Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1913. It tells the story of a poor, Cockney flower girl named Eliza Doolittle, who is transformed into a lady through the efforts of Professor Henry Higgins, a linguist who teaches her to speak with an upper-class accent.
The play takes its title from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, in which a sculptor falls in love with a statue he has created. Shaw's play is a commentary on class and gender roles in Victorian England, as well as a commentary on the way that language can shape identity.
The play opens with Eliza Doolittle selling flowers in Covent Garden. She is approached by Professor Higgins, who is impressed by her Cockney accent and offers to teach her to speak like a lady. Eliza is initially skeptical, but she eventually agrees to take lessons from Higgins in exchange for payment.
Throughout the play, Eliza undergoes a transformation as she learns to speak with an upper-class accent. She becomes more confident and self-assured, and she begins to challenge the expectations placed upon her as a woman. However, despite her newfound confidence, she still struggles with the social norms of Victorian England, and she finds herself caught between her desire to be independent and the expectations placed upon her by society.
The play ultimately ends with Eliza leaving Higgins and striking out on her own. She has learned to speak with an upper-class accent, but she has also gained a greater understanding of herself and her own worth. She no longer feels the need to rely on a man to define her identity, and she asserts her own agency and independence.
Overall, Pygmalion is a thought-provoking commentary on class, gender, and language. It challenges the notion that language is simply a tool for communication and instead suggests that it can shape our identity and our relationships with others. By following the journey of Eliza Doolittle, Shaw invites his audience to consider the ways in which language can empower or constrain us, and he encourages us to question the expectations placed upon us by society.
