The One True Dave

Pygmalion

By George Bernard Shaw, written in 1912/13.

Cast: Clara Eynsford Hill, daughter of

Mrs. Eynsford Hill, a lady

Freddy Eynsford Hill, the lady’s son

Eliza Doolittle, a flower girl

Colonel Pickering, British Officer, amateur phonetician

Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician

Mrs. Pearce, Professor Higgins’ housekeeper

Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father, a dustman

Mrs. Higgins, Professor Higgin’s mother

Period: 1912/13

Genre: Social Realism

Higgins and Pickering propose themselves the challenge of taking an uncouth flower girl and training her to pass in speech and manners as a cultured lady.  Eliza Doolittle is the girl they decide to use to fulfill their challenge.  Despite warnings about considering Eliza’s well-being the men – especially Higgins – go about succeeding with their designs.  Eliza passes as a lady at the conclusion of six months after which there is a confrontation between Eliza and Higgins.  Higgins vows never to change. Eliza seems to learn a great deal about herself and her self-worth.  With her new confidence she departs with the others for her father’s wedding.  In the afterword Shaw states that Higgins and Doolittle should not marry.  I agree with him.  However, in the screenplay for Pygmalion (written by Shaw), Eliza Doolittle does come back to Higgins.  This is also the “happy” ending in the musical, My Fair Lady.

This play drives me crazy.  I hate Higgins.  I am frustrated with Pickerington that he doesn’t stand up for Eliza more and I am disappointed with Mrs. Higgins for not reigning in her son.  Professor Higgin’s behavior is deplorable and is the worst representation of scientists, people of learning and class bigotry.  No woman in her right mind would consider Higgin’s a satisfying husband and with that I agree with Shaw’s afterword.  The fact the “happy” ending seems necessary for the movie and the musical – that Higgin’s needs to be saved by the influence of the emotionally connected woman – seems an incredibly old-fashioned Victorian viewpoint.  Higgins is a sociopath and Eliza should stick to her plan of giving lessons from what she has learned as she states near the end of the play.

Shaw’s play is written well and foregrounds class differences/biases based on affectations of speech and etiquette.  As a play about class it is clever.  As a play about gender politics it is highly offensive.