Pygmalion Essay

Some writings are enhanced by myths and others are built upon them. Pygmalion, the play, written by George Bernard Shaw, is a prime example of a literary work that has been built upon a myth, and in fact the play would not attain the literary merit it has if not for the myth, Metamorphoses. In the myth, Pygmalion, a sculptor, falls in love with his scuplture. In the play, Henry Higgins, a phonetics teacher, falls in love with his pupil. However, Pygmalion marries his creation, and Higgins does not. Shaw uses this allusion to criticize societies idealistic view of love.

The Greek myth, Metamorphoses, starts out with a sculptor, Pygmalion, who creates the figure of a beautiful woman out of ivory. He admired his own work so much, that eventually he fell in love with it. He worshiped Venus through sacrifices and made a wish for Galatea, the sculpture, to come to life. That night, Cupid came to the statue and kissed it, bringing it to life. Pygmalion awoke to the woman of his own creation and they were married. George Bernard Shaw, many years later, wrote the play Pygmalion, which is a reinterpretation of the myth. In the play, Henry Higgins is a well-educated phoneticist who takes an ordinary flower girl and turns her into a perfect woman by teaching her manners and language. Higgins falls in love with his creation Eliza Doolittle, the flower girl, into a high class woman. In the end, Eliza refuses to marry Higgins.

The allusion to Metamorphoses in the play Pygmalion, predominates and enhances the play in its entirety. It is obvious that there are many difference between the play and the myth, however it is in the similarities that the allusion is found. In both the myth and the play, the creators fall in love with their own creations. Pygmalion with his statue, Galatea, and Henry Higgins with his pupil, Eliza Doolittle. Neither one has ever had an affinity for women before the love of their creations. In both works the man is unsatisfied, so he takes the unsatisfactory and creates perfection, he then falls in love with his creation. The similarities are important for the fact that while reading the play one is alluded to the myth. It is then that the differences between the two are highlighted and Shaw is able to criticize society.

George Bernard Shaws primary purpose for the alluding to Metamorphoses in his play is to draw attention to the falsities of the happily ever after love that the world creates. In the myth, Pygmalion falls in love with his creation because of its perfection and he lavishes gifts upon the woman. He is the embodiment of true love in that he sacrifices everything to receive the love of the statue woman in return. In the play, Henry Higgins is the exact opposite. He views woman as conniving and unworthy of independence or even any recognition at all. He falls in love with Eliza Doolittle, but instead of sacrificing for her, he expects her to sacrifice for him. He treats her as a slave, and selfishly takes all the credit for the winning of the bet. He is very proud of Eliza, but not because of what Eliza herself has done, but rather because he created what she became. In the end, it is this selfish pride that pushes Eliza away and ruins what could be a perfect love story.

It is in the ending, however, that the true criticism of society is found. George Bernard Shaw, in his postscript, explains that Eliza, being the sensible young woman that she is, decides to marry Freddy Eynsford Hill instead of Henry Higgins, for the obvious reason that Freddy treats her like gold, and Henry treats her like dirt. However, in the myth, Pygmalion ends up marrying his beautiful statue, Galatea. Shaw changes the ending to criticize society for always dreaming of and believing in the happily ever afters and the ideal version of love that people have created. Men want to believe that they can take an imperfect woman and make her into a perfect creation. Some woman want to believe that a man will take them and make them perfect. However, Shaw adequately takes this belief, this love and throws it out the window. A man cannot create a perfect woman, no matter how hard he tries, and a woman will not fall in love with a man who only loves her for what he made out of her. Shaw criticizes society for believing that the there are happy endings to all stories and for taking love and making it into myth. He takes this myth and turns it into a realistic story.

Pygmalion, the play, written by George Bernard Shaw, alludes toMetamorphoses, the myth, in more than just the title. Henry Higgins is like Pygmalion the sculptor in that he takes a lowly flower girl and turns her into a perfect lady. He then falls in love with his creation, not necessarily the girl herself. The allusion is found in this similarity, and the myth enhances the criticism of the play in that the endings are different. In the myth there is a happy ending where the sculptor marries his sculpture. In the play, the teacher does not marry his pupil. Eliza goes on to marry another and live her life as a teacher. It is here that the true purpose of the play is found. True love is not built off of selfish ambitions. Higgins loved the creation of Eliza, he did not love Eliza. Shaw humanizes the mythical characters in Metamorphoses, the Greek myth, and underlines a major societal problem. He shows that life is not a myth or a fairytale. What is told as a beautiful love story, in real life can be interpreted as a prideful man, who is so filled with himself that he is unable to love anything that he himself does not create, and as any real life woman Eliza chose a lifetime of Freddy fetching her slippers to a lifetime of fetching Higgins slippers.