As a child, I watched the movie "My Fair Lady," so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that this was the original stage play the the movie was adapted from.
"Pygmalion," by George Bernard Shaw, is a social commentary on the different social stratas in early 20th century London. It tells of the story of Professor Higgins, Colonel Pickering, and their attempt to change Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl on the street, into a young woman fit for proper society, specifically a duchess.
The title "Pygmalion" comes from the legendary figure of Cyprus. Pygmalion is best known for being in Ovid's Metamorphoses X, in which he is a sculptor who carved a woman out of ivory. Disgusted by the behavior of the women of his era, Pygmalion decides to live alone and unmarried; he then goes on to create a statue more perfect than any living woman. Despite his claim that he was not interested in women, Pygmalion falls in love with his sculpture and prays to Venus for her to be brought to life; subsequently, the statue is brought to life and they live happily ever after.
In Shaw's play, one could argue that Eliza Doolittle is being brought to life through speech by Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Professor Higgins embodies Pygmalion in a way, what with his aversion to women. In Act II, he says that, to him, women "might as well be blocks of wood." Unfortunately, he has a penchant for swearing, forgetting his table manners, and a terribly quarrelsome nature. One could argue that because of these negative qualities, Colonel Pickering and Mrs. Pearce also embody Pygmalion, but in a lesser way. Colonel Pickering teaches her self-respect by treating her with respect and dignity. Mrs Pearce changes her outward appearance, which is just as important as her manner of speech. Together, the three of them make a perfect Pygmalion figure.
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