Kasey Rawson
September 19, 2013
4th Block
Pygmalion
In George Shaw’s book Pygmalion, he explores and presents many different themes rather than just one central motif. He compares the mythological tale of Pygmalion to his own rendition of the classic work. In many ways, the two works coincide thematically, but the two still have recognizable factors that any reader could differentiate between. He analyzes the difference between appearance and reality, and, within that, acknowledges the general idea of beauty.
Out of all of the plays that Shaw has written, Pygmalion was the one that was the most attributed to the myth. Dr. Higgins represents the greek sculptor, Pygmalion. Shaw stayed true to the original work, as he obliged Mr. Higgins character to have a deep loathing for living solitarily, and for women in general, just as Pygmalion had. Dr. Higgins turns Eliza into a lady and therefore, he transformed a poor lower class girl into a middle class lady. Pygmalion on the other hand, sculpted the perfect woman and fell in love with her. He prayed until Aphrodite turned this sculpture into a real person. Unlike the myth, Higgins and Eliza did not end up being married. Liza hates that Higgins suggests that he has made her what she is, because she believes that she also played a part in creating her new identity.
Shaw really goes into depth when he explores the controversy between appearance and reality. He portrays this theme mainly through Eliza and how she has a concern with her own personal identity. When she was able to deceive the majority of the upper class with her new advanced education it caused a debate about appearances. Another thing that indicated the importance of this theme was when Eliza stated, “You see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing and the proper way of speaking, and so on), the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated.” George Shaw also challenges beauty as an intuitive object when discussing the conflicts between appearance and reality. In this play, a person’s apprehension of beauty in another person is an utmost elaborate matter. When Eliza is a poor flower girl of the lower class, Freddy does not even come close to noticing her. But when she is presented as a lady of class in a high society, he is absolutely fascinated by her grace and elegance. I feel I can relate most to this because when you are in a high school filled with multiple different people, you are mostly getting judged on your appearance. If you dress weird, that makes you apart of a weird crowd. If you dress nice, you catagorized as a prep. In reality, a person's personality does not usually rely on what they wear.
George Shaw genuinely unmasked an abundance of themes in his play Pygmalion. Within those themes, he does an excellent job interpreting the mythological tale to his own version. When reading the myth and then reading the play you notice the multiple similarities within the characters and their personalities. He brought up the contrast between appearance and reality that raised an abundance of questions and several debates.
