Pygmalion

Pygmalion is a play written by the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1913. It tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can train a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to speak like a duchess and thus pass her off as a member of high society.The play explores themes of social class, identity, and the power of language. Through Higgins' experiment with Eliza, Shaw highlights the arbitrary nature of social distinctions and the potential for personal transformation. As Eliza undergoes her linguistic training and adjusts to her new social environment, she grapples with questions of self-worth and authenticity.Pygmalion is perhaps best known for its film adaptations, most notably the 1964 musical film My Fair Lady, which starred Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins. The play has been praised for its sharp wit, memorable characters, and incisive commentary on class dynamics. It remains a popular and frequently performed work in the theatrical canon, enduring as a classic of English literature.P10