Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

            Pygmalion was written at the end of the Victorian period in England in the year 1912. A significant distinction existed between the rich class and the poor at that time. The author of Pygmalion, Shaw dominated in English theatre for many years because of his ability to present exciting plays reflecting on the activities of the society. Shaw does not use Pygmalion in this play like a sculpture, but he uses Pygmalion as a phonetician who transforms an illiterate girl from the community. Pygmalion uses six months to transform the uncivilized girl, and in this transformation period, we understand the importance of maintaining one’s identity. In the play, Shaw reveals the importance of maintaining one’s true identity, and he shows how being hypocrite can bring problems to individuals in society.

In the play, two old gentlemen Higgins and Colonel meet in one rainy night. Higgins is a professor of phonetics and Colonel is a linguist (Shaw, 2015). Professor Higgins assures Colonel that with his knowledge in phonetics he will transform an illiterate girl Eliza Doolittle into a woman of high social class. Eliza Doolittle appears at Higgins laboratory asking for speech lessons so that she can properly speak good enough to work in a flower shop. Higgins makes a joke on Eliza, but he is determined to use his knowledge in phonetics to completely transform Eliza into a civilized woman. Professor Higgins takes the challenge of transforming Eliza into a civilized girl, and he starts by making Eliza his housekeeper. Higgins provides new and neat clothes to Eliza as part of the transformation process.

However, Eliza’s father comes to Higgins demanding him to bring back her girl. Eliza’s father, in reality, is not looking for her girl, but he wants to be given money in return because her girl is being used as a housekeeper by Higgins. In this context, Eliza’s father is not speaking his intention and therefore, he is hiding his true identity. Professor Higgins is amused by Eliza’s father, and he gives him five pounds. Eliza’s father does not reveal his true identity, and he does not appreciate the good work Professor Higgin has done to Eliza. Hiding one’s character has an effect of making an individual be non-appreciative.

Higgins continues training Eliza on how to speak properly and Eliza is showing some good progress. Higgins then attempts to experiment whether Eliza understands what she is being taught by taking her to his home (Shaw, 2015). Eliza is left in the company of Higgins mother and daughter. In the process, Higgins very much attracted to Eliza, and she is involved in a talk with Eliza, but unfortunately, Eliza slips into her cockney language. Another experiment is carried out to test whether Eliza is understanding, but Eliza is annoyed by Higgins opinions that Eliza should look for a partner and marry her. Eliza is so annoyed such that she even returns the jewelry she had been given by Professor Higgins. Mrs. Higgins is being worried that his son may fall in love with Eliza something she does not want to happen. Each time Mrs. Higgins meets with Eliza, she pretends to be okay with her, but the truth is that Mrs. Higgins does not like Eliza because she seems illiterate. Mrs. Higgins does not want Eliza to fall in love with her son because Eliza looks uncivilized. Therefore, in this context, Mrs. Higgins is hiding her true identity by pretending to be okay with Eliza. Mrs. Higgins hides her true identity, and she ends up being disturbed and stressed.

In part four of the play, Shaw reveals how Eliza and Higgins are in close relationship. One evening Higgins, Eliza, and Colonel go for playing in the field (Gale, 2015). After playing, the three return to their residence and Eliza being so tired she stays at a place silently where Colonel and Higgins cannot notice her. Colonel is then congratulating Higgins for finally winning the bet of marrying Eliza, and unfortunately, Eliza hears the conversation, which annoys her. Eliza is so much annoyed by Higgins reactions and intentions. On this evening Eliza realizes that the intention of Higgins and Colonel was not to help her to speak properly, but the aim was to make her Higgin’s wife. Also, Colonel act of offering to pay for the lessons Eliza is being taught by Higgins was not sincere because he was in the same mission with Higgins of making Eliza love Higgins, which was against Eliza’s intention. Eliza on realizing the plan of the two men, she is very much annoyed with Higgins, and she throws sleepers on Higgins. Also, Eliza goes ahead and throws the ring and the jewelry she had been given by Higgins back to him. Higgins reacts very violently to the extent that Eliza is worried. In the play, Higgins and Colonel were acting as good people who wanted to help Eliza to achieve her goals, but the reality is that Higgins wanted to make Eliza his wife. The act of Higgins hiding his true nature of what he wanted from Eliza results into violence (McNamara, 2018). Therefore, it is important for everyone in the community to maintain their true identity to avoid violence, as shown in the play where violence occurred because Higgins had hidden his true identity and intentions towards Eliza.

In conclusion, Shaw in his play shows the importance of keeping one’s identity. In the play, Colonel and Higgins are true to one another because they have the same intention towards Eliza, and they are always in terms. Therefore, maintaining one’s true identity ensures that friends are always in terms and they do not fall into conflicts. Also, the author uses Mrs. Higgins and Higgins in his story to show the adverse effects of hiding one’s identity. Mrs. Higgins hid her identity by pretending that she was okay with Eliza socializing with her son, but in reality, Mrs. Higgins was against that because Eliza seemed uncivilized. Because of Mrs. Higgins act to hide her true identity, she became very depressed and stressed. Therefore, hiding one’s personality makes individuals stay stressed by issues that would not be a problem if they remain true about their opinions. In addition, Higgins had hidden his identity on his intentions to Eliza. Because of failing to remain true about himself and tell Eliza her plans, Higgins was always involved in violence with Eliza. Therefore, hiding one’s identity can result in violence between people who are in a relationship.