Resumo de Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Bernard Shaw places his Pygmalion, in the nineteenth century where the values of the upper middle class were superficial and the attitude of the people towards the lower class was inappropriate.
In Pygmalion, Shaw makes long and detailed comments at the beginning of each act, especially in acts two and three and in between dialogues. The verbal content of the play is based on dialogues giving it a note of ?realism? when putting his characters to use an everyday language and familiar expressions. The use of dialogues, make the play more interesting adding on it an action and making it flow. It is also a way to communicate with his readers, while he employs humour to lighten up the dramatic elements.
The characters involved in this drama contrast one another, especially the two main characters of the play who are Mr. Higgins and Eliza. It is the conflict between the upper middle and the lower social class, the effort of the powerful to dominate upon the powerless and make him reach his level whether this is possible or not. There is though an exception, and that is Pickering, who is the connecting link between the two worlds, Higgins?s and Eliza?s, who is dealing with the whole situation in a positive attitude without any bossy elements in his behaviour. He seems to respect her and his methods are more effective in her transformation than Higgins?s, who constantly and continuously uses verbal abuse, jeers at her and underestimates her based on her simple manners and background and calling her ?woman? instead of using her formal name. In this way he shows that he considers not only her as an object but he has the same opinion for all the women of her social class, as well.
Eliza explains to Pickering that it was because of him that she gained self-respect and was encouraged to move on. ?I learned from you really nice manners. And that?s what makes a lady, isn?t it??
Professor Higgins exploits Eliza by using her as his personal experiment and his deeper motives are to prove to himself that he can create or transform a human being by changing the way he/she speaks and behaves. But because he is carrying the attitudes of his class he is seen as a very rude man, although we would expect him to be a gentleman. However, there are certain occasions, parties for example, that he can be a real gentleman to the guests but never towards her.
Eliza she hesitates at the beginning however, she makes efforts to respond to the demands of the lessons that her Pygmalion offers her. She is intelligent and despite the fact that she is coming from the lowest social class she has strong will, uses her brain, she is willing to learn in order to achieve a better future for herself and her motivation is to become a better person; so she enforces herself to a verbal abuse and attitude?s abuse in order to reach her little dream which is to become ?a lady in the flower shop stead of sellin??, although she could choose the easy solution of her time which was the prostitution.
Eliza is in a sense Higgins?s creation but Shaw did not give a romantic ending to his play and Higgins ?does not fall in love with his artificial duchess? as Shaw did not want a conventional conclusion.

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