Yes, of course the story of Pygmalion from the Greek
mythology, i.e.,falling in love with his own creation -the ivory statue has inspired G.B
Shaw's play 'Pygmalion: A romance in five acts.' As we know that
Shaw used to write about women who had self-respect and and a head of their own to know
their emotions, choices and sentiments, e.g., Candida and other
plays. They don't have to depend upon men to decide their fate, instead they themselves
are sufficient and intelligent enough to take a stand on their own in a dignified and
graceful manner.
So,I feel Shaw's play is similar to the
myth when Mr. Higgins and Pickering choose to train Eliza-the flower girl with a heavy
cockney accent in her language, with the mannerisms of a lady. And, at the end,after
doing this job successfully, Higgins wishes her to marry him. So, here there is a
similarity with the myth-if we take the flower girl metamorphosed into a perfect lady by
the phonetician Higgins as his creation, and then a wish to take her as his wife , i.e.,
falling in love with his own work/creation.
But, at the
same time this play differs also largely from the myth in the way that Eliza is a living
modern woman with an independent personality,hre own choices,ceratin ego and
self-respect. She knows what she wants and refuses Higgin's marriage proposal and
marries Freddy. Thus, Shaw differs from the myth as he has not considered an inanimate
object (statue in the myth) but a living flower girl. Another instance of difference is
that he has used mundane and day to day life activities to make the play sound realistic
to audience. The play opens with a dark rainy night with people who have taken shelter
under the roof of a church. So, its somewhat more realistic and near to pactical life
when compared to the original myth.
So,the play is more a
satire on the rigid British class system of that day and a comment on women's
independence which is packaged as a romantic comedy.
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