the analysis of drama pygmalion

INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE

“THE ANALYSIS OF DRAMA PYGMALION BY G.B. SHAW”

Compiled by :

English Depatment

Teachers Training and Education Faculty

Muhammadiyah University of Purwokerto

2016

A.    Introduction

Drama is a kind of literature whose basic medium is spoken language. It can be read, like a poem or novel. But the word “drama” comes from the Greek meaning “act”. It is spoken language acted, to deliver for the public usually used stages. Drama as a complete work of art exists in the presentation. Now we will talk about “Pygmalion”. That was one of classic drama in 1916 by George Bernard Shaw. He was a critic of social from ireland. Pygmalion written smoothly so it can be show on theater in 1938, music theater in 1956 and the famous one on music film “my fair lady” in 1964. He written pygmalion easily, seen the tragedy in ireland (Great Britania Raya). Great Britania Raya is a monarchy country. That country superiority was inherited, not earned. The aristocrat was happened over there.

Literature has elements for each types, so in drama we will talk about theme, characterization, figuraive language, writting style, setting and plot. In this case, Pygmalion Drama written by G.B. Shaw. This paper compiled to fill Introduction to Literature assignment. I wish all of us can pick the benefit things of this paper.

B.     Summary

Two old gentlemen meet in the rain one night at Covent Garden. Professor Higgins is a scientist of phonetics, and Colonel Pickering is a linguist of Indian dialects. The first bets the other that he can, with his knowledge of phonetics, convince high London society that, in a matter of months, he will be able to transform the cockney speaking Covent Garden flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a woman as poised and well-spoken as a duchess. The next morning, the girl appears at his laboratory on Wimpole Street to ask for speech lessons, offering to pay a shilling, so that she may speak properly enough to work in a flower shop. Higgins makes merciless fun of her, but is seduced by the idea of working his magic on her. Pickering goads him on by agreeing to cover the costs of the experiment if Higgins can pass Eliza off as a duchess at ambassador’s garden party. The challenge is taken, and Higgins starts by having his housekeeper bathe Eliza and give her new clothes. Then Eliza’s father Alfred Doolittle comes to demand the return of his daughter, though his real intention is to hit Higgins up for some money. The professor, amused by Doolittle’s unusual rhetoric, gives him five pounds. On his way out, the dustman fails to recognize the now clean, pretty flower girl as his daughter. For a number of months, Higgins trains Eliza to speak properly. Two trials for Eliza follow. The first occurs at Higgins mother’s home, where Eliza is introduced to the Eynsford Hills, a trio of mother, daughter, and son. The son Freddy is very attracted to her, and further taken with what he thinks is her affected “small talk” when she slips into cockney. Mrs. Higgins worries that the experiment will lead to problems once it is ended, but Higgins and Pickering are too absorbed in their game to take heed. A second trial, which takes place some months later at an ambassador’s party (and which is not actually staged), is a resounding success. The wager is definitely won, but Higgins and Pickering are now bored with the project, which causes Eliza to be hurt. She throws Higgins’s in a rage because she does not know what is to become of her, there be wildering him. He suggests she marry somebody. She returns him the hired jewelry, and he accuses her of ingratitude. The following morning, Higgins rushes to his mother, in a panic because Eliza has run away. On his tail is Eliza’s father, now unhappily rich from the trust of a deceased millionaire who took to heart Higgins’s recommendation that Doolittle was England’s “most original moralist” Mrs. Higgins, who has been hiding Eliza upstairs all along, chides the two of them for playing with the girl’s affections. When she enters, Eliza thanks Pickering for always treating her like a lady, but threatens Higgins that she will go work with his rival phonetician. The outraged Higgins cannot help but start to admire her. As Eliza leaves for her father’s wedding, Higgins shouts out a few errands for her to run, assuming that she will return to him at Wimpole Street. Eliza, who has a lovelorn sweetheart in Freddy, and the where to pass as a duchess, never makes it clear whether she will or not.

C.    Analysis

·         Theme

Theme of a piece of fiction is controlling idea or it is central insight. It is the unifying generalization about life stated or implied by the story. While theme is central in a story, it is not the whole purpose. The function of a literary writer is not to show and describe it. It dos not equal “moral”, ”lesson” or ”message”. Pygmalion drama’s theme os about society. Because it tells the transformation of a young girl life in aristocrat government.

·         Characterization

Analyzing chaacterization is more difficult than describing plot, human nature is infinitely complex, variable and amiguos. It is much easier to describe what a person has done instead of who a peson is. There are the characters in Pygmalion:

a.       Eliza Doolitle. She was the main character in the drama. She was a plain and smart girl. Foul-mouthed girl transformed into a beautiful woman. It proved that Eliza said “i am a good girl” in act 2. That’s the exclamation. Then she spoken correctly in grammatical, meaned she was a smart girl.

b.      Alfred Doolitle. He was a drunk and a deadbeat dad. Ya, he is Eliza’s Dad. He was a matrealistic too. He said to a govenor  “most musical,most melancholy. I’ll tell you govenor, if you’ll only let me get word in. I’m willing to tell you. I’m waiting to tell you. I’m waiting to tell you” in act 2.

c.       Professor Higgins. He was an incredibly talented and educated.

He ever said “sounds pretty convicing, right?” in act 2 spendid so much time with Eliza when he teaches Eliza to speak like a dutchess.

d.      Colonel Pickering. He was a father figure and nice guy. He adds a spirit and a kindness. Reflected in the end of act 3, he treat Eliza until Eliza said “he is a good cop”.

e.         Mrs. Higgins. She was an inteligent woman with progressive ideas. But she did not want to transform Eliza into a Dutchess. She said “Eliza won’t be able to support herself with the kind of skills you’re giving her.”

f.         Freddy Eynsford. He was the romantic interest, fallen in love with Eliza and wtritten a letters to her. In act 3 he made a mistake speech with Eliza, like influenza and just small talk.

·         Figurative Language

            Something that means more than what it suggest on the surface. Can be a name, object, action etc. Symbols serve to reinforce an add to the meaning of a story or even sometimes carry the meaning of the story. In Pygmalion there is only one figurative language “Looking Glass”. The looking glass towards in the end of act 2. It seems a very minor incident. Looking glass means glasses.

·         Writing Style

            It means that the language used in literary work. In pygmalion straightforward and used “cheer ap it means cheer up”. Shaw soes not let him get too poetic. He has too many important topics to deliver in this drama and he can not use symbolism, methaphore etc.

·         Setting

            It is include place, time and condition in the story. So, Pygmalion was happen in London, in early 19th century. Exactly in Center of Town and Convent Garden. Convent Garden was a large market.

·         Plot

            The sequence of incidents through which an author constructs a story. Pygmalion has a tightly plot, rising conflict with the ultimate climax is reached when Eliza realizes that Higgins does not truly care about her because he so dismisses her and her future as no longer. His concern now that his bet is won. The plot is straight-forward.

D.    Conclusion

After read Pygmalion written by George Bernard Shaw, we know that in 19th century in Great Britania Raya exactly Ireland, The Government was aristocrat. This drama was connect the readers and the characters from the beginning. In the final the author brought his tale of a poor and uneducated, in this case that Eliza transformed to be a Dutchess by Higgins and Pickering. In the end, Eliza does win the bet from Professor Higgins and all of the people thinking that she was born into high society.

E.     References

       Shaw, Bernard. Pygmalion. New York: Brentano. 1916.

       Arp, Thomas R. And Johnson, Greg. Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense. New York: Harcourt 2002.

       Schakel, Peter and Ridl, Jack. Approaching Literature in the 21st century. Bedford: St.       Martin’s 2005.