Although class is a key notion within the play Pygmalion, to what extent is George Bernard

Shaw’s development of Eliza Doolittle’s characterization, in combination with other devices,

effective at conveying the most significant idea of the work: a social critique of the interaction

between men and women and the need for equality between them.

English A: Category 1

Word Count: 3,990

Abstract

George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is commonly known for its societal observation of

class barriers caused merely by one’s accent. However, like most works of fiction, Shaw

incorporates numerous themes for various purposes, causing disagreement among readers and

critics alike as to which is the most significant and why. In Pygmalion, Shaw also suggests a

theme of equality and the need for independence. Therefore, to examine the theme of greatest

significance and its effectiveness, this essay responds to the research question, although class is

a key notion within the play Pygmalion, to what extent is Shaw’s development of Eliza’s

characterization, in combination with other devices, effective at conveying the most

significant idea of the work: a social critique of the interaction between men and women

and the need for equality between them.

To answer the question, the primary source Pygmalion is dominantly used to draw

evidence of assertions directly from the text, such as literary devices or specific aspects of plot.

Furthermore, secondary sources, primarily literary analyses written by critics, are utilized to

provide supplemental justification, as well as to provide counterarguments to be evaluated and

potentially refuted. This essay analyzes the principal counterargument of critics and then refutes

it, suggesting that equality and independence is a more significant theme than the theme of

accents causing class barriers. Finally, effectiveness is assessed on the most significant theme:

independence and equality.

Following examination, this essay concludes that Shaw’s theme of equality is more

significant due to its greater importance and impact, development, repetition, and emphasis

throughout the play, all aspects of quality to fulfill the definition of significant. It is also found
to be an effective critique due to Shaw’s creation of the protagonist’s dynamic characterization,

as well as his creation of satire due to the unrealistic nature of the plot.

Word Count: 299

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

First Theme and Counterexample: Class Barriers Caused by Speech and Accents 2

Second and More Significant Theme: Eliza’s Independence 6

Assessment of Effectiveness 13

Conclusion 14

Bibliography 16
 1

Pygmalion, a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1912, describes the transformation of

the cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a duchess by altering her manner of speech. Professor

Higgins, a childish phonetician, embraces the experiment after striking a bet with Colonel

Pickering. Ultimately, Higgins succeeds in creating the transformation, yet Eliza feels she is

treated unfairly by the men and decides to leave them in an indeterminate ending. I was intrigued

by the ending, deciding Shaw must be presenting some critique or commentary if he is willing to

leave readers feeling dissatisfied and unsure of whether Eliza will return. Moreover, Shaw

typically desires to teach within his works, claiming in Pygmalion’s Preface that Pygmalion is

“deliberately didactic…”.1 Even his critics expect this of him: “Shaw is not a dramatist, says one,

but a preacher and satirist…”.2 Therefore, I decided to argue the existence of a theme and

determine Shaw’s goal with that theme. However, I noticed two main themes, a discrepancy

even found between the Prequel and Sequel. The Prequel addresses London’s need for language

reform, while the Sequel addresses Shaw’s response to those who changed his conclusion to a

happier, unambiguous love story like the Pygmalion spinoff My Fair Lady. The Sequel also

discusses what would come after Pygmalion’s ending, and Eliza’s development into

independence that Shaw intended to incorporate into the play.3 I began to wonder which idea was

the most significant, especially when critics have contested the two, with many focusing on

language as a barrier between class movement. However, I decided that, although class is a key

1
George Bernard Shaw, Preface to Pygmalion: A Professor of Phonetics, Pygmalion, by Shaw, Edited by
Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed. (New York: Dover Publications, 1994) xi.
2
Eric Bentley, “A Personal Play,” George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Edited by Harold Bloom (New
York: Chelsea House, 1988) 11, online, Questia School, Internet, 12 Mar. 2016
<https://www.questiaschool.com/read/102674271/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion>.
3
George Bernard Shaw, “Sequel", Pygmalion, by Shaw, Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum,
1st ed., (New York: Dover Publications, 1994) 82.
 2

notion within the play Pygmalion, I wanted to assess to what extent Shaw’s development of

Eliza’s characterization, in combination with other devices, is effective at conveying the

most significant idea of the work: a social critique of the interaction between men and

women and the need for equality between them. Thus, two themes will be examined with the

most significant being assessed for effectiveness.

Within Pygmalion, the concept most critics find without hesitation is Shaw’s societal

observation of class separation caused by wealth disparity, but more importantly by language and

accent difference: "The idea that speech and accent is one of the great class barriers is certainly

one of the important ideas of this play".4 In the introductory note of the Dover Thrift Edition of

Pygmalion, Thomas Crofts writes that Shaw considered his play to be “about phonetics”.5 Shaw

himself, in his Preface to Pygmalion, suggests that he writes to “people troubled with accents

that cut them off from all high employment…”.6 Therefore, it becomes reasonable to speculate

that, throughout his play, Shaw utilizes the development of Eliza Doolittle’s language, and

resulting characterization, as a means to indicate the possibility of a shift in societal class level.

To indicate Eliza’s initial characterization, Shaw employs dialogue to characterize Eliza,

reinforcing it with symbolism and juxtaposition. After being asked how Eliza knew Freddy’s

name, Eliza responds unintelligibly: “[E]ed now bettern to spawl a pore gel’s flahrzn than ran

4
Nigel Alexander, “The Play of Ideas,” George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Edited by Harold Bloom
(New York: Chelsea House, 1988) 26, online, Questia School, Internet, 12 Mar. 2016
<www.questiaschool.com/read/102674279/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion>.
5
Thomas Crofts, Note, Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley
Applebaum, 1st ed. (New York: Dover Publications, 1994) v.
6
Shaw, Preface to Pygmalion, Pygmalion xii.
 3

awy athaht pyin”.7 Solely considering the style of her dialogue, readers assume Eliza is

characterized as illiterate. They may infer that she is poor and unintelligent; a lack of education

tends to lead to poor speech and comes from a lack of money. Although this might be assumed,

Shaw reinforces this idea using clothing to symbolically represent the characterization of

numerous characters throughout his play. In Eliza’s situation, she is described as wearing a

“shoddy black coat”8 and a “hat of black straw… exposed to the dust and soot of London and has

seldom… been brushed”.9 These descriptions commonly connote and represent uncleanliness

and extensive use, descriptions associated with lack of wealth and low status. These depictions of

Eliza’s manner of speech and dress are juxtaposed directly with those speaking around her under

the portico of St. Paul’s Church. In fact, Eliza’s features, in comparison to another lady’s, are

“no worse than theirs; but their condition leaves something to be desired”.10 Clara, a character of

wealthier status, reacts in a disgusted tone toward Eliza after Clara’s mother decides to pay for

Eliza’s flowers, which Freddy ruined: “Do nothing of the sort, mother”.11 Readers are made to

infer that the only differences between Eliza and the ladies are that Eliza is not dressed in

“evening dress”12 like them and that she does not speak as they do. Even Clara, with her tone

cited previously, speaks articulately in comparison to Eliza, while her choice of clothing

represents formality and affluence. At minimum, it suggests Clara is someone who can afford to

7
George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion, Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed. (New York:
Dover Publications, 1994) 3.
8
Shaw, Pygmalion 2.
9
Shaw, Pygmalion 2.
10
Shaw, Pygmalion 2.
11
Shaw, Pygmalion 3.
12
Shaw, Pygmalion 1.
 4

care for herself and pay for luxuries like the “theatre”13 they came from, while comparatively

Eliza has “English that will keep her in the gutter to the end of her days”.14 Therefore, there

seems to be a correlation between the way one speaks and their class within society.

However, Shaw’s societal observation can most easily be inferred as he creates the main

conflict of the plot, bringing change to Eliza’s characterization. She shifts from a poor flower girl

into a woman who looks and sounds like a duchess, all because of her newfound eloquent speech

brought upon her by the main conflict: the bet between Higgins and Pickering. In short,

Pickering will pay for the experiment if Higgins can “make a duchess of [the] draggletailed

guttersnipe”15 by the ambassador’s garden party in six months. Therefore, Higgins must teach

Eliza to speak and behave properly to masquerade her as a person of higher status. Higgins “won

[the] bet”16 and Eliza was able to pose as an “artificial [duchess]”,17 Shaw’s means of

juxtaposition. The term “duchess”18 frequently denotes a person of nobility and wealth, while

connoting aristocrats and fancy gentlewomen. Because Higgins won the bet, readers can infer

that Eliza successfully fooled those at the garden party, indicating that Eliza was able to speak at

the level of a noble and look like one too through employment of visual imagery, with “evening

dress” and “diamonds” and all kinds of “accessories”.19

13
Shaw, Pygmalion 1.
14
Shaw, Pygmalion 8.
15
Shaw, Pygmalion 16.
16
Shaw, Pygmalion 48.
17
Shaw, Pygmalion 49.
18
Shaw, Pygmalion 49.
19
Shaw, Pygmalion 47.
 5

This image of Eliza starkly juxtaposes with the dirty flower girl from six months before. The

clothing change is Shaw’s symbolic reinforcement of Eliza’s accent shift. For instance, after the

party, Eliza says, “This ring isn’t the jeweler’s: it’s the one you bought me in Brighton”.20 In

comparison to Eliza’s earlier examples of dialogue, this one is comprehensible, contains correct

pronunciation, and connotes an educated accent through Shaw’s application of an articulate style

of diction and thus accent. Eliza’s style of dialogue is juxtaposed with earlier examples,

indicating her transition within language itself. Therefore, Shaw, through employment of

juxtaposition of dialogue emphasized by the juxtaposition of symbolic clothing, creates a

dynamic characterization of Eliza Doolittle across the play. This indicates her transformation and

seeming increase in social status by a mere change in accent of her English dialect. She even

reveals that consequently, she cannot return to her inferior job of selling flowers now through her

distressed tone: “If only I could go back to my flower basket!”.21 Therefore, Shaw is able to

create an observation on the way society is separated: "[Shaw] maintained that the difference

between the flower girl and the duchess was a matter of education and accent and not… one of

birth and breeding".22 Shaw suggests that language is one of the principal barriers between class,

yet it can be broken simply by altering one’s accent. Even Shaw has Higgins propose that one

can “take a human being and change [them] into quite a different human being by creating a new

speech for [them]. It’s filling up the deepest gulf that separates class from class”.23

Although the theme of class is unquestionably within the play’s storyline, it is arguably

superficial at most. If readers are to qualify this idea as being the most significant within the

20
Shaw, Pygmalion 53.
21
Shaw, Pygmalion 69.
22
Alexander 20.
23
Shaw, Pygmalion 43.
 6

work, it would fall short of the qualifications. For the purposes of this essay, a significant idea

will be defined as one of thorough development by the author, one that covers the work in its

entirety and is thus repeated and stressed, and one of commentary importance and that is

impactful, whether that be on society or human nature

Class separation exists within the work, but Shaw does not examine it thoroughly. Shaw

merely mentions the idea, for it hardly leaves the first acts, implying that there must be another

theme to replace it. Furthermore, if he had wanted to stress class separation due to accents, the

climax of the play would likely have involved the bet, such as Eliza’s success of pronunciation

and decorum at the ambassador’s party. However, that scene does not exist in the play and must

be inferred by the reader: “What ought to be the climax seems to have been left out: it is between

acts 3 and 4 that Eliza is finally passed off as a duchess at an ambassador’s party”.24 Instead the

climax is a fight between Higgins and Eliza over her treatment as a human being as opposed to

one over accents. This is why the most significant theme throughout the piece is Shaw’s social

critique on the treatment of women by men and his thought that women should be allowed to

have independence from them, suggesting equality.

In order to develop Eliza’s newfound independence, Shaw not only makes her appearances

and development of speech dynamic, but he also chooses to change her personality, often

considered a less superficial alteration. Eliza changes from being dehumanized and dependent to

being the opposite of both. She is now able to defend, act, and think for herself, all common

traits associated with independence. Therefore, Shaw employs juxtaposition of Eliza’s traits

overall.

24
Bentley 13.
 7

At the start of the play, Shaw frequently characterizes Eliza as childlike, especially in the

context of the relationship between her and her teachers Pickering and Higgins. Most apparent is

Shaw’s ironic repetition of characters labeling Eliza as a “girl”,25 even though Shaw directly

characterizes her as “perhaps eighteen, perhaps twenty…”,26 the age of an adult. By calling a

woman a “girl”, Eliza is demeaned and characterized as having traits associated with children,

for the term “girl” denotes a young, immature, female child and connotes irresponsibility,

silliness, and dependence. This idea is further emphasized, not only because Higgins becomes

her teacher of phonetics, a position superior to students like Eliza by nature and denotation, but

also because both Higgins and Pickering become characterized as father figures to her. In fact,

Higgins says, “I’ll be worse than two fathers to you”,27 while Pickering claims he “shall feel

responsible for [her]”28 like a father would. It appears that Shaw crafts a family dynamic, but for

the purposes of indicating a hierarchy of power. A father does look after their children, but they

also have control over them. This is especially unsettling when readers find that the “child”,

Eliza, is not one at all and should be able to control herself. However, due to this motif in

characterization throughout the beginning of the play, Eliza is depicted as dependent on the two

men who now have command over her life. They can “take her anywhere and pass her off as

anything”.29 Even Eliza’s real father Alfred Doolittle, after selling her to Higgins and thus

symbolically passing the role of father down to Higgins, says, “If you want Eliza’s mind

improved… do it yourself with a strap”.30 Readers can infer that Doolittle is telling Higgins to

25
Shaw, Pygmalion 4, 8, 15.
26
Shaw, Pygmalion 2.
27
Shaw, Pygmalion 15.
28
Shaw, Pygmalion 21.
29
Shaw, Pygmalion 16.
30
Shaw, Pygmalion 30.
 8

discipline Eliza, an action symbolic of power and control. Thus, Shaw creates a family dynamic

early in the play to indicate the hierarchy that ironically puts Eliza, a grown woman who should

be able to think for herself, at the bottom.

In addition, Eliza is frequently dehumanized, indicating her ironic lack of importance. As is

done with the term “girl”, Eliza is repetitively compared to various objects, including a

“creature”,31 “baggage”,32 and a “draggletailed guttersnipe”33 which creates a motif of this

description. By metaphorically comparing Eliza to objects, Eliza is characterized as having

virtually no value. She is dehumanized and lacks human qualities, feelings, and rights in the

minds of others who view her in this way. Effectively, Eliza has lost her humanity, and other

characters are able to treat her in deprecating ways, even though ironically she is still human.

Furthermore, Eliza is described as a “doll”34 for Pickering and Higgins to play with. The term

“doll”35 dehumanizes Eliza, for it is yet another object. However, it also connotes an object that

one can play with and manipulate, implying that Higgins and Pickering have control over Eliza

and her fate. They are always “teaching Eliza”, “dressing Eliza”, and “inventing new Elizas”.36

Altogether, these characterizations imply that Eliza is dependent on others to live. She scarcely

has to think for herself except to obey her teachers, and they solely appear to use her as a means

to win a bet and prove to others that a transformation of language and accent can be done.

31
Shaw, Pygmalion 8.
32
Shaw, Pygmalion 14.
33
Shaw, Pygmalion 16.
34
Shaw, Pygmalion 43.
35
Shaw, Pygmalion 43.
36
Shaw, Pygmalion 43.
 9

In order to completely indicate his social critique, however, Shaw illustrates the

transformation of Eliza beyond an object or pretend duchess and into a true human being that is

able to think for herself and behave independently of others. Shaw does so by altering her

characterization and making the alteration evident through his use of juxtaposition of her

qualities from beginning to end. Juxtaposition inherently creates a contrast that should innately

stand out to readers, indicating dynamic character development and making it an effective

choice. The first apparent indication of change within Eliza comes at the play’s climax: the fight

between Higgins and Eliza. The fight in Act IV is a symbolic act against oppression or the

father-like figures that control Eliza, suggesting that she has developed sufficiently for

retaliation. After “hurling [Higgins’ slippers] at [Higgins]…”,37 Eliza vocalizes her realization

that she “is nothing to [Higgins]- not so much as them slippers”.38 Again, Eliza is metaphorically

compared to an object, but in this instance she figuratively rebels against that comparison. The

action of throwing the slippers at her controller symbolically represents her disapproval and

refusal to accept that comparison. Earlier in the play, Eliza is almost never portrayed as

committing action against her teachers or their treatment of her. She may have spoken to defend

herself, such as when she says, “I’m a good girl”39 after being insulted and disrespected by

Higgins or Pickering, but she never physically acted against them until the climax. This

unexpected and ironic characterization of Eliza illustrates a substantial shift within her and the

possibility of further development for her character into one nearly opposite what she was

37
Shaw, Pygmalion 49.
38
Shaw, Pygmalion 50.
39
Shaw, Pygmalion 6, 18, 30.
 10

before. Another effective choice by Shaw, the use of dramatic irony promotes emphasis of this

fact to readers, for shock draws attention to the point he is trying to make.

Shaw then characterizes Eliza as being fully transformed. In juxtaposition to her earlier

descriptions, Eliza is depicted as independent, and to solidify the description, Shaw continues

Eliza’s process of rebelling and vocalizing her thoughts. Hence, Shaw creates a motif of defying

actions to symbolize that Eliza has completely transformed into her own individual who can

defend herself. After the fight, Eliza runs away from Pickering and Higgins: “Eliza’s bolted”.40

Although this scene is not written and therefore readers are not told her exact reasons for doing

so, readers can infer Eliza left to escape her treatment since she had rebelled, symbolically

representing a dislike for her conditions. Mrs. Higgins puts it best, saying, “The girl has the…

right to leave if she chooses”,41 indirectly characterizing Eliza as capable of making a choice

independently. Then, Shaw again has Eliza confront Higgins to express her thoughts: “If I can’t

have kindness, I’ll have independence”.42 The act of confronting Higgins and expressing her

opinion to him of her treatment sufficiently symbolizes her defiance toward him. Even though

Higgins “took [her] independence from [her]”43 and made her into a “slave”,44 a term that

strongly connotes servitude, obedience, and property, she refuses to accept her subordination. In

fact, Eliza claims she can bring herself up to his level: “…I had only to lift up my finger to be as

good as you…”.45 Shaw confirms this by having Higgins, a character who has observed Eliza’s

40
Shaw, Pygmalion 55.
41
Shaw, Pygmalion 56.
42
Shaw, Pygmalion 70.
43
Shaw, Pygmalion 69.
44
Shaw, Pygmalion 69.
45
Shaw, Pygmalion 71.
 11

transformation, say, “You and I and Pickering will be three old bachelors together instead of

only two old men and a silly girl”.46 This direct characterization is an example of juxtaposition.

She is no longer a “silly girl”47 that is subordinate to them. She is equal to them, indicating her

drastic transformation.

The best indication of Eliza’s independence, however, is Shaw’s conclusion and final scene

of the play. Readers find that her independence is not a claim made by Eliza that may or may not

be true. Shaw verifies it with her action, continuing the motif of direct defiance by having Eliza

refuse to do more of Higgins’ servant work. She physically walks out on him to end the play.

Higgins orders Eliza for the last time to “order a ham… cheese… and buy [him] a pair of

reindeer gloves…”,48 to which she tells him to “buy them [himself]”, as she “sweeps out”.49 This

action, which concludes Eliza’s actions for the play, symbolically represents her newfound

independence, for walking away from him suggests she has refused to obey his dictums.

Furthermore, she commands that Higgins should do it himself, indicating that she has now

gained the power to command her previous superior, an effect of dramatic irony. In fact, Shaw

has nearly created a role-reversal, or at least brought Eliza up to a state of equality to Higgins. If

she feels that she has the strength to do this without fear of repercussion from him, it is fair to

conclude that Eliza is fully transformed. Before, it would have seemed unlikely that Eliza would

disobey, but after her repeated actions and expressions of her own opinions against him, it

46
Shaw, Pygmalion 71.
47
Shaw, Pygmalion 71.
48
Shaw, Pygmalion 72.
49
Shaw, Pygmalion 72.
 12

becomes more likely for Eliza to behave this way since the behavior is fully established, and

consequently she becomes completely independent.

As readers discover, Eliza’s development as a human being into a woman free of her male

oppressors to the extent of equality is a more significant critique than the meager development of

her accent: “Our primary attention focuses on the human ramifications of Higgins’s experiment

rather than the mechanics themselves”.50 It transcends the work’s entirety and is thus thoroughly

developed by Shaw, it is more impactful due to its greater ability for universal application, and it

provides a means for Shaw to critique both interaction between the sexes and potentially human

nature, indicating equality as the goal humans should strive for. However, the last aspect depends

on one’s viewpoint. From one perspective, Shaw focuses purely on the sexes: “there is deliberate

repudiation of the idea of male domination of the female”.51 Additionally, Shaw specifically

creates a male oppressor and a female being oppressed, yet it also seems accurate that Shaw

desires equality among people in general, for Shaw has Higgins say, “The great secret… is not

having bad manners…good manners or any…sort of manners, but having the same manners for

all human souls…”.52 Therefore, the extent of Shaw’s critique could be said to extend to

humanity, but it undeniably exists between the sexes, for explicit evidence is present within the

characters’ sexes.

50
Charles A. Berst, “Pygmalion: A Potboiler as Art,” George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Edited by Harold
Bloom (New York: Chelsea House, 1988) 58, online, Questia School, Internet, 31 Aug. 2016
<www.questiaschool.com/read/102674317/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion>.
51
Lisë Pedersen, “Shakespeare’s the Taming of the Shrew Vs. Shaw’s Pygmalion: Male Chauvinism Vs.
Woman’s Lib?” George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Edited by Harold Bloom (New York: Chelsea House, 1988)
84, online, Questia School, Internet, 31 Aug. 2016 < www.questiaschool.com/read/102674317/george-bernard-
shaw-s-pygmalion>.
52
Shaw, Pygmalion 67.
 13

The question then turns to the extent to which Shaw is effective at creating this critique since

this will affect the impact it has on readers. One of the most effective ways to indicate change is

to alter a character’s behavior. As presented, Shaw does this dominantly with Eliza. Because she

is the protagonist of the play, her transformation will have more impact on readers than any other

character. Readers take notice of it more as well, for they have been following her journey from

beginning to end, engaging with her all the while. Thus, using the protagonist as a means to

indicate change is an effective choice by Shaw. Additionally, Shaw employs stark and surprising

juxtaposition between Eliza’s characterization throughout the play. Because of this contrast, her

change is easily noticeable, again making it an effective choice to cause readers to perceive his

critique.

Not only does Shaw suggest change, but he expresses that there is need for it, indicating the

presence of a critique rather than a mere societal observation. By repeatedly and thoroughly

expressing the deprecating treatment of Eliza due to name-calling or other means, readers are

made to sympathize with her, creating an understanding that there is a problem in need of

solving within most readers, particularly since most people do not appreciate being demeaned.

Therefore, when Shaw provides the solution to that problem as independence for the oppressed,

readers are more likely to agree with and desire that solution as well.

However, while Shaw’s choices are appropriate, numerous, and continuous, all aspects of

quality within a work of fiction that aid the effectiveness of the portrayal of his critique, one

might argue that Shaw is ineffective due to the shortage of realism within his plot, inhibiting

applicability of the critique to reality. When a flower girl is able to change her language and thus

her class in a mere six months, it is viewed as hyperbolic, improbable, and therefore

unbelievable. Due to this, readers have greater difficulty comprehending the critique Shaw
 14

portrays since it comes from a situation unlikely to occur in their reality. Worse yet, readers may

even assume the critique cannot apply to them, and the lack of realism seems to hinder or even

prevent Shaw’s ability to form a call to action rather than a critique, the former being more

powerful.

Thus, the creation of Shaw’s critique is only effective to a point, made apparent by the rest of

Shaw’s choices, but is hindered in power by Shaw’s lack of realism since readers have a harder

time grasping and applying the concept to their own life. Nonetheless, Shaw may be hyperbolic

for a reason. Lack of realism can add to the creation of satire, a common method for critique and

exaggeration, which can be useful to emphasize and draw attention to key points and problems,

actually aiding Shaw’s critique by making it more obvious. Thus, Shaw can suggest that readers

should strive for equality among the sexes and potentially between others due to his construction

of satire.

Eliza’s emergence from male oppression into that of human equality is a more significant and

poignant critique than that of her accent and clothing changes. From this evidence, Shaw’s

critique on the treatment of women by men and the suggestion of independence and equality

overpowers the observation of accents causing class barriers, suggesting the former theme has

greater importance and application than the latter. However, most critics tend to overlook the

critique of equality, preferring to ponder accents or whether Shaw intended to form a love story

between Higgins and Eliza, actually signifying a lack of independence within Eliza since she

would have to return to Higgins. This begs the question of whether misinterpretation of fictional

literature is possible, considering two of Pygmalion’s interpretations are ironically opposing,

spanning from being potentially feminist to anti-feminist. Without being told by the author, one

may never be sure of the author’s true intent, yet even so, sufficient synthesis and analysis of
 15

textual evidence must be provided before an interpretation can be considered credible, hence the

need for a community of readers and interpreters of the knowledge provided within the text.

Multiple interpretations also lead to multiple effects. It would be intriguing to advance the study

of Pygmalion within a historical context to apply statistics or historical writings to further justify

the play’s effectiveness on its readers. One could assess whether Pygmalion actually was a call to

action, particularly among feminists, from an additional perspective, or if it remained a critique

only gentlemen pondered. In the case of this essay, Shaw’s Pygmalion provides readers with a

purposely satirical method to emphasize his suggestion of equality between the sexes, and

potentially all people, that can still apply today.

 16

Bibliography

Alexander, Nigel. "The Play of Ideas." George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Edited by Harold

Bloom, New York: Chelsea House, 1988, pp. 19-44. Questia School,

www.questiaschool.com/read/102674279/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion. Accessed

12 Mar. 2016.

Bentley, Eric. "A Personal Play." George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Edited by Harold Bloom,

New York: Chelsea House, 1988, pp. 11-18. Questia School,

https://www.questiaschool.com/read/102674271/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion.

Accessed 12 Mar. 2016.

Berst, Charles A. "Pygmalion: A Potboiler as Art." George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Edited

by Harold Bloom, New York: Chelsea House, 1988, pp. 57-76. Questia School,

www.questiaschool.com/read/102674317/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion. Accessed

31 Aug. 2016.

Crofts, Thomas. Note. Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, Edited by Thomas Crofts and

Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed., New York: Dover Publications, 1994, pp. v.

Pedersen, Lisë. "Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew Vs. Shaw's Pygmalion: Male

Chauvinism Vs. Women's Lib?" George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, Edited by Harold

Bloom, New York: Chelsea House, 1988, pp. 77-85. Questia School,

https://www.questiaschool.com/read/102674337/george-bernard-shaw-s-pygmalion.

Accessed 31 Aug. 2016.

Shaw, George Bernard. Preface to Pygmalion: A Professor of Phonetics. Pygmalion, by Shaw,

Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed., New York: Dover

Publications, 1994, pp. ix-xii.

 17

---. Pygmalion. Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed., New York: Dover

Publications, 1994.

---. "Sequel". Pygmalion, by Shaw, Edited by Thomas Crofts and Stanley Applebaum, 1st ed.,

New York: Dover Publications, 1994, pp. 72-82.