The Comparison of Social Classes through Analysis of Pygmalion

The classic play Pygmalion written by George Bernard Shaw is his analysis of the prevailing society of the time. The title comes from the Greek myth of Pygmalion, who was a renowned sculptor and created a flawless statue whose beauty remained unmatched. At the sculptor’s request the God put life into the work of stone and thus the statue Galatea came to life. Accordingly Shaw adapts the myth to suit his own purpose. The statue in this case is Eliza Dolittle, who sells flowers in Convent Gardens. Since she is from the lower strata of the society, her accent is marked by a distinct flavor of its own, thereby pointing out that social hierarchy of that time was clearly dependent on public behavior, which included the way one spoke. Professor Henry Higgins plays the role of Pygmalion, who teaches Eliza how to talk properly (since he is an expert in languages, particularly accents) along with instilling good manners and a proper code of conduct in her. In the end Eliza, who has learnt how to be a ‘lady’ ends up with a flower shop in the upper section of the society but is married to a poor man who is studying to be an accountant. Yet she makes a good living and that is the moral of the story. It is interesting to note that class and manner play an important part in this play. Thus one will attempt to show through the characters of Eliza and Henry that class in the sense of social hierarchy does not equate with class in the sense of manners, tact and dignity. Eliza as mentioned earlier is one the principle characters of the play, along with Higgins, comes from an extremely impoverished background. She speaks the gutter language: “Aint no call to meddle with me, he aint” (1). She is not an epitome of good manners by any definition of the...

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...mportant part of the play as it is a manifestation of the central idea that has been recurrent throughout all five acts. Henry on the other hand is hurt by her tall claims but is happy at the same time that he has finally made a true lady out of Eliza and is pleased with his success. Thus Henry’s experiment which was initially based on the fact if Eliza learns to speak properly she will become a lady, appears to have failed because what good would her newly acquired accent be had she behaved in the same manner as depicted earlier on in the play? Thus the above analysis of the play shows that it is not social hierarchy in a society that determines class or one’s position. Rather it is good manners, proper public behavior and the respect that is given to others that determines real class.

Works Cited

Shaw, Bernard. Pygmalion. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.