Pygmalion

Pygmalion is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1913. It tells the story of a young flower girl named Eliza Doolittle who is taken under the wing of a phonetics professor named Henry Higgins. Higgins makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can transform Eliza from a Cockney-speaking street vendor into a proper lady of high society. Through a series of intensive lessons, Eliza learns to speak with an upper-class accent and manners, and she is eventually introduced to London society. However, as she becomes more refined, Eliza begins to question her place in society and her relationship with Higgins. The play explores themes of class, identity, and the power of language. This edition of the play includes a preface by Shaw, in which he discusses the inspiration for the play and his views on phonetics and language, as well as a sequel in which he imagines what happens to Eliza and Higgins after the events of the play.LIZA [as she goes out] Well, what I say is right. I wont go near the king, not if I'm going to have my head cut off. If I'd known what I was letting myself in for, I wouldnt have come here. I always been a good girl; and I never offered to say a word to him; and I dont owe him nothing; and I dont care; and I wont be put upon; and I have my feelings the same as anyone else.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.