Essays on Pygmalion

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Anglo-Irish author of more than 60 plays and winner of both the Nobel Prize for Literature and an Academy Award (Oscar) (1930, for Pygmalion), as well as prolific producer of literary and music criticism, focused most often on social issues. He supported equality of political rights for women and protested what he saw as exploitation of workers; his socialist idealism was bone-deep, to the point where he refused to believe news of famine in the supposed…

Argument Mapping The goal of this essay is to present an argument mapping of Deborah Cameron’s “The New Pygmalion: Verbal Hygiene for Women”. First I will define any important terms that are used by Cameron. Next, I will try to identify her central claim and any supporting claims that she makes in her argument. Then, I will assess and analyze the evidence provides for these claims. Afterwards, I will propose Cameron’s suggested use values. Finally, I will try to outline…

Feminist icon Ani DiFranco once said, "Patriarchy is like the elephant in the room that we don't talk about, but how could it not affect the planet radically when it's the superstructure of human society." Patriarchy’s widespread ideology has resulted in the distorted belief that men are superior to women, affecting the lives of billions. Generations after generations, women could no longer bear society's oppressive treatment and the discriminative culture they lived in. This gave way for the rise of…

Pygmalion Essay: Appearance vs. Reality Daniel Webster stated that “the world is governed more by appearances than realities” because people mistake what they seem to know over the truth. In Pygmalion, Shaw explores this theme of appearance versus reality through his characters and how they are perceived by themselves and others. For example, Alfred Doolittle grudgingly adopts “middle class morality” to secure his visage as a wealthy member of the bourgeoisie. Social mobility is limited in the Victorian Era as…

"Pygmalion" is one of the best works done by George Bernard Shaw. It is inspired by a Greek mythology of a sculptor name"Pygmalion" who makes a porcelain statue embodying his own ideal of womanhood, which he names Galatea. He is too mesmerized by his own creation that he falls in love with it. Pygmalion requests the goddess Venus to bring Galatea to life, she does that. Later, they starts living happily ever after. The drama "Pygmalion" is inspired by this…

First introduced as the flower-girl in Act One, and called variously Liza, Eliza, and Miss Doolittle. Eliza is the subject of Higgins and Pickering's experiment and bet. While not formally well-educated, she is quick-witted and is a strong character, commonly unafraid to stand up for herself. Shaw has created this character, of a strong independent, free spirited young woman, a quick learner, who never came across as feeling intimidated to converse with people of different backgrounds and social stature. This…

Pygmalion Analysis I Problem Play The play highlights many relevant social problems in the society of its time. There is a range of social differences when it comes to people and it leads of a difference of opportunities and access to resources. Eliza starts as simple girl who sells flowers and then goes on to learn the ways of the aristocratic women. However, she does not have family wealth and depends on others for money. In the end, she decides…

In the novel Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw concerns himself with the method in which mannerisms both define and defy notions of class in Victorian England. He skillfully illustrates this through his portrayal of minor character Alfred Doolittle. Doolittle’s character represents a paradox in that his poverty, which would be thought to make a man more conscious and ambitious, makes him hedonistic and manipulatively charming. The audience first meets Mr. Doolittle in a scene in which he visits Professor Higgins at…

As the art of literature has progressed throughout time, one theme as consistently made its way to future generations. Impossible love is a theme that although can be written from different angles, generally speaking either a love that is forbidden, unnecessary , or not possible. The Aenid entails the life of the great hero Aeneas, who in time finds love in his relationship with the Queen of Carthage, Dido-resulting in a tragic spell of impossible love. Then, we also have…

” This is the representation we are provided with of Galatea. She serves as decoration, servility and compliancy. From all the connotations within Ovid‟s Pygmalion, women are demoralised and the question that arises is, what could be better – a woman who‟s beautiful and never t alks back to you?Men on the other hand are regarded as assertive and superior. Pygmalion is depictedas a sexist male who lives by a strict moral code, much like other men in his context,…

Born in 1856 on 33 Synge Street, Dublin was a boy by the name of George Bernard Shaw. At an early age Shaw had trouble finding his place within society, which started with his disliking of his name George and preferred to be called 'Sonny'. Shaw also began to struggle finding his place within society, which ultimately lead to his literary career. Sonny suffered a dreadful death due to kidney failure on November 2, 1950. Apparent throughout all of Shaw's…

Artificial Intelligence is all around us, in our cellphones, cars, and now even the military. Smart houses are becoming the norm and younger generations are relying on social media or youtube for entertainment. In this day in age, more and more machines are gaining a silicon brain. Computers you can talk to, computers that protect the country, and computers that drive our cars are being developed. A constant flow of technology is always present in our everyday lives. And with…

I will be analysing if it would make a difference if Pygmalion would have been written in a different time, for example the twenty-first century. In this task, I will compare the language used by different classes, and how some language wasn’t accepted back then but might be accepted now, and I will compare some of the historical events that happened between the time that Pygmalion was written in and nowadays. Furthermore, I will explain how marriage has changed over…

George Bernard Shaw's play, "Pygmalion," provides a captivating exploration of societal dynamics and personal transformation through the lens of its complex characters. Among these figures, Henry Higgins, a distinguished linguist and central character, stands out for his eccentricities, contradictions, and pivotal role in the narrative. This essay endeavors to delve into the multifaceted persona of Henry Higgins, unraveling the layers of his character and dissecting the nuances that make him a compelling figure. The Unconventional Bet and Henry Higgins' Eccentricity…

Imaginary Letter written by Mrs. Higgins to her sister Amelia. Complete the letter, being true to both Mrs. Higgins's made expressions, her psychology, and the events in Act 3 of Pygmalion. My dearest Amelia, I was delighted and amused to read your news about Charles's adventures in Matabeleland. I must admit, though, that I have been a wholehearted supporter of the "colonial venture", as that awful Mr. Chamberlain called it, and always felt that that Cecil Rhodes was a dreadful…

Social Class in Pygmalion “Pygmalion”, by George Bernard Shaw, is a modern metamorphosis of the story Pygmalion, legendary sculptor and king of Cyprus, who fell in love with his own statue of Aphrodite. At his prayer, Aphrodite brought the statue to life as Galatea. In his own play, Shaw reveals a twist in the Greek myth, where by he transformers a flower girl into a duchess through the power of speech. The author uses this mythology to portray aspects of…

The Early 20th century was similar to the late 19th. Society was class based and reputation was the most prized possession of any upper or middle class citizen. Reputation was earned through class and politeness of manner, impressing and gaining the favour of those of your class and others. George Bernard Shaw, the author, would have known much about this system, as he was part of the Fabians Society, which was established to attempt equality between classes in England. Pygmalion…

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion was about Higgins, a phonetics expert, who, as a kind of social experiment, attempts to make a duchess out of an uneducated Cockney flower-girl, Eliza. Pygmalion followed some traditional rules. First, the play was based on Eliza's transformation as the main theme. Higgins claimed he could pass Eliza off as a duchess in three months. (Block 5, page 14) Secondly, the virtual sixth act, the ball, was inserted in the book but was absent from the…

One of the major social issues facing people in the early 20th century was the build up to World War One. This posed more of a threat to the lower class because if war had broken out they would have been the first to die in the trenches. This would have led to the lower class becoming dissatisfied with the entire class system. This social instability is shown by the conflict between people from different classes in George Bernard Shaw's…

George Bernard Shaw wrote Pygmalion in 1912 which the title itself refers to the myth of the sculptor Pygmalion who fell in love with the beautiful statue that he created and with his love for the beautiful marble allowed it to become a live woman, Galatea. Shaw uses this primary plot line with a twist to tell about the issues of the time and makes the play, not a mediocre Cinderella story but a problem play. Shaw points out to…

Pygmalion is a 1912 play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological character. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of gentility, the most important element of which, he believes, is impeccable speech. The play is a sharp lampoon of the rigid British class system of the day and…

In the play Pygmalion by George Shaw, Eliza experiences a type of transformation. Before Eliza first encountered Mr. Higgins, she was a dirty, improper, poor young girl. During her time with both Mr. Higgins and Colonel Pickering, Eliza did change. Her change seems so go in somewhat of a cycle, however. For the fist few weeks of her stay she questioned everything that Higgins asked her to do. She simply was unable to see how they would help her. Later,…

The Academy Award-winning musical film My Fair Lady produced by George Cukor in 1964, was based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw written in 1913. Although, the basic story line and underlying themes are the same, there are a number of differences between the two famous works. The most pronounced difference is that My Fair Lady had songs added to the dialogue. Furthermore, Pygmalion deals with many of the social issues that were occurring during the Victorian era…

Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, a captivating play, serves as a poignant portrayal of Victorian societal values through the vibrant and compelling dialogues of its characters. Shaw's genius work transcends the surface narrative, providing a rich tapestry that intricately weaves the complexities of Victorian decorum, particularly the "middle class morality." This essay delves into the multifaceted theme of Victorian morality as depicted in Pygmalion, unraveling the layers of societal expectations and the subtle critiques woven into the play. The Dichotomy of Victorian…

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion serves as a profound critique of England's upper class, urging them to reevaluate the shallowness of their extravagant lifestyle. Through the character of Alfred Doolittle, Shaw intricately exposes the disparities between social classes, offering a nuanced exploration of how individuals navigate and respond to their societal standings. Doolittle, a fascinating embodiment of someone who not only embraces his lower class identity but also experiences a transformative ascent through the social hierarchy, becomes a central figure in…

"I feel just like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman except for that whole hooker thing." It's no surprise that Laney, the speaker of these words and heroine of 1999's She's All That should feel that way. She could have just as easily said that she felt like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady because She's All That is the latest example of a series of movies based on the Pygmalion myth, an occurrence that illustrates Hollywood's long fascination with this…