Act II

1. What reason does Eliza give for wanting lessons in speaking? Why is Higgins willing
to take her as a student?
Eliza wishes to take speaking lessons because she would like to have a job in a
flower shop, but will not be hired until she has acquired the skills and air of a lady.
Higgins, who had previously bragged of his ability to turn anyone into a proper speaker,
provides Eliza with the help she believes she needs; because of this, she is willing to pay
him a large percentage of her income in order to learn. Higgins is willing to take her as a
student because he wants to prove to the Colonel that she is unteachable.
2. Consider Colonel Pickering in his role as a foil to Higgins. How does he differ from
him in character, drive, ability, and attitudes -- especially in his attitude to Eliza? In what
way does he stand up for her and represent her best interests?
Colonel Pickering is much more willing to be friendly with Eliza even though she
is of a considerably lower socioeconomic status than he is. He listens to Eliza when she
asks for help to learn how to speak properly, and eventually is able to play a small part in
getting Higgins to help her; even though it is mostly done on a sort of dare. He represents
her best interests by telling Higgins that he will pay for the lessons, for he realizes that
the price Eliza is offering is quite high when in comparison with her daily income.
3. How does Mrs. Pearce react to Eliza? On what points are Pickering and Mrs. Pearce in
agreement?
Mrs. Pearce does not believe that what Eliza is doing is proper; there may be
people in her family that object. However, her parents are of a very poor social class as
well and do not seem to have any interest in helping their daughter break the cycle of

poverty. Because of this, Mrs. Pearce is unsure as to whether or not Eliza will be able to
profit from her newfound education once she has attained it.
4. Eliza reveals her self-esteem through her bargaining with Higgins and her snatching
from Pickering the Handkerchief that Higgins had given her. Find other examples of
her feelings of self-worth.
Eliza is willing to give up all relations to her father, because she believes herself
to be of a different breed than he is, even though they are related by blood. Eliza also
believes that since she can pay for her lesson (even though it is a meager amount),
Higgins must treat her properly and give her the help she needs. She takes her work and
her price very seriously, and will not be coerced into paying a higher price.
5. Doolittle exposes the pretensions of what he calls middle-class morality, an excuse
for never giving to the poor. Why does Doolittle prefer his own undeserving poverty?
Doolittle prefers his own undeserving poverty because he is lazy and does not
want to work to earn a living. He believes that even the poor like him, who deserve the
state they are in because they have not even attempted ot break the cycle of poverty,
should also reap the benefits from the wealthy who are sympathetic to all who live in
poverty.
Act III
1. In what ways is Mrs. Higgins a contrast in manners and attitudes to her son and to
Mrs. Eynsford Hill and Clara?
Mrs. Higgins son is not a proper gentleman at all, and always offends Mrs. Higgins
guests. Because of this, she prefers that he not visit her on days when she has company.
However, he does so anyway. Mrs. Eynsford Hill is perplexed at the younger

generations new way of speaking, while Clara decides to attempt to speak like Eliza
because she believes that she is more up to date on the proper ways to speak than she is.
2.What is Mrs. Higgins reaction to Eliza? Find passages to show that she finds her son
and Pickering selfish and irresponsible in their attitudes toward Eliza. How does her view
of Elizas future compare with the view of Mrs. Pearce in Act Two?
Mrs. Higgins is the first to point out that Eliza may not have a bright future ahead
of her after her education, because she will not be able to acquire a simple job after
communicating in such a proper way; it would seem beneath her dignity. She calls out
Higgins and says that he is giving Eliza "the manners and habits that disqualify a fine
lady from earning her own living without giving her a fine lady's income." Higgins
brushes away her worries. She exclaims, "Oh, men! ! men! ! men! !". Much like Mrs.
Pierce, Higgins is also looking ahead and worrying about what will become of Eliza after
the ordeal is over.
3. Despite Elizas tragic tones in describing the death of her aunt, the scene retains its
comedy. Why? How does Claras believing Elizas slang to be the new small talk
provide an example of Shaws satire of class pretensions? What does Freddy say that
shows he is infatuated with Eliza?
The scene retains its comedy because the only subjects that Eliza is allowed to
talk about are the weather and health. Because of this, she is forced to be very creative in
what stories she brings up in order to remain only focused on those two categories. Her
aunts fate is truly bizarre, so it is able to surprisingly still work in the context of where
she is in despite being so out of her element. The satire of class pretensions is shown
because anyone, even if they are not truly of a high class, and fake a new trend that can

possibly catch on by people who only look to conform to whoever they believe to be of a
high social class.
4. How does the Eliza of Act Three compare with the Eliza of Acts One and Two?
Although she is not yet truly of a higher social class, after only very little training
she is already proving to be a quick learner. In act III she is able to fake being of a high
social class at a dinner party. She is fairly confident in herself, although that does not
deviate much from her character in the Second Act; however, her new training is giving
her a different kind of confidence.
Act IV
1. The experiment is finished and Higgins has won his bet. How does he react to his
victory? What gratefulness, if any, does he show for Elizas hard work and achievement
-- and what regard for her feelings?
Higgins then admits that after the first few minutes, it became obviously apparent
that he was going to easily win his bet with Pickering, and, as a result, he was bored for
the rest of the time. In contrast, Pickering rather enjoyed himself, especially the very
professional manner in which Eliza carried the entire charade off. Pickering then retires
for the evening, followed by Higgins, yelling to Eliza to put out the lights.
2. What fears has Eliza for the future? What do you think Elizas feelings for Higgins
are?
Eliza does not know what will become of her now that she has gotten a basic
education, because she now appears to be too much of a fine lady to be hired for any job
that she may have been able to get in the past. However, she is still not either a member
of the upper class, so she cannot afford not to have a job. She feels hatred for Higgins, as

is apparent by the way that she yells at him and confronts him on his willingness to allow
her to have a miserable existence. He taught her how to be a lady, but he did not take the
consequences into account, and she resents that.
3. The fourth act, which presents the first major crisis to erupt in the unconventional
Higgins household, is usually short -- hardly more than a scene. What advantages might
Shaw see in introducing the crisis in the fourth of his five acts and in keeping this act
very short?
By keeping the act relatively short, an event is created that only gives the bare
minimum of information necessary for the reader to be able to imagine the situation and
interpret how Eliza must feel like in that moment. By not infusing his own opinions into
the work, the author is able to allow the reader to imagine the scene, making it much
more potent.
Act V
1. Why does Eliza, in her distress, turn to Mrs. Higgins? How has Eliza changed in the
course of the play beyond adapting the appearance and behavior of a lady? What
evidence do you find of new self-confidence and self-esteem.
Mrs. Higgins is one of the few people if not the only person in the play who has
shown any considerable worry for how Elizas new lifestyle could negatively impact her
future; she thinks rationally and far in advance. Eliza now feels a newfound sense o selfworth and self respect, as is apparent when she says "The difference between a lady and a
flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she's treated. I shall always be a flower girl
to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will, but I
know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will." She

now has a confidence that runs deeper than just the skills she has acquired.
2.How has Higgins view of Eliza changed? Does his wanting her back for the fun of it
indicate any real change in his own character by the end of the play?
Higginss view of Eliza has not really changed. This is apparent when he threatens
to treat Eliza as property after she speaks to him with newfound confidence. Wanting her
back does not represent a true change in heart for him; instead, he simply thinks of her as
a trophy that represents his own intellect.
3. In what ways does Alfred Doolittles acceptance of affluence conflict with his earlier
criticisms of middle-class morality? Through Doolittle, what might Shaw be saying about
English society?
Alfred Doolittle, who used to be poor but atleast relatively happy due to his taking
delight in flouting the morals of the middle class, now regrets his newfound acquiescence
to social conventions. Now that he must dress well and marry a woman, he has lost the
independence that he used to have when he was not tied down to social convention. Shaw
could be very well implying that the upper class, which has more money, is not
necessarily given more opportunities; rather, they are tied down and given very little
freedom by the social status their wealth forces them to have.