided to make her an experiment and nothing more than that. When the experiment is finished,
the two men celebrate and congratulate one another, but they do not consider Eliza's feelings and she ends up feeling unwanted and used yet again
with no other place to go because her speech has become proper and her being and self–worth have improved drastically in such a short amount of
time. When everyone is off to bed for the night, Eliza decides to head off for good before everyone wakes up, but in doing so, she is feeling conflict
within herself because she feels she has no

Pretty Woman vs. Pygmalion Essay
In the history of literary texts, many original tales have often been appropriated decades later with a different message or purpose in the mind of the
creator. The ideas, values and plotline are redefined in a new context to appeal to a different audience. Like all texts, both Pygmalion, written by George
Bernard Shaw and Pretty Woman, directed by Gary Marshall, reflect values, beliefs and attitudes of the time, nearly 80 years apart.
The use of different forms highlights the different intended audiences. On one hand, Pygmalion was a play intended for the upper echelons on society.
Pretty woman was created with the intention to blockbuster so it was consequently made into a film intended for the middle class.
In both texts we see...show more content...
To overcome the social barriers, both girls receive additional lessons on social manners from Barney and Pickering.
As the two texts are set in different eras, the leading male characters have different reactions to the girls' attempts to refrain from submitting to the
stereotypes. Edward is a lot more emotional and sensitive as the 1990's audience would not bear abusive behavior like Higgins. He reacts to the
defiance of the stereotype warmly saying "very few people surprise me" after he discovers Vivienne was hiding a roll of tooth floss. On the contrary,
Higgins brutally tells her to "cease this detestable boohooing instantly". This further exemplifies the different message given in the contemporary
version.
Both protagonists ascend through social classes with the help of two men with ability to access higher classes via profession and wealth. The film
establishes Edward's social superiority by depicting him above all the guests at his party utilising a Bird's Eye View, supporting this, his ex–girlfriend
admonishes him "you think I'm at your beck and call". However, he can see below him but he cannot break out of the glass window. Further
supporting his inability, he becomes lost in Hollywood requiring directions from Vivienne. The cross cutting of Vivienne and Edward foreshadows and
sets up their romance. In direct contrast, Higgins did not need saving at the slightest, happily being a "confirmed old bachelor" as he believes that

Marginalisation In Pygmalion
Pygmalion, a drama written by George Bernard Shaw is a discussion play that tackles and discusses a lot of social issues during the 20th Century.
The play takes place in London and focuses on Eliza Doolittle a flower girl. Eliza represents the rare group of young, independent, and single girls.
Due to this reason Eliza is constantly marginalized by people around her in her community which includes people who are close to her.
The representation of young, independent, working class and single woman that was still uncommon during that time. In Pygmalion, Shaw portrays
her as someone who fits that description. Eliza was first introduced in the first act as a poor, working class flower girl. Shaw places Eliza in Convent
Garden amidst the first...show more content...
Even though she's attending fancy garden parties she can't change the fact she is still a young, single, and independent young woman to Higgins
who still objectifies her constantly. "Eliza flinches violently; but they take no notice of her; and she recovers herself and sits stonily as before.
PICKERING. Were you nervous at the garden party? I was. Eliza didn't seem a bit nervous. HIGGINS. Oh, she wasn't nervous. I knew she'd be all
right." (50). This excerpt taken from Act IV is seen as the climax of how Eliza herself finally realizes how marginalized she is. This excerpt shows
dramatic irony as well because the audience can clearly tell that Eliza is starting to be fueled by the inner rage surpressed inside of her. Eliza is
finally tired of how people are treating her. Eliza thought that acting like a high class aristocrat would change people's perspective on her and it does
for a little while but at the end of the day to the people she's close to, her true social image of a young, single and independent woman will never

The Controversial Ending Of Pygmalion Essay

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The Controversial Ending Of Pygmalion Essay