accent, which is considered to be the most uncultured English. Eliza's father is a
dustman . Eliza does not
want to stay with her father and stepmother. She makes her own living by selling flowers in the streets of
London.
The play shows us how Eliza struggles to rise to a higher cultural level. B. Show knew the common
fate of those who were born in poverty. There was no rising from it to another culture. The Cockney was
like a stamp on a person’s reputation.
Henry Higgins is a professor of phonetics. He studies the physiological aspects of a person's speech,
the sounds of the language. One day he sees Eliza in the street and bet with his friend Colonel Pickering
that in six months he will change this girl. He will not only teach her to speak her native language correctly,
but will teach her manners too. Higgins works hard and before six months are over, she is well prepared to
be introduced into society. The character of Eliza shows how much force and talent lies undeveloped in the
common people. Higgins wins his bet. When the game is over the girl doesn't know where to go. She
doesn't want to return to her previous life, she has acquired some culture and wants to do useful work. But
she is not admitted to the high society as she is poor. Higgins and Eliza remain friends, but the play is
without ending. The dramatist thought it best not to go on with the story. Higgins loves Eliza only as his
pupil. But he loves his profession as an artist. He has created a new Eliza. She is the work of a Pygmalion.
"Pygmalion" shows the author's
concern for the perfection of the English Language. Shaw was
passionately interested in the English language and the varieties of ways in which people spoke and
misspoke it. Shaw wished to simplify and reform English. He has pointed out that the rules of spelling in
English are inconsistent
and confusing. The text of "Pygmalion" reflects some of his efforts at simplifying
the usage of letters and sounds in the English language. The play also allowed Shaw to present ideas on
other topics. For example, he touched the problems of social equality, male and female roles, and the
relationship between the people.
Questions: 2.
What was Bernard Shaw's attitude towards war?
3.
What is characteristic of Bernard Shaw's dramatic works?
4.
How does Bernard Shaw depict common people in his play "Pygmalion"?
5.
Where does the title of the play "Pygmalion" come from?
6.
Why did the author leave the play without ending?
7.
What a new form of drama did Bernard Shaw introduce?