Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw - 950 Words

Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw, is well known for its portrayal of the rich and the poor. At the time of its publication, it was common belief that the poor were morally inferior to the rich. Pygmalion argues the opposite. Bernard Shaw used both static and dynamic characters to demonstrate the equality between the social classes regarding morals and intelligence. In the case of Eliza Doolittle, the differences are seen as she transitions from poverty to the middle class. In Pygmalion, she is shown to be a dynamic character, undergoing many changes of personal strength, articulation, and freedom. Throughout Pygmalion, as Eliza Doolittle increases both her confidence and her self-control, her development of personal inner strength is demonstrated. When Eliza is first introduced at the beginning of the play, she is spirited, but lacks confidence and willpower. By the end of the play, she has become bold, self-assured, and is in control of her actions and behavior. In Act I, she is crafty enough to lie about having change, but when it is shown that a bystander is â€Å"taking down every blessed word [she is] saying,† she becomes hysterical, declaring that she is a â€Å"respectable girl† (1). In Act , when Eliza is practicing her new behavioral and oral skills at Mrs. Higgins’ home, she is confident enough to keep up her disguise. She is even known to have enough self-control to cease her chattering and politely bid farewell when Higgins’ suggests that it is time toShow MoreRelatedGeorge Bernard Shaw s Pygmalion1463 Words   |  6 PagesGeorge Bernar d Shaw lived in a time where there was a great divide between the upper and lower classes of England. The rich were becoming increasingly wealthier, while the poor dug deeper and deeper into debt. Similar to American society today, the upper class looked down upon the lower class for their outward appearance (the way in which they spoke and dressed). People such as antagonist Henry Higgins of Pygmalion, in fact, only focused on a person’s facade; they were completely ignorant to people’sRead MorePygmalion: George Bernard Shaw and Play1459 Words   |  6 PagesPygmalion George Bernard show Pygmalion as a problem play Problem play: defined and explained A problem play is a play in which a number of problems are presented and analyzed thoroughly but no solutions to those problems are provided by the dramatist. Such a play serves as a great irritant to the thought. It is though provoking. the readers are provoked to think over the problem presented in the play and work out their own solutions to those problems. Pygmalion is a problem play in this senseRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Pygmalion `` By George Bernard Shaw1545 Words   |  7 PagesIn Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw illustrates an everlasting tale of a women trapped in a world dominated and controlled by men. By using the crucial themes of class, language, and independence Shaw reveals the overall meaning of his work: how a man’s dream to turn an impoverish women into a sophisticated duchess only succeeds in pushing her further away, how the love he had for her was of his own creation, and how his heart of stone could not be sated by a statue that was nothing more than rockR ead MoreAnalysis Of Pygmalion By George Bernard Shaw1305 Words   |  6 Pages An Analysis of the English class system in Pygmalion Throughout the play, Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, many of the characters represent different social class structures. They also resemble how the higher class citizens feel threatened by the lower class citizens. Protagonist Eliza Doolittle, Henry Higgins, and Mrs. Pearce are prime examples of characters who portray different roles in the Victorian social structure. This play takes place during the Victorian period in England where theRead MoreAnalysis Of Pygmalion By George Bernard Shaw Essay1947 Words   |  8 PagesPygmalion, 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 scientificRead MoreAnalysis Of The Play Pygmalion By George Bernard Shaw1600 Words   |  7 Pageswith others anymore, instead using their phone. Tea time also known as afternoon tea, Victorian tea, high tea, and five-o clock tea, may be one of the most delightful and informal affairs in the whole social round. In the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, Shaw mentions how the importance of reputation can determine the tea time experience. It may also be an unmitigated bore (Victoriana). The observance of tea time originated amongst the wealthy class. Tea time was said to be created byRead MoreAnalysis Of George Bernard Shaw s Pygmalion2617 Words   |  11 PagesSocial standing is central to the plot of George Bernard Shaw’s play â€Å"Pygmalion†. The portrayal of class identity in Shaw’s play appears to be a criticism of the distinctions between high society and the poorer classes in Victorian Eng land. Shaw’s aim was to portray how the upper-crust of Victorian society viewed the lower classes, as evidenced by Higgins’ treatment of Eliza upon her first visit to his laboratory; Higgins treats her as though she is too stupid to understand that he is insulting herRead More Metamorphosis of Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw1642 Words   |  7 PagesThe Metamorphosis of Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw    The benefits of acquiring an education are not limited to the academic aspects often associated with it. Part of the edification it bestows includes being enabled to reach new insight, being empowered to cultivate a new awareness, and being endowed with a new understanding of life and of self. In Bernard Shaws Pygmalion, Eliza Doolittle experiences this type of enlightenment as the result of undergoing a drastic changeRead MoreThe Pygmalion, By George Bernard Shaw And The Film Pretty Woman1629 Words   |  7 Pagesappropriations of the Pygmalion myth, the play Pygmalion (1913) written by George Bernard Shaw and the film Pretty Woman (1990) directed by Garry Marshall utilise different text form as a medium to deliver criticism and commentary on the traditionally defined gender roles and the basis of making class distinctions in their respective contexts. It is through the choice of text genre, the form of medium by which the values are challenged or embodied, that this exploration is achieved. Pygmalion, set during theRead More Alernatiove Ending to George Bernard Shaw ´s Pygmalion Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesAlternative Ending to Pygmalion Act V After Higgins, confesses to his undying love for Eliza. Eliza decides to leave Higgins’s home because felt that it would only hurt Higgins more to have her stay another moment in his home because she did not share the same feelings for him. She now resides at the home of Mrs. Higgins. Mrs. Higgins’s drawing room. She is at her writing-table as before. The parlor-maid comes in. THE PARLOR MAID [at the door]: Mr. Henry, madam, is downstairs MRS