Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw | Characters
Summary
TLDRIn 'Pygmalion,' Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, transforms Eliza Doolittle, a lower-class flower girl, into a refined lady, showcasing her intelligence and ambition. Despite his scientific success, Higgins' disregard for Eliza's feelings leads to her quest for independence and self-respect. Supporting characters like Colonel Pickering, Doolittle, Mrs. Higgins, Freddie, and Mrs. Pearce add depth to the narrative, highlighting themes of class, manners, and personal growth.
Takeaways
- 🎭 The play 'Pygmalion' features seven central characters, each with distinct personalities and roles in the narrative.
- 🧙♂️ Professor Henry Higgins is a phonetics expert and the main character, who is robust, energetic, and scientifically inclined, yet insensitive to others' feelings.
- 🌟 Higgins undertakes the transformation of Eliza Doolittle from a flower girl to an upper-class lady, treating her primarily as a scientific experiment.
- 🌷 Eliza Doolittle, also known as Liza, is a smart and ambitious flower girl with a strong Cockney accent, representing London's lower class.
- 🔄 Eliza's transformation is not just external; her true change comes from being treated with respect and gaining self-respect.
- 🤴 Colonel Pickering is an elderly gentleman with a kind and courteous nature, who is supportive of Eliza's transformation.
- 👴 Doolittle, Eliza's father, is depicted as a happy but morally questionable dustman, willing to give up his daughter for a small sum of money.
- 👸 Mrs. Higgins is a perceptive upper-class woman who is aware of the potential issues arising from Higgins' experiment with Eliza and often corrects her son's manners.
- 💖 Freddie is a young, good-natured, and somewhat weak upper-class man who is infatuated with Eliza and shows genuine devotion to her.
- 🏠 Mrs. Pearce is Higgins's housekeeper, who ensures Eliza's proper care and advocates for her, pushing Higgins to consider Eliza's future.
- 🔄 The play explores themes of class, gender, and the power dynamics between the characters, with a focus on Eliza's journey towards independence and self-respect.
Q & A
Who is the central character in the play 'Pygmalion'?
-The central character in the play 'Pygmalion' is Henry Higgins, an authority on phonetics.
How is Higgins described in terms of his personality and profession?
-Higgins is described as a robust, vital, and appetizing man of around forty, an energetic scientific type, and an authority on phonetics.
What is the main transformation that Higgins performs in the play?
-Higgins transforms Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl, into an upper-class lady who can pass for a duchess.
How does Eliza Doolittle's transformation affect her sense of self-respect and independence?
-Eliza's transformation leads her to stand up for her independence and self-respect, as she is initially treated as merely an experiment by Higgins.
What is the role of Colonel Pickering in the play?
-Colonel Pickering is a character who is the author of spoken Sanskrit and a master of Indian dialects. He is an elderly gentleman with a generous and courteous nature, and he is kind to Eliza throughout her transformation.
What is the occupation and character of Doolittle, Eliza's father?
-Doolittle is an elderly but vigorous dustman, a happy member of the undeserving poor. He is reckless with money and has no morals, willing to turn his daughter over to Higgins for five pounds.
How does Mrs. Higgins, Henry Higgins' mother, perceive her son's manners and experiment with Eliza?
-Mrs. Higgins is a gracious upper-class member who is irritated by her son's lack of manners. She is intelligent and perceptive, quickly discerning the problems that her son's experiment will cause for Eliza.
What is the character of Freddie, and how does he relate to Eliza?
-Freddie is a young man from the upper class, good-natured but somewhat weak. He is infatuated with Eliza and, by the end of the play, Eliza suggests that she might marry him despite his lack of wealth and work ethic.
Who is Mrs. Pearce, and what is her role in the play?
-Mrs. Pearce is Higgins's housekeeper with a strong sense of propriety. She ensures that Eliza is cared for properly in the house and frequently pushes Higgins to show consideration for Eliza and to think about her future.
How does the relationship between Eliza and Mrs. Pearce evolve throughout the play?
-The relationship between Eliza and Mrs. Pearce grows stronger as the play progresses, with Mrs. Pearce becoming an advocate for Eliza's well-being and future.
What change occurs in Higgins' perspective towards Eliza by the end of the play?
-By the end of the play, Higgins gains a new perspective on Eliza, viewing her with respect, which is a significant shift from his initial treatment of her as an experiment.
Outlines
🎭 Character Study in Pygmalion
This paragraph introduces the central characters of the play 'Pygmalion'. Professor Henry Higgins is a phonetics expert and a robust, energetic man in his forties, who is also emotionally detached, particularly towards Eliza, the flower girl he transforms into an upper-class lady. Eliza Doolittle, portrayed as a lower-class Londoner with a strong Cockney accent, is intelligent and ambitious, seeking to rise above her social status. Through Higgins' experiment, she gains self-respect and independence. Colonel Pickering, a kind and courteous gentleman, is a contrast to Higgins in his treatment of Eliza. The characters of Doolittle, Mrs. Higgins, Freddie, and Mrs. Pearce are also described, each with distinct traits and roles in the play, contributing to the dynamic of Higgins' experiment and Eliza's journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Phonetics
💡Transformation
💡Independence
💡Self-respect
💡Experiment
💡Cockney Accent
💡Upper Class
💡Courtesy
💡Dustman
💡Perception
💡Infatuation
💡Housekeeper
Highlights
Higgins is a phonetics expert and a robust, energetic man in his forties.
Higgins is described as scientifically minded but insensitive to people's feelings.
Eliza Doolittle, a lower-class flower girl, is transformed by Higgins into an upper-class lady.
Eliza's transformation includes gaining self-respect and standing up for independence.
Higgins's character remains largely unchanged despite his new perspective on Eliza.
Eliza's intelligence and ambition allow her to aspire beyond her lower-class status.
Colonel Pickering is an amiable, elderly gentleman with a generous and courteous nature.
Pickering is kind to Eliza throughout her transformation process.
Doolittle is a happy, undisciplined member of the lower class with questionable morals.
Mrs. Higgins is perceptive and critical of her son's manners and behavior.
Freddie is a good-natured, upper-class gentleman infatuated with Eliza.
Eliza considers marrying Freddie despite his lack of financial means.
Mrs. Pearce is Higgins's housekeeper with a strong sense of propriety.
Mrs. Pearce ensures Eliza is well cared for and pushes Higgins to consider her future.
A bond develops between Eliza and Mrs. Pearce throughout the play.
The play explores themes of class, transformation, and self-respect.
Higgins's experiment with Eliza raises questions about the ethics of treating people as subjects.
Eliza's journey reflects the struggle for identity and the importance of being treated with dignity.
Transcripts
[Music]
there are seven central characters in
the play Pygmalion Higgins is an
authority on phonetics described as a
robust vital appetizing sort of man of
forty or there abouts and is an
energetic scientific type he is also
careless about people's feelings
this trait becomes most evident in his
treatment of Eliza whom he transforms
from a flower girl into an upper-class
lady his inability to see and treat
Eliza as anything more than an
experiment forces her to take a stand
for independence and self-respect while
Higgins remains fundamentally unchanged
by the end of the play he gains a new
perspective on Eliza and views her with
respect
Eliza Doolittle also called Liza is
introduced as a dirty shabbily dressed
flower girl in need of a dentist her
cockney accent places her in london's
lower class yet her intelligence and
ambition allow her to aspire to
something finer in Higgins laboratory
she is transformed into a lady who can
pass for a duchess her real
transformation comes with being treated
like a lady and gaining self respect
Colonel Pickering is the author of
spoken Sanskrit and is a master of
Indian dialects he is an elderly
gentleman of the amiable military type
and throughout the play he demonstrates
a generous and courteous nature he's
kind to Eliza as she changes from a
flower girl to a lady Doolittle is
described as an elderly but vigorous
dustman a happy member of the
undeserving poor he recklessly spends
money he borrows from others he has no
morals at all and is willing to turn his
daughter over to Higgins no questions
asked
for five pounds mrs. Higgins is a
gracious member of the upper class her
affection for Higgins does not shield
her from irritation at his lack of
manners and she is adept at putting him
in his
place intelligent and perceptive she
soon discerns the problems that her
son's experiment will cause for Eliza
Freddie is a young man and a member of
the upper class good-natured though
somewhat weak and a true gentleman he is
infatuated with Eliza at the end of the
play Eliza suggests that she might marry
Freddie though he has no money to
support them both and may seem unfit for
work but he is devoted to her
unlike Higgins and he won't try to make
her something that she's not mrs. Pierce
is Higgins's housekeeper she has a
strong sense of propriety and takes it
upon herself to be sure that Eliza is
cared for properly while in the house a
bond between Eliza and mrs. Pierce grows
and mrs. Pierce frequently pushes
Higgins to show consideration for Eliza
and to think about Eliza's future
[Music]
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