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.
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