Pygmalion's Topics

Theme of Class Distinction

 Shaw presents a representative slice of society in which characters

from vastly different strata of society are brought together in nature
that gathers them and nature is their origin and base.

 This diversity miscellaneous cocktail of society can never be

gathered except in Mother Nature that accepts all eccentricities.
This serves Shaw dramatically

 The confusion of the Thunderstorm foreshadows the social

confusion of society.

 Eliza (representing the lower class) is treated in an unrespectable

and hurtful way.

 An individual can be dehumanized through the socialization

process. In the ladder of society, many people are trampled and
downtrodden.

 Covent Garden is in the centre of London. To the east, it is a poor

quarter. To the west, it is fashionable.

 The rain in Act I is a symbol of Nature. All people behave the same
under the rain, all hurry to take shelter under the church portico,
which in turn is the symbol of the sky. Nature gathers all classes
without distinction.

 God (and religion) has created us all equal living in one society,
but we founded the barriers.

 Eliza sells flowers, a symbol of beauty, a luxury her class is

deprived of. She sells these flowers in the Opera House in the
market, with the music of the Opera House, a beauty as well as
culture her class is deprived of.
 In Shaw's opinion, love of beauty can draw people together and
remove class barriers.

 The laboratory is a symbol of Science that can remove class

barriers and aid the formation of a classless society.

 Eliza is the essence of vulgarity.

 Shaw dramatically exhibits 2 types of vulgarity, that of the lower

class and that 'refined' one of the Middle class.

 Shaw points out that gentility is simply a matter of education and

environment.

 The play tackles class pretensions. It is the nature of man to

pretend and to hide, specifically with respect to classes.

 The situation of the impoverished class, being mocked and laughed

at actually arouses comedy. Yet, it is both comic and pathetic.

 Ah OOh OOh uttered by Eliza is a symbol of the vulgar language

reflecting the vulgarity and ignorance of the lower class.

 Clara is disdainful of people as well. Again, class pretensions, a

member of the Middle class boasting of a class they had no choice
or privilege to belong to.

 The humorous incongruity between Higgins and the bystanders

including Eliza reflects the wide discrepancy between the 2 classes.

 This is Low-Class Morality, Women of this class are toiling,

suffering and trodden by the society till they become overage.

  This is again Low-class Morality, they get married several times

and throw their children in the streets.

 Alfred Doolittle is the mouthpiece and spokesman of Shaw. He is a

philosopher. He represents the Low-class morality. The incongruity
 of his low state and high ideas arouse laughter to the audience and
create suspense to the dramatic piece. He has the manner of
preaching and sarcasm, exactly as Shaw has.

  (free from fear and conscience) Low-class Morality has no

restrictions, no limitations or norms of society, so they live a free
life.

 Indeed, Doolittle is not the well known virtuous father-figure at all.

The Lowclass morality has no family feelings or ties at all. He just
came to blackmail Higgins, take advantage from the situation and
cozen money from him.

 He is an irresponsible father and he never sees his daughter. This is

Low-class morality. He only thought of her when it came to his
mind he can extort money from Higgins

 Doolittle does not mind anything illegal at all for the sake of
money. Lowclass morality can never afford for morals. Morals are
allotted only for the Middle class, as they are a luxury to the poor.

 There is a paradox and juxtaposition between the characters that

reflects the wide gap and discrepancy between the two classes. It
arouses laughter, but provides the famous biting wit of Shaw.

 The Conflict of the play is not a clash of personalities, but of ideas,

views and attitudes of different classes

 (But my needs is as great as the most deserving widow's that ever

got money out of six different charities in one week for the death of
the same husband.) This is Low-class morality that is justified by
Shaw. They are imposters and swindlers out of poverty and need of
money. The society squeezes them to be immoral.

 This is a problem play, a play in which a number of problems are

analysed thoroughly, but no solutions for those problems are
provided by the dramatist.
 While Doolittle always wants to stick to the undeserving poor,
Eliza yearns to the Middle class.

 Low-class fatherly feelings suggest no feelings at all.

 Although Eliza is a member of the low class, she is clinging to
social pretensions, she wants to go and show off in front of the
girls, wearing her new clothes

 A critic (G. E. Brown) emphasizes that it is necessary for the play's

success to provide another character contrasted to Higgins like
Colonel Pickering.

 Colonel Pickering helps the audience to understand Higgins better

even in his boyish, childish attitude, he asserts the image of
Higgins in the eyes of the audience, he constitutes an echo of
Higgins.

 The audiences are delighted by the fact that Eliza is unrecognized

by the guests. * Eliza's audiences – The Eynsford family are
unskillful to recognize her and are easily deceived, as a preparation
for the larger game of the party attended by the duchess.

 The middle class judge people by their appearance

 Doolittle's independence has been destroyed. He has to be just a

follower or slave to the Middle-Class Morality and rules that
suppress him. He is now tied to the norms and traditions of society.
For instance, he has to get married to his mistress

Symbolism in the play

 The rain in Act I is a symbol of Nature. All people behave the same
under the rain, all hurry to take shelter under the church portico,
 which in turn is the symbol of the sky. Nature gathers all classes
without distinction.
 The old church is a symbol of culture and continuity.

 The church portico is a symbol of the sky that shelters all people
without discrimination.

 Ah OOh OOh uttered by Eliza is a symbol of the vulgar language

reflecting the vulgarity and ignorance of the lower class.

 Eliza sells flowers, a symbol of beauty, a luxury her class is

deprived of. She sells these flowers in the Opera House in the
market, with the music of the Opera House, a beauty as well as
culture her class is deprived of.

 The laboratory is a symbol of Science that can remove class

barriers and aid the formation of a classless society.

 The Flower shop that Eliza wishes to own or work in symbolizes

all her hopes and dream

 The chocolate is a symbol of Eliza's treatment as a child. She is

simpleminded and tempted.

 The bath Eliza will have is a symbol of her transformation and

starting a new stage of her life.

 The Japanese Kimono is symbolic of Eliza's slavery and

submission to Higgins.

 The Slippers are symbolic of Eliza's submission and slavery to

Higgins and that she is treated as well as regarded as a servant.
 Throwing the slippers at him is a symbol of getting rid of his
submissive bond and slavery.
 The ring is a symbol of marriage. Throwing the ring into the
fireplace is symbolic of the impossibility of their marriage,
arousing all the reasons in the mind of the audience

 Embroidery is a symbol of the Middle class that Eliza became a

member of. It is a Middle-Class behaviour

Development of the Character of Eliza

 A Romance in Five Acts, Eliza does not appear like a romantic

figure at all.
 Eliza begins the play as an unstable and insecure character.

 Eliza is treated in an unrespectable and hurtful way.

 Eliza has self-dependence from the very beginning in hiring a taxi

and inviting Freddy to have a drive with her.

 Eliza did not become a duchess, but an independent woman.

 Eliza is still a subject of sympathy to the audience, as she is the

weakest side, whilst Higgins is certainly the strongest one

 Eliza is self dependent and proud of herself from the very

beginning of the play, though she was still a simple girl.

 This is how Higgins treats her from the very first moment, always
taunting and scolding her, that she will refuse a higher person than
her who disrespects her and could choose a lower one who respects
her. She rejects the idea of depreciation
 Eliza starts the play as an unstable and insecure character

 This is the dilemma, or the central crisis of the play that was
predicted by Mrs. Pearce & she drew the audience's attention to it.
Eliza will later on be a member of the Middle class, hence, she will
not be able to return to her low class, as her manners and language
will be different and will be belonging to Middle class. Yet, she
will not be able to join the Middle class, as she will 3 have no
money to afford the expenses of their living. Thus, Higgins will
provide her with Education, manners and etiquette, but still he
would not be able to solve her financial status needed to join the
Middle class

 Eliza is reciting the weather forecast.

 This stage to Eliza is the Intermediate stage of learning the form

and not the content of speech. Eliza has learnt well only the
formalities of speech, but still lacks the skill of speaking.

 Eliza is narrating her family scandals. Eliza has not learnt yet what
is proper to discuss and what is not. Her interior still lies in the
vulgar side.

 Higgins could never imagine that the poor creature has feelings.
This is the image of Eliza of as an independent lady, in the climax
of the play, that started to assert herself.

 Now, the dilemma or the Central issue of the play is totally

revealed to the audience. The consequences of the dreadful
experiment are illustrated to the audience. Eliza is unable to join
either of the two classes. The Middle class needs Education and
Money, and Eliza could never afford the expenses, yet, she can
never return to the Low class after being mature, educated and
developed.

 Higgins will always taunt her and remind her of her origin, so why
not marry Freddy? A weak person who respects as well as
appreciates her is certainly better than a superior who disrespects
her and has a low regard of her.
 Eliza has self will and independence to refuse his Master- Servant
or Master-Slave relationship

Relationship between Higgins and Eliza

 Higgins plays the role of the God and his raw materials are being
played by.

 Though he is a teacher, he is impatient, preoccupied in his job and

behaves like a child. He is childish and insensitive to the feelings
of others. He is both cynical and derogatory.

 People to him are just puppets and chessman. Hence, Eliza was his
doll.

 He is never willing to sacrifice for others from the start of the play,
as he is senseless of and ignores humans' feelings and emotions.

 Higgins, as a preparation, practises brutality with people, then later

on with Eliza.

 Higgins neglects her self-esteem. He is eccentric.

 Higgins is treating the girl as a child, she is his doll. He threatens to

deprive her from the lovely clothes she is tempted by. Indeed, they
are two boys playing with a doll, as Mrs. Higgins will describe
them later on.

 Higgins feels that he owns the girl. This is a Master/Slave or

Master/ servant relationship
 Higgins has always a low regard of Eliza and is always humiliating
and degrading her.

 The Contrast between Pickering and Higgins is always crystal clear

to the audience, as Pickering not only treats Eliza better, but
reproaches Higgins for his mistreatment and is sympathetic
towards Eliza, the fact that Eliza will remind Higgins with later on
in the Master Confrontation Scene.

 Eliza is always defiant, self confident and proud of herself, a matter

that much aided in her education as well as easy transformation.

 MRS. PEARCE. Will you please keep to the point, Mr. Higgins. I
want to know on what terms the girl is to be here. Is she to have
any wages? And what is to become of her when you've finished
your teaching? You must look ahead a little.

 This is the disastrous point of the play.

 HIGGINS [impatiently] What's to become of her if I leave her in

the gutter? Tell me that, Mrs. Pearce.

 Higgins pretends he is aiding her out of self sacrifice.

 ‫هيجنز مهندهوش بعد نظر‬

 Pickering, as a contradictory character to Higgins, is conscientious

and honest enough from the start of the experiment with Eliza

 Higgins is a lifelong bachelor who dislikes women and is likely to

remain so. He is stubborn enough not to accept character
 contradictions and clashes, which are necessary to life, because he
lacks flexibility, which Eliza will demonstrate later on.
 Doolittle advises Higgins to marry Eliza before she becomes
mature enough to evaluate the situation, to refuse being dominated
by him

 Higgins himself admits that Eliza is witty, alert, perceptive and

intelligent. Hence, later on, he can never ignore her role.

 In this stage, Eliza is Higgins' Marionette (a doll).

 Eliza will have a soul and a will of her own, completely

independent of her creator.

 Higgins could never imagine that the poor creature has feelings.
This is the image of Eliza of as an independent lady, in the climax
of the play, that started to assert herself.

 Higgins was unable to look ahead, to foresee after Eliza's learning.

He is a teacher of concrete language, manners and etiquette, but not
of abstract souls, spirits and minds.

 Higgins is always treating Eliza as a child, ignoring that she

became mature. He cannot see the new Eliza.

 According to Higgins, Eliza is an ungrateful creature and HE did

her a favour, ignoring all her efforts

 Higgins, as a creative artist, never realized that Eliza had a soul. He

just polished the outward
 Eliza, now, has learnt self-control. She controlled her emotional
outbursts, superior to her creator (Higgins) who is short tempered
 It is ironical that Higgins endeavours to change Eliza while he
himself confesses he can never change. Accordingly, she is a better
flexible and a developing character than him

 Higgins has merely got used to her and nothing more.

 Higgins wants Eliza in his house, but on his own conditions, if not
a secretary, she can be a friend, just for the company of it, without
any consideration for her dignity.