Pygmalion Act 2

The play Pygmalion is just like the movie My Fair Lady. In fact, the movie is based off of the play itself.

Eliza shows up to take lessons to become a lady. She wants to work in a flower lady but feels she is not ladylike enough. Plus, she heard Higgins boasting about it. Higgins acts like a jerk by picking on the girl and threatens to beat her with a broom. Eliza doesn’t like this. She grows angry and yells at him. This makes Higgins’s guests upset. (Can you blame that?) Pickering decides to be nice and offer Eliza a seat and call her Miss Doolittle. (There’s a nice guy for you!) Then, as usual, Pickering makes a bet with Higgins to turn Eliza into a lady. If he wins, then Pickering will cover the expense. (Reminds me of the movie She’s All That.)

Then there is an argument. At one point, Higgins chases Eliza away but he gets her back with chocolate. She has to live with Higgins with six months. Pickings checks if the professor’s intentions are pure. Then, Eliza’s father comes in a gets the new teacher five pounds to make his daughter into a lady.

Pygmalion Act 3

We are now at Act III. The lady training begins here. I am neutral on Higgins winning the bet right now. I am rooting for Eliza, however.

It is clear that there is a love-hate relationship between Eliza and Professor Higgins. They are complete opposites. Eliza is a wild horse to the core and a complete feminist. Higgins is eccentric and too high class. They are like fire and water. Both can never mix and they cancel each other out. But the two main characters need each other. Eliza needs the professor to help complete her dream and Higgins needs her to win a bet with Pickering. They are stuck with other whether they like it or not. (How typical, sigh.)

To go further into my views, let’s look at the play so far. Higgins scared Eliza into thinking she was in trouble for selling flowers to him. She comes to him to make her into a lady since he bragged about it. Pickering makes a bet with Higgins to do it and offers to cover it. The bet is set and the training begins. Eliza and Higgins already despise each other. Eliza makes an impact with her looks when she is announced. Things don’t go smoothly. Mrs. Eynsford Hill talks about influenza and Eliza talks about how her aunt died from it. Her old accent and her dad’s alcoholism slips out. She soon becomes angry and leaves. The conditions are reexamined and things don’t look too bright.

Pygmalion Act 4

As I read and watch my fellow classmates act out Pygmalion, I notice that the movie, My Fair Lady, has the same quotes from the play. Now, I am at act four.

Eliza comes in all beautiful and tired. She sits down to rest. I presume that she, Higgins, and Pickering all had a busy day at the garden party, dinner party, and opera. Because, the boys do the same thing as she does. All three have just set their things down carelessly as well. Pickering gets the mail and hands it to his friend. Eliza goes to get Higgins’ slippers. (Aw, how sweet!) Higgins has won the bet and he’s glad it’s over. But ironically, Higgins isn’t too happy. To me, Higgins and Pickering remind me too much of Algernon and Jack from The Importance of Being Earnest play by Oscar Wilde. (I know Shaw is rolling in his grave because of that statement but it’s the truth.) Eliza feels like she was just a pawn in this whole bet. So it is natural that she feels indifferent about doing something for Higgins. They really hate each other now. Higgins still talks down to her and Eliza wants to smash his face into a wall. (I think there is a mistype in the book because at one of Liza’s parts, she has an action and it ends with two exclamation marks. But there is no line.) It is clear to see that Higgins has no interest in Eliza now that he has won. Then it goes from being ugly to nice again for a short time. Then the storm heats up again. Higgins leaves in anger. Then in swoops Freddy and he seems to charm Eliza. Great, we have a love triangle. How typical in literature.

I want to slap Higgins around for being a complete jerk to Eliza. The only nice guys in the play are Pickering and Freddy. Even though they hate each other, I believe that Wilde and Shaw both mirror each other in their plays. (I think Shaw is rolling in his grave at my last comment.)

Pygmalion Act 5

Here we are, at the end of the play. Wilde and Shaw still mirror each other in their plays. It’s a shame they hate each other. (I still hear Shaw rotating in his coffin from saying that little fact.) We started on it in class but time ran out. We stopped on page 943. So I have taken the liberty to finish on my own. So here goes.

Karma seems to be smacking Doolittle and Higgins in the face violently. The professor is actually worried about her. He is so worried that he and Pickering actually call the police to get her back. (Shock!) His mother, Mrs. Higgins, is the only one who has any sense around here. She and Freddy are the only people who truly care for Eliza. She says the boys were ridiculous for calling the police and says it is their fault Eliza ran off in the first place. (Yeah, shine the light on the truth!) At that point, Mr. Doolittle strolls in. He is all dressed up in a nice suit. Ironically, he’s not happy. Doolittle has been entered into the middle class. As it turns out, Higgins signed him up to be an example for Ezra D. Wannafeller’s lecture. Wannafeller died and left part of his money and company to Doolittle only if gives lectures at the Wannafeller Moral Reform World League. Now, Doolittle has people asking him for money all of time and more relatives than ever. (Hm, karma is funny like that, wouldn’t you say?) Now, he’s blaming all of it on Higgins.

As it turns out, Eliza went to Mrs. Higgins house for help on what to do next. (Smart girl!) Eliza comes downstairs and Pickering patches things up with her. Eliza accepts and forgives him. (I take that back, Mrs. Higgins, Freddy, and Pickering were the only people that truly cared about her.) Higgins acts like an idiot by talking down her. Doolittle, Mrs. Higgins, and Pickering leave to meet Doolittle’s wife-to-be. Eliza and Higgins are let alone. (Bad idea!!!)

Things turn completely ugly there. Higgins tries to get her to come and claims he will adopt and marry her off to Pickering. Eliza wises turns him down and brags about Freddy’s love letters to her. Higgins, protecting his pride, says Freddy is a fool. Eliza says she will marry Freddy and take lessons under Higgins’s chief rival. (OUCH!) Higgins is of course and calls Eliza a slipper-fetcher. Mrs. Higgins returns and takes Eliza away. In the end, Higgins announces this to his mommy dearest:

“She's going to marry Freddy. Ha ha! Freddy! Freddy!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!"

Pygmalion Epilogue

I made a mistake. There is more to Pygmalion. To anyone who has to do this play in the future, this part is not on spark notes. So quit whining and read it!

What is there to say? It’s an epilogue to the play. By reading it, I can tell Shaw didn’t really want to do it but felt pushed into doing so. Eliza and Freddy did marry. Pickering paid for their honeymoon but the couple didn’t spend much. Doolittle was rejected from middle class and moved into the high class with his new job. (That makes me think of the song “With a Little Bit of Luck”!!!) Eliza does have her own flower shop.