Pygmalion – George Bernard Shaw, English book

Pygmalion

George Bernard Shaw

Introduction

Pygmalion is a comedy theater play written by G. B. Shaw, who was an important Irish-English writer of the 20th century. His works often focused on social problems, but he presents them more in a humorous and critical way.

Conclusion of the Plot

The play takes place in England at the beginning of the 20th century. The main character is Eliza Doolittle, a poor street flower seller. One day, she meets professor Henry Higgins, who is a professor of phonetics. He is impressed by her terrible English accent and he makes a bet with his friend, Colonel Pickering, that he can turn Eliza into a lady in a few months.

Eliza begins to take pronunciation lessons and learns how to behave in high society. It is also beneficial for her, because she hopes it will help her open her own flower shop in the future. However, learning these things is not always easy for her, because she is very lively and sometimes uses wild expressions. Despite this, after a few months, she performs very well at a high-class ball where people even mistake her for a princess. Higgins wins the bet, but during the whole process, he treats Eliza unfairly and sees her more as an experiment than as a real person. This makes Eliza sad, angry, and she feels hurt.

She suddenly feels that she does not belong anywhere. She cannot fully return to her old life as a street flower seller, but she also does not feel comfortable in high society. In the end, she decides to leave Higgins and marry Freddy, a young man who fell deeply in love with her. In the afterword, Shaw explains that Eliza finally opens her own flower shop.

Main Themes

• Differences between social classes (especially in English society at that time)

• Being from a lower class does not automatically mean being less intelligent

• Human dignity and personal change – Eliza gradually realizes her own value and learns to stand up for herself.

My Opinion

I really enjoyed reading this play. Sometimes it was very funny, but sometimes it was also sad and it showed the absurd differences between social classes. Also, it was interesting to compare the English original with the Czech translation and observe how the translator dealt with phonetic matters and Eliza's accent.

I especially liked Eliza's personality. She can be wild and uncontrolled sometimes, but she is also strong and brave. I think that people should allow themselves to be a little wilder and more honest. Eliza can be a pretty good inspiration. I would love to meet her and buy a flower from her.

Another fact that stands here is that I saw the story adapted in the musical My Fair Lady, and I loved it. I love the songs. Theatre plays are generally my favorites, and this story stays with me.