Pygmalion (play). Pygmalion Pygmalion Bernard Shaw summary by chapters

Pygmalion(full title: Pygmalion: A Fantasy Novel in Five Acts, English Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts listen)) is a play written by Bernard Shaw in 1913. The play tells the story of phonetics professor Henry Higgins, who made a bet with his new acquaintance, British Army Colonel Pickering. The essence of the bet was that Higgins could teach the flower girl Eliza Doolittle the pronunciation and manner of communication of high society in a few months.

The play's title is an allusion to the myth of Pygmalion.

Characters

Eliza Doolittle, flower girl. Attractive, but not having a secular upbringing (or rather, having a street upbringing), about eighteen to twenty years old. She is wearing a black straw hat, which has been badly damaged in its lifetime from London dust and soot and is hardly familiar with a brush. Her hair is some kind of mouse color, not found in nature. A tan black coat, narrow at the waist, barely reaching the knees; from under it a brown skirt and a canvas apron are visible. The boots have apparently also seen better days. Without a doubt, she is clean in her own way, but next to the ladies she definitely seems like a mess. Her facial features are not bad, but her skin condition leaves much to be desired; In addition, it is noticeable that she needs the services of a dentist
Henry Higgins, professor of phonetics
Pickering, Colonel
Mrs Higgins, professor's mother
Mrs Pierce, Higgins's housekeeper
Alfred Doolittle, Eliza's father. An elderly, but still very strong man in the work clothes of a scavenger and in a hat, the brim of which was cut off in front and covered his neck and shoulders at the back. The facial features are energetic and characteristic: one can feel a person who is equally unfamiliar with fear and conscience. He has an extremely expressive voice - a consequence of the habit of giving full vent to his feelings
Mrs Eynsford Hill, guest of Mrs. Higgins
Miss Clara Eynsford Hill, her daughter
Freddie, son of Mrs Eynsford Hill

Plot

On a summer evening, the rain pours like buckets. Passers-by run to Covent Garden Market and the portico of St. Pavel, where several people had already taken refuge, including an elderly lady and her daughter; they are in evening dresses, waiting for Freddie, the lady's son, to find a taxi and come for them. Everyone, except one person with a notebook, impatiently peers into the streams of rain. Freddie appears in the distance, having not found a taxi, and runs to the portico, but on the way he runs into a street flower girl, hurrying to hide from the rain, and knocks a basket of violets out of her hands. She bursts into abuse. A man with a notebook is hastily writing something down. The girl laments that her violets are missing and begs the colonel standing right there to buy a bouquet. To get rid of it, he gives her some change, but does not take flowers. One of the passersby draws the attention of the flower girl, a sloppily dressed and unwashed girl, that the man with the notebook is clearly scribbling a denunciation against her. The girl begins to whine. He, however, assures that he is not from the police, and surprises everyone present by accurately determining the place of birth of each of them by their pronunciation.

Freddie's mother sends her son back to look for a taxi. Soon, however, the rain stops, and she and her daughter go to the bus stop. The Colonel shows interest in the abilities of the man with the notebook. He introduces himself as Henry Higgins, creator of the Higgins Universal Alphabet. The colonel turns out to be the author of the book “Spoken Sanskrit”. His name is Pickering. He lived in India for a long time and came to London specifically to meet Professor Higgins. The professor also always wanted to meet the colonel. They are about to go to dinner at the colonel’s hotel when the flower girl again starts asking to buy flowers from her. Higgins throws a handful of coins into her basket and leaves with the colonel. The flower girl sees that she now owns, by her standards, a huge sum. When Freddie arrives with the taxi he finally hailed, she gets into the car and, noisily slamming the door, drives off.

The next morning, Higgins demonstrates his phonographic equipment to Colonel Pickering at his home. Suddenly, Higgins's housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce, reports that a certain very simple girl wants to talk to the professor. Yesterday's flower girl enters. She introduces herself as Eliza Dolittle and says that she wants to take phonetics lessons from the professor, because with her pronunciation she cannot get a job. The day before she had heard that Higgins was giving such lessons. Eliza is sure that he will happily agree to work off the money that yesterday, without looking, he threw into her basket. Of course, it’s funny for him to talk about such sums, but Pickering offers Higgins a bet. He encourages him to prove that in a matter of months he can, as he assured the day before, turn a street flower girl into a duchess. Higgins finds this offer tempting, especially since Pickering is ready, if Higgins wins, to pay the entire cost of Eliza's education. Mrs. Pierce takes Eliza to the bathroom to wash her.

After some time, Eliza's father comes to Higgins. He is a scavenger, a simple man, but he amazes the professor with his innate eloquence. Higgins asks Dolittle for permission to keep his daughter and gives him five pounds for it. When Eliza appears, already washed, in a Japanese robe, the father at first does not even recognize his daughter. A couple of months later, Higgins brings Eliza to his mother's house, just on her reception day. He wants to find out whether it is already possible to introduce a girl into secular society. Mrs. Eynsford Hill and her daughter and son are visiting Mrs. Higgins. These are the same people with whom Higgins stood under the portico of the cathedral on the day he first saw Eliza. However, they do not recognize the girl. Eliza at first behaves and talks like a high-society lady, and then goes on to talk about her life and uses such street expressions that everyone present is amazed. Higgins pretends that this is new social jargon, thus smoothing over the situation. Eliza leaves the crowd, leaving Freddie in complete delight.

After this meeting, he begins to send ten-page letters to Eliza. After the guests leave, Higgins and Pickering vying with each other, enthusiastically telling Mrs. Higgins about how they work with Eliza, how they teach her, take her to the opera, to exhibitions, and dress her. Mrs. Higgins finds that they are treating the girl like a living doll. She agrees with Mrs. Pearce, who believes that they "don't think about anything."

A few months later, both experimenters take Eliza to a high society reception, where she is a dizzying success, everyone takes her for a duchess. Higgins wins the bet.

Arriving home, he enjoys the fact that the experiment, from which he was already tired, is finally over. He behaves and talks in his usual rude manner, not paying the slightest attention to Eliza. The girl looks very tired and sad, but at the same time she is dazzlingly beautiful. It is noticeable that irritation is accumulating in her.

She ends up throwing his shoes at Higgins. She wants to die. She doesn’t know what will happen to her next, how to live. After all, she became a completely different person. Higgins assures that everything will work out. She, however, manages to hurt him, throw him off balance and thereby at least a little revenge for herself.

At night, Eliza runs away from home. The next morning, Higgins and Pickering lose their heads when they see that Eliza is gone. They are even trying to find her with the help of the police. Higgins feels like he has no hands without Eliza. He doesn’t know where his things are, or what he has scheduled for the day. Mrs Higgins arrives. Then they report the arrival of Eliza's father. Dolittle has changed a lot. Now he looks like a wealthy bourgeois. He lashes out at Higgins indignantly because it is his fault that he had to change his lifestyle and now become much less free than he was before. It turns out that several months ago Higgins wrote to a millionaire in America, who founded branches of the League of Moral Reforms all over the world, that Dolittle, a simple scavenger, is now the most original moralist in all of England. That millionaire had already died, and before his death he bequeathed to Dolittle a share in his trust for three thousand annual income, on the condition that Dolittle would give up to six lectures a year in his League of Moral Reforms. He laments that today, for example, he even has to officially marry someone with whom he has lived for several years without registering a relationship. And all this because he is now forced to look like a respectable bourgeois. Mrs. Higgins is very happy that the father can finally take care of his changed daughter as she deserves. Higgins, however, does not want to hear about “returning” Eliza to Dolittle.

Mrs. Higgins says she knows where Eliza is. The girl agrees to return if Higgins asks her for forgiveness. Higgins does not agree to do this. Eliza enters. She expresses gratitude to Pickering for his treatment of her as a noble lady. It was he who helped Eliza change, despite the fact that she had to live in the house of the rude, slovenly and ill-mannered Higgins. Higgins is amazed. Eliza adds that if he continues to “pressure” her, she will go to Professor Nepean, Higgins’ colleague, and become his assistant and inform him of all the discoveries made by Higgins. After an outburst of indignation, the professor finds that now her behavior is even better and more dignified than when she looked after his things and brought him slippers. Now, he is sure, they will be able to live together not just as two men and one stupid girl, but as “three friendly old bachelors.”

Eliza goes to her father's wedding. The afterword says that Eliza chose to marry Freddie, and they opened their own flower shop and lived on their own money. Despite the store and her family, she managed to interfere with the household in Wimpole Street. She and Higgins continued to tease each other, but she still remained interested in him.

Productions

- First productions of Pygmalion in Vienna and Berlin
- The London premiere of Pygmalion took place at His Majesty's Theatre. Starring: Stella Patrick Campbell and Herbert Birb-Tree
- First production in Russia (Moscow). Moscow Drama Theater E. M. Sukhodolskaya. Starring: Nikolai Radin
- “Pygmalion” State Academic Maly Theater of Russia (Moscow). Starring: Daria Zerkalova, Konstantin Zubov. For staging and performing the role of Dr. Higgins in the play, Konstantin Zubov was awarded the Stalin Prize of the second degree (1946)
- “Pygmalion” (radio play) (Moscow). Starring: Daria Zerkalova
- "Pygmalion" State Academic Art Theater named after. J. Rainis of the Latvian SSR
- musical “My Fair Lady” with music by Frederick Loewe (based on the play “Pygmalion”) (New York)
- “Pygmalion” (translation into Ukrainian by Nikolai Pavlov). National Academic Drama Theater named after. Ivan Franko (Kyiv). Staged by Sergei Danchenko
- Musical “My Fair Lady”, F. Lowe, State Academic Theater “Moscow Operetta”
- Musical “Eliza”, St. Petersburg State Musical and Drama Theater Buff
My Fair Lady (musical comedy in 2 acts). Chelyabinsk State Academic Drama Theater named after. CM. Zwillinga (director - People's Artist of Russia - Naum Orlov)
"Pygmalion" - International Theater Center "Rusich". Staged by P. Safonov
“Pygmalion, or almost MY FAIRY LADY” - Dunin-Martsinkevich Drama and Comedy Theater (Bobruisk). Staged by Sergei Kulikovsky
2012 - musical performance, staged by Elena Tumanova. Student Theater "GrandEx" (NAPKS, Simferopol)

Film adaptations

A country	Name	Director	Eliza Doolittle	Henry Higgins	A comment
Great Britain	Pygmalion	Howard Leslie and Anthony Asquith	Hiller Wendy	Howard Leslie	The film was nominated for an Oscar in the categories: Best Picture, Best Actor (Leslie Howard), Best Actress (Wendy Hiller). The prize was awarded in the category Best Adapted Screenplay (Ian Dalrymple, Cecil Lewis, W.P. Lipscomb, Bernard Shaw). The film received the Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor (Leslie Howard)
USSR	Pygmalion	Alekseev Sergey	Rojek Constance	Tsarev Mikhail	Film-play performed by actors of the Maly Theater
USA	My fair lady	Cukor George	Hepburn Audrey	Harrison Rex	Comedy based on Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion and the musical of the same name by Frederick Loewe
USSR	Benefit performance of Larisa Golubkina	Ginzburg Evgeniy	Golubkina Larisa	Shirvindt Alexander	The television benefit performance by Larisa Golubkina was created based on the play “Pygmalion”
USSR	Galatea	Belinsky Alexander	Maksimova Ekaterina	Liepa Maris	Film-ballet by choreographer Dmitry Bryantsev to music by Timur Kogan
Russia	Flowers from Lisa	Selivanov Andrey	Tarkhanova Glafira	Lazarev Alexander (Jr.)	Modern variation based on the play
Great Britain	My fair lady		Mulligan Carey		Remake of the 1964 film

The episode of writing the play “Pygmalion” is reflected in the play “Dear Liar” by Jerome Kielty
From the play, the Anglo-American interjection “wow” came into widespread use, which was used by the flower girl Eliza Doolittle, a representative of the London “lower classes”, before her “ennoblement”
For the script for the film Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw wrote several scenes that were not in the original version of the play. This extended version of the play has been published and is used in productions

Notes

George Bernard Shaw

"Pygmalion"

The play takes place in London. On a summer evening, the rain pours like buckets. Passers-by run to Covent Garden Market and the portico of St. Pavel, where several people have already taken refuge, including an elderly lady and her daughter, they are in evening dresses, waiting for Freddie, the lady’s son, to find a taxi and come for them. Everyone, except one person with a notebook, impatiently peers into the streams of rain. Freddie appears in the distance, having not found a taxi, and runs to the portico, but on the way he runs into a street flower girl, hurrying to hide from the rain, and knocks a basket of violets out of her hands. She bursts into abuse. A man with a notebook is hastily writing something down. The girl laments that her violets are missing and begs the colonel standing right there to buy a bouquet. To get rid of it, he gives her some change, but does not take flowers. One of the passers-by draws the attention of the flower girl, a sloppily dressed and unwashed girl, that the man with the notebook is clearly scribbling a denunciation against her. The girl begins to whine. He, however, assures that he is not from the police, and surprises everyone present by accurately determining the origin of each of them by their pronunciation.

After some time, Eliza's father comes to Higgins. He is a scavenger, a simple man, but he amazes the professor with his innate eloquence. Higgins asks Dolittle for permission to keep his daughter and gives him five pounds for it. When Eliza appears, already washed, in a Japanese robe, the father does not even recognize his daughter at first. A couple of months later, Higgins brings Eliza to his mother's house, just on her reception day. He wants to find out whether it is already possible to introduce a girl into secular society. Mrs. Eynsford Hill and her daughter and son are visiting Mrs. Higgins. These are the same people with whom Higgins stood under the portico of the cathedral on the day he first saw Eliza. However, they do not recognize the girl. Eliza at first behaves and talks like a high-society lady, and then goes on to talk about her life and uses such street expressions that everyone present is amazed. Higgins pretends that this is new social jargon, thus smoothing over the situation. Eliza leaves the crowd, leaving Freddie in complete delight.

A few months later, both experimenters take Eliza to a high-society reception, where she is a dizzying success, everyone takes her for a duchess. Higgins wins the bet.

At night, Eliza runs away from home. The next morning, Higgins and Pickering lose their heads when they see that Eliza is gone. They are even trying to find her with the help of the police. Higgins feels like he has no hands without Eliza. He doesn’t know where his things are, or what he has scheduled for the day. Mrs Higgins arrives. Then they report the arrival of Eliza's father. Dolittle has changed a lot. Now he looks like a wealthy bourgeois. He lashes out at Higgins indignantly because it is his fault that he had to change his lifestyle and now become much less free than he was before. It turns out that several months ago Higgins wrote to a millionaire in America, who founded branches of the League of Moral Reforms all over the world, that Dolittle, a simple scavenger, is now the most original moralist in all of England. He died, and before his death he bequeathed to Dolittle a share in his trust for three thousand annual income, on the condition that Dolittle would give up to six lectures a year in his League of Moral Reforms. He laments that today, for example, he even has to officially marry someone with whom he has lived for several years without registering a relationship. And all this because he is now forced to look like a respectable bourgeois. Mrs. Higgins is very happy that the father can finally take care of his changed daughter as she deserves. Higgins, however, does not want to hear about “returning” Eliza to Dolittle.

Eliza goes to her father's wedding. Apparently, she will still live in Higgins’ house, since she has become attached to him, just as he has become attached to her, and everything will continue as before.

On a summer day, townspeople, fleeing the downpour, hide under the portico of St. Paul's Cathedral. Higgins watches the assembled neighbors in misfortune, making notes in a notebook. He wrote the book Higgins Universal Alphabet. Colonel Pickering, the creator of the book “Spoken Sanskrit,” became interested in this man and they met. The gentlemen decided to have dinner at the hotel. Along the way, Higgins threw a handful of change to the girl selling violets.

The next morning, Higgins hosted Pickering at his home and a violet merchant comes there asking him to give her phonetics lessons so that she can get a decent job. Pickering and Higgins make a bet that the latter will turn the merchant into a duchess in a matter of months. And if Higgins can do this, then Pickering will pay all the costs of the Merchant.

This is how Eliza achieves her desire to study. For two months the girl lives in Higgins's house and he works hard with her. He brings her to his mother, who is giving a reception, to understand whether there is any result from his labors. Eliza behaves like a society lady, but when talking about her former life, she switches to street slang. Higgins saves the day by presenting this jargon as a modern secular trend. His pupil left her mother's guests completely delighted.

One of the guests at Freddie's reception is so captivated by the girl that he writes ten-page letters to her. A few more months later, Higgins and Pickering take their ward to a high society reception. And there she was considered a duchess. Pickering lost the argument. But now Eliza is sad. She has changed and does not understand what to do next. Higgins assures that everything will work out, but does so in his usual rude manner. Eliza throws her shoes at Higgins and goes to her room.

In the morning, Higgins and Pickering discovered that Eliza was missing. Higgins is so used to Eliza that he cannot imagine life without her, he does not know where his things are or what activities are planned for the day. Eliza took on the duties of a personal assistant. He tries to find it by contacting the police. Higgins is visited by Eliza's father. He was previously a simple scavenger, but now he has become a bourgeois. He wrote to the American millionaire, the organizer of the League of Moral Reforms, and he, dying, left Dullittle a share, on condition that he began to lecture at the League. And now Dolittle can support his daughter himself, but Higgins doesn’t even want to hear about it.

Soon Eliza returns and she tells Higgins that he must apologize to her and continue to treat her more politely, otherwise she will become an assistant to his competitor Nepean. Higgins is pleased with the girl and the manners that he instilled in her and now she can live in his house and be on an equal footing with him.

rain, and knocks the basket of violets out of her hands. She bursts into abuse. A man with a notebook is hastily writing something down. The girl laments that her violets are missing and begs the colonel standing right there to buy a bouquet. To get rid of it, he gives her some change, but does not take flowers. One of the passersby draws the attention of the flower girl, a sloppily dressed and unwashed girl, that the man with the notebook is clearly scribbling a denunciation against her. The girl begins to whine. He, however, assures that he is not from the police, and surprises everyone present by accurately determining the origin of each of them by their pronunciation.

Freddy's mother sends

My son goes back to look for a taxi. Soon, however, the rain stops, and she and her daughter go to the bus stop. The Colonel shows interest in the abilities of the man with the notebook. He introduces himself as Henry Higgins, creator of the Higgins Universal Alphabet. The colonel turns out to be the author of the book “Spoken Sanskrit”. His name is Pickering. He lived in India for a long time and came to London specifically to meet Professor Higgins. The professor also always wanted to meet the colonel. They are about to go to dinner at the colonel’s hotel when the flower girl again starts asking to buy flowers from her. Higgins throws a handful of coins into her basket and leaves with the colonel. The flower girl sees that she now owns, by her standards, a huge sum. When Freddie arrives with the taxi he finally hailed, she gets into the car and, noisily slamming the door, drives off.

The next morning, Higgins demonstrates his phonographic equipment to Colonel Pickering at his home. Suddenly, Higgins's housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce, reports that a certain very simple girl wants to talk to the professor. Yesterday's flower girl enters. She introduces herself as Eliza Dolittle and says that she wants to take phonetics lessons from the professor, because with her pronunciation she cannot get a job. The day before she had heard that Higgins was giving such lessons. Eliza is sure that he will gladly agree to work off the money that yesterday, without looking, he threw into her basket. Of course, it’s funny for him to talk about such sums, but Pickering offers Higgins a bet. He encourages him to prove that in a matter of months he can, as he assured the day before, turn a street flower girl into a duchess. Higgins finds this offer tempting, especially since Pickering is ready, if Higgins wins, to pay the entire cost of Eliza's education. Mrs. Pierce takes Eliza to the bathroom to wash her.

After some time, Eliza's father comes to Higgins. He is a scavenger, a simple man, but he amazes the professor with his innate eloquence. Higgins asks Dolittle for permission to keep his daughter and gives him five pounds for it. When Eliza appears, already washed, in a Japanese robe, the father does not even recognize his daughter at first. A couple of months later, Higgins brings Eliza to his mother's house on her reception day. He wants to find out whether it is already possible to introduce a girl into secular society. Mrs. Eynsford Hill and her daughter and son are visiting Mrs. Higgins. These are the same people with whom Higgins stood under the portico of the cathedral on the day he first saw Eliza. However, they do not recognize the girl. Eliza at first behaves and talks like a high-society lady, and then goes on to talk about her life and uses such street expressions that everyone present is amazed. Higgins pretends that this is new social jargon, thus smoothing over the situation. Eliza leaves the crowd, leaving Freddie in complete delight.

After this meeting, he begins to send ten-page letters to Eliza. After the guests have left, Higgins and Pickering vying with each other, enthusiastically telling Mrs. Higgins about how they work with Eliza, how they teach her, take her to the opera, to exhibitions, and dress her. Mrs. Higgins finds that they are treating the girl like a living doll. She agrees with Mrs. Pearce, who believes that they “don't think about anything.”

A few months later, both experimenters take Eliza to a high society reception, where she is a dizzying success, everyone takes her for a duchess. Higgins wins the bet.

At night, Eliza runs away from home. The next morning, Higgins and Pickering lose their heads when they see that Eliza is gone. They are even trying to find her with the help of the police. Higgins feels like he has no hands without Eliza. He doesn’t know where his things are, or what he has scheduled for the day. Mrs Higgins arrives. Then they report the arrival of Eliza's father. Dolittle has changed a lot. Now he looks like a wealthy bourgeois. He lashes out at Higgins indignantly because it is his fault that he had to change his lifestyle and now become much less free than he was before. It turns out that several months ago Higgins wrote to a millionaire in America, who founded branches of the League of Moral Reforms all over the world, that Dolittle, a simple scavenger, is now the most original moralist in all of England. He died, and before his death he bequeathed to Dolittle a share in his trust for three thousand annual income, on the condition that Dolittle would give up to six lectures a year in his League of Moral Reforms. He laments that today, for example, he even has to officially marry someone with whom he has lived for several years without registering a relationship. And all this because he is now forced to look like a respectable bourgeois. Mrs. Higgins is very happy that the father can finally take care of his changed daughter as she deserves. Higgins, however, does not want to hear about “returning” Eliza to Dolittle.

Mrs. Higgins says she knows where Eliza is. The girl agrees to return if Higgins asks her for forgiveness. Higgins does not agree to do this. Eliza enters. She expresses gratitude to Pickering for his treatment of her as a noble lady. It was he who helped Eliza change, despite the fact that she had to live in the house of the rude, slovenly and ill-mannered Higgins. Higgins is amazed. Eliza adds that if he continues to “pressure” her, then she will go to Professor Nepean, Higgins’ colleague, and become his assistant and inform him of all the discoveries made by Higgins. After an outburst of indignation, the professor finds that now her behavior is even better and more dignified than when she looked after his things and brought him slippers. Now, he is sure, they will be able to live together not just as two men and one stupid girl, but as “three friendly old bachelors.”

Eliza goes to her father's wedding. Apparently, she will still live in Higgins’s house, since she has become attached to him, just as he has become attached to her, and everything will continue as before.

Option 2

On a summer day, townspeople, fleeing the downpour, hide under the portico of St. Paul's Cathedral. Higgins watches the assembled neighbors in misfortune, making notes in a notebook. He wrote the book “Higgins Universal Alphabet”. Colonel Pickering, the creator of the book “Spoken Sanskrit,” became interested in this man and they met. The gentlemen decided to have dinner at the hotel. Along the way, Higgins threw a handful of change to the girl selling violets.

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Summary of Pygmalion Shaw J.B.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright, philosopher and prose writer and the most famous playwright - after Shakespeare - writing in the English language.

Bernard Shaw had a great sense of humor. The writer said about himself: “ My way of telling jokes is to tell the truth. There's nothing funnier in the world«.

Shaw was quite consciously guided by Ibsen's creative experience. He highly valued his dramaturgy and at the beginning of his creative career largely followed his example. Like Ibsen, Shaw used the stage to promote his social and moral views, filling his plays with sharp, intense debate. However, he not only, like Ibsen, posed questions, but also tried to answer them, and answer them as a writer full of historical optimism. According to B. Brecht, in Shaw’s plays “belief in the endless possibilities of humanity on the path to improvement plays a decisive role.”

The creative path of Shaw the playwright began in the 1890s. Shaw’s first drama, “The Widower’s House” (1892), was also staged at the Independent Theater, which began the “new drama” in England. Following it appeared "Red Tape" (1893) and "Mrs. Warren's Profession" (1893-1894), which together with "Widower's Houses" formed the cycle of "Unpleasant Plays." The plays of the next cycle, “Pleasant Plays”, were just as sharply satirical: “Arms and Man” (1894), “Candida” (1894), “The Chosen One of Fate” (1895), “Wait and see” (1895-1896).

In 1901, Shaw published a new series of plays, Plays for the Puritans, which included The Devil's Disciple (1896-1897), Caesar and Cleopatra (1898), and The Address of Captain Brassbound (1899). Whatever topics Shaw raises in them, be it, as in “Caesar and Cleopatra,” the distant past of mankind or, as in “The Address of Captain Brassbound,” the colonial policy of England, his attention is always riveted to the most pressing problems of our time.

Ibsen portrayed life mainly in gloomy, tragic tones. The show is tongue-in-cheek even when it's quite serious. He has a negative attitude towards tragedy and opposes the doctrine of catharsis. According to Shaw, a person should not put up with suffering, which deprives him of “the ability to discover the essence of life, awaken thoughts, cultivate feelings.” Shaw holds comedy in high esteem, calling it "the most refined form of art." In Ibsen’s work, according to Shaw, it is transformed into tragicomedy, “into an even higher genre than comedy.” Comedy, according to Shaw, by denying suffering, cultivates in the viewer a reasonable and sober attitude towards the world around him.

However, preferring comedy to tragedy, Shaw rarely stays within the boundaries of one comedy genre in his artistic practice. The comic in his plays easily coexists with the tragic, the funny with serious reflections on life.

“A realist is one who lives by himself, in accordance with his ideas about the past.”

For Shaw, the struggle for a new society was inextricably linked with the struggle for a new drama, which could pose the pressing questions of our time to readers, could tear off all the masks and veils of social life. When B. Shaw, first as a critic and then as a playwright, imposed a systematic siege on 19th-century drama, he had to contend with the worst of the current conventions of theater criticism of the time, convinced that intellectual seriousness had no place on the stage, that the theater is a form of superficial entertainment, and the playwright is a person whose task is to make harmful sweets out of cheap emotions.

In the end, the siege was successful, intellectual seriousness prevailed over the confectionery view of the theater, and even its supporters were forced to take the pose of intellectuals and in 1918 Shaw wrote: “Why did it take a colossal war to make people want my works? »

Shaw intended to create a positive hero - a realist. He sees one of the tasks of his dramaturgy in creating images of “realists”, practical, restrained and cold-blooded. The show always and everywhere tried to irritate, anger the audience, using its chauvian method.

He was never an idealist - his proposals were not of a romantic-pacifist, but of a purely practical nature and, according to the testimony of his contemporaries, were very practical.

In “Mrs. Warren's Profession,” Shaw outlined his idea of the real position of women in society, saying that society should be arranged in such a way that every man and every woman could support themselves by their own labor, without trading in their affections and beliefs. In “Caesar and Cleopatra” Shaw offered his own view of history, calm, sensible, ironic, not chained to death to the cracks at the doors of the royal bedchambers.

The basis of Bernard Shaw's artistic method is paradox as a means of overthrowing dogmatism and bias (Androcles and the Lion, 1913, Pygmalion, 1913), traditional ideas (historical plays Caesar and Cleopatra, 1901, the pentalogy Back to Methuselah , 1918-20, "Saint Joan", 1923).

Irish by birth, Shaw repeatedly addressed in his work the acute problems associated with the relationship between England and “John Bull's other island,” as his play (1904) is titled. However, he left his native place forever as a twenty-year-old youth. In London, Shaw became closely associated with members of the Fabian Society, sharing their program of reforms with the goal of a gradual transition to socialism.

Modern dramaturgy was supposed to evoke a direct response from the audience, recognizing in it situations from their own life experience, and provoke a discussion that would go far beyond the individual case shown on the stage. The collisions of this dramaturgy, in contrast to Shakespeare's, which Bernard Shaw considered outdated, should be of an intellectual or socially accusatory nature, distinguished by an emphasized topicality, and the characters are important not so much for their psychological complexity as for their type traits, fully and clearly demonstrated.

The main problem that Shaw skillfully solves in Pygmalion is the question of “whether man is a changeable creature.” This situation in the play is concretized by the fact that a girl from the East End of London with all the character traits of a street child turns into a woman with the character traits of a high society lady. To show how radically a person can be changed, Shaw chose to move from one extreme to the other. If such a radical change in a person is possible in a relatively short time, then the viewer must tell himself that then any other change in a human being is possible.

The second important question of the play is how much speech affects human life. What does correct pronunciation give a person? Is learning to speak correctly enough to change your social position? Here’s what Professor Higgins thinks about this: “But if you knew how interesting it is to take a person and, having taught him to speak differently than he spoke before, make him a completely different, new creature. After all, this means destroying the gulf that separates class from class and soul from soul.”

Shaw was perhaps the first to realize the omnipotence of language in society, its exceptional social role, which psychoanalysis indirectly spoke about in those same years.

There is no doubt that Pygmalion is the most popular play by B. Shaw. In it, the author showed us the tragedy of a poor girl who has known poverty, who suddenly finds herself among high society, becomes a true lady, falls in love with the man who helped her get on her feet, and who is forced to give up all this because pride awakens in her, and she realizes that the person she loves is rejecting her.

The play “Pygmalion” made a huge impression on me, especially the fate of the main character. The skill with which B. Shaw shows us the psychology of people, as well as all the vital problems of the society in which he lived, will not leave anyone indifferent.

All of Shaw's plays fulfill Brecht's essential requirement for the modern theatre, namely that the theater should strive to “depict human nature as changeable and dependent on class. The extent to which Shaw was interested in the connection between character and social position is especially proven by the fact that he even made the radical restructuring of character the main theme of the play Pygmalion.

After the exceptional success of the play and the musical My Fair Lady based on it, the story of Eliza, who, thanks to the professor of phonetics Higgins, turned from a street girl into a society lady, today is perhaps better known than the Greek myth.

Man is made by man—that is the lesson of this, by Shaw’s own admission, “intensely and deliberately didactic” play. This is the very lesson that Brecht called for, demanding that “the construction of one figure should be carried out depending on the construction of another figure, for in life we mutually shape each other.”

There is an opinion among literary critics that Shaw's plays, more than the plays of other playwrights, promote certain political ideas. The doctrine of the changeability of human nature and dependence on class affiliation is nothing more than the doctrine of the social determination of the individual. The play “Pygmalion” is a good textbook that addresses the problem of determinism (Determinism is the doctrine of the initial determinability of all processes occurring in the world, including all processes of human life). Even the author himself considered it “an outstanding didactic play.”

The main problem that Shaw skillfully solves in Pygmalion is the question of “whether man is a changeable creature.” This position in the play is concretized by the fact that a girl from the East End of London with all the character traits of a street child turns into a woman with the character traits of a lady of high society. To show how radically a person can be changed, Shaw chose to move from one extreme to the other. If such a radical change in a person is possible in a relatively short time, then the viewer must tell himself that then any other change in a human being is possible. The second important question of the play is how much speech affects human life. What does correct pronunciation give a person? Is learning to speak correctly enough to change your social position? Here is what Professor Higgins thinks about this: “ But if you only knew how interesting it is to take a person and, having taught him to speak differently than he spoke before, make him a completely different, new creature. After all, this means destroying the abyss that separates class from class and soul from soul.«.

As is shown and constantly emphasized in the play, the dialect of the East of London is incompatible with the essence of a lady, just as the language of a lady cannot be associated with the essence of a simple flower girl from the East London area. When Eliza forgot the language of her old world, the way back there was closed for her. Thus, the break with the past was final. During the course of the play, Eliza herself is clearly aware of this. This is what she tells Pickering: “ Last night, as I was wandering the streets, a girl spoke to me; I wanted to answer her in the old way, but nothing worked out for me«.

Bernard Shaw paid a lot of attention to the problems of language. The play had a serious task: Shaw wanted to attract the attention of the English public to issues of phonetics. He advocated the creation of a new alphabet that would be more consistent with the sounds of the English language than the current one, and which would make it easier for children and foreigners to learn this language. Shaw returned to this problem several times throughout his life, and according to his will, a large sum was left by him for research aimed at creating a new English alphabet. These studies are still ongoing, and just a few years ago the play “Androcles and the Lion” was published, printed in the characters of the new alphabet, which was chosen by a special committee from all the options proposed for the prize. Shaw was perhaps the first to realize the omnipotence of language in society, its exceptional social role, which psychoanalysis indirectly spoke about in those same years. It was Shaw who said this in the poster-edifying, but no less ironically fascinating “Pygmalion.” Professor Higgins, albeit in his narrow specialized field, was still ahead of structuralism and post-structuralism, which in the second half of the century would make the ideas of “discourse” and “totalitarian linguistic practices” their central theme.

In Pygmalion, Shaw combined two equally exciting themes: the problem of social inequality and the problem of classical English. He believed that the social essence of a person is expressed in various parts of the language: in phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary. While Eliza emits such vowel sounds as “ay - ay-ay - ou - oh,” she has, as Higgins correctly notes, no chance of getting out of the street situation. Therefore, all his efforts are concentrated on changing the sounds of her speech. That the grammar and vocabulary of man's language are no less important in this respect is demonstrated by the first great failure of both phoneticians in their efforts at re-education. Although Eliza's vowels and consonants are excellent, the attempt to introduce her into society as a lady fails. Eliza's words: " But where is her new straw hat that I was supposed to get? Stolen! So I say, whoever stole the hat killed the aunt too” - even with excellent pronunciation and intonation are not English for ladies and gentlemen.

Higgins admits that along with new phonetics, Eliza must also learn new grammar and new vocabulary. And with them a new culture. But language is not the only expression of a human being. Going out to see Mrs. Higgins has only one drawback - Eliza does not know what is being said in society in this language. “Pickering also recognized that it was not enough for Eliza to have ladylike pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. She must still develop the interests characteristic of a lady. As long as her heart and mind are filled with the problems of her old world - the murders over the straw hat and the beneficial effect of the gin on her father's mood - she cannot become a lady, even if her language is indistinguishable from the language of a lady. One of the theses of the play states that human character is determined by the totality of personality relationships, linguistic relationships are only part of it. In the play, this thesis is concretized by the fact that Eliza, along with studying the language, also learns the rules of behavior. Consequently, Higgins explains to her not only how to speak the lady's language, but also, for example, how to use a handkerchief.

If Eliza does not know how to use a handkerchief, and if she resists taking a bath, then it should be clear to any viewer that a change in her being requires also a change in her daily behavior. The extra-linguistic relations of people of different classes, so the thesis goes, are no less different than their speech in form and content.

The totality of behavior, that is, the form and content of speech, the way of judgment and thoughts, habitual actions and typical reactions of people are adapted to the conditions of their environment. The subjective being and the objective world correspond to each other and mutually permeate each other. The author required a large expenditure of dramatic means to convince every viewer of this. Shaw found this remedy in the systematic application of a kind of alienation effect, forcing his characters from time to time to act in foreign surroundings, and then gradually returning them to their own surroundings, skillfully creating at first a false impression as to their real nature. Then this impression gradually and methodically changes. The “exposition” of Eliza’s character in a foreign environment has the effect that she seems incomprehensible, repulsive, ambiguous and strange to the ladies and gentlemen in the audience. This impression is enhanced by the reactions of the ladies and gentlemen on stage.

Thus, Shaw makes Mrs. Eynsford Hill noticeably worried when she watches a flower girl she does not know call her son Freddie “dear friend” during a chance meeting on the street. “The end of the first act is the beginning of the “process of re-education” of the prejudiced spectator. It seems to indicate only mitigating circumstances that must be taken into account when convicting the accused Eliza. Proof of Eliza's innocence is only given in the next act through her transformation into a lady. Anyone who really believed that Eliza was obsessive because of an innate baseness or corruption, and who could not correctly interpret the description of the environment at the end of the first act, will have their eyes opened by the self-confident and proud performance of the transformed Eliza.” The extent to which Shaw takes prejudice into account when re-educating his readers and viewers can be demonstrated by numerous examples.

The widely held opinion of many wealthy gentlemen, as we know, is that the residents of the East End are to blame for their poverty, since they do not know how to “save”. Although they, like Eliza in Covent Garden, are very greedy for money, but only so that at the first opportunity they again spend it wastefully on absolutely unnecessary things. They have no idea at all about using the money wisely, for example, for vocational education. The show seeks to first reinforce this prejudice, as well as others. Eliza, having barely received some money, already allows herself to go home by taxi. But immediately the explanation of Eliza’s real attitude towards money begins. The next day she hurries to spend it on her own education. “If the human being is conditioned by the environment and if the objective being and the objective conditions mutually correspond to each other, then the transformation of the being is possible only by replacing the environment or changing it. This thesis in the play “Pygmalion” is concretized by the fact that in order to create the possibility of Eliza’s transformation, she is completely isolated from the old world and transferred to the new.” As the first measure of his re-education plan, Higgins orders a bath in which Eliza is freed from her heritage
East End.

The old dress, the part of the old environment closest to the body, is not even put aside, but burned. Not the slightest particle of the old world should connect Eliza with him, if one seriously thinks about her transformation. To show this, Shaw introduced another particularly instructive incident.

At the end of the play, when Eliza has, in all likelihood, finally turned into a lady, her father suddenly appears. Unexpectedly, a test occurs that answers the question of whether Higgins is right in considering Eliza’s return to her former life possible: (Dolittle appears in the middle window. Throwing a reproachful and dignified look at Higgins, he silently approaches his daughter, who is sitting with her back to the windows and therefore does not see him.) Pickering. He's incorrigible, Eliza. But you won't slide, right? Eliza. No. Not anymore. I learned my lesson well. Now I can no longer make the same sounds as before, even if I wanted to. (Dolittle puts his hand on her shoulder from behind. She drops her embroidery, looks around, and at the sight of her father’s magnificence, all her self-control immediately evaporates.) Oooh! Higgins (triumphantly). Yeah! Exactly! Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Victory! Victory!".

The slightest contact with only a part of her old world turns the reserved and seemingly ready for refined behavior of a lady for a moment again into a street child who not only reacts as before, but, to her own surprise, can again say, It seemed like the already forgotten sounds of the street. Due to the careful emphasis on the influence of environment, the viewer could easily get the false impression that the characters in the world of Shaw's heroes are entirely limited by the influence of environment.

To prevent this undesirable error, Shaw, with equal care and thoroughness, introduced into his play a counter-thesis about the existence of natural abilities and their significance for the character of a particular individual. This position is concretized in all four main characters of the play: Eliza, Higgins, Dolittle and Pickering. "Pygmalion" - this is a mockery of the fans of “blue blood” ... each of my plays was a stone that I threw at the windows of Victorian prosperity,”- this is how the author himself spoke about his play.

It was important for Shaw to show that all of Eliza's qualities that she reveals as a lady can already be found in the flower girl as natural abilities, or that the flower girl's qualities can then be found again in the lady. Shaw's concept was already contained in the description of Eliza's appearance. At the end of the detailed description of her appearance it is said: “No doubt, she is clean in her own way, but next to the ladies she definitely seems dirty. Her facial features are not bad, but the condition of her skin leaves much to be desired; In addition, it is noticeable that she needs the services of a dentist.”

Dolittle's transformation into a gentleman, just as his daughter's transformation into a lady, must seem a relatively external process. Here, as it were, only his natural abilities are modified due to his new social position.

As a shareholder of the Friend of the Stomach cheese trust and a prominent spokesman for Wannafeller's World League for Moral Reform, he, in fact, even remained in his real profession, which, according to Eliza, even before his social transformation, was to extort money from other people , using his eloquence. But the most convincing way of the thesis about the presence of natural abilities and their importance for creating characters is demonstrated by the example of the Higgins-Pickering couple. Both of them are gentlemen by their social status, but with the difference that Pickering is a gentleman by temperament, while Higgins is predisposed to rudeness. The difference and commonality of both characters is systematically demonstrated in their behavior towards Eliza.

From the very beginning, Higgins treats her rudely, impolitely, unceremoniously. In her presence, he speaks of her as “stupid girl”, “stuffed animal”, “so irresistibly vulgar, so blatantly dirty”, “nasty, spoiled girl” and the like. He asks his housekeeper to wrap Eliza in newspaper and throw her in the trash. The only norm for talking to her is the imperative form, and the preferred way to influence Eliza is a threat. Pickering, a born gentleman, on the contrary, shows tact and exceptional politeness in his treatment of Eliza from the very beginning. He does not allow himself to be provoked into making an unpleasant or rude statement either by the intrusive behavior of the flower girl or by the bad example of Higgins. Since no circumstances explain these differences in behavior,. the viewer must assume that perhaps there is, after all, some kind of innate tendency towards rude or delicate behavior.

To prevent the false conclusion that Higgins's rude behavior towards Eliza is due solely to social differences existing between him and her, Shaw makes Higgins behave noticeably harshly and impolitely also among his peers. Higgins doesn't try very hard to hide from Mrs., Miss, and Freddie Hill how little he considers them and how little they mean to him. Of course, Shaw allows Higgins's rudeness to manifest itself in society in a significantly modified form. For all his innate tendency to unceremoniously speak the truth, Higgins does not allow such rudeness as we observe in his treatment of Eliza. When his interlocutor Mrs. Eynsford Hill, in her narrow-mindedness, believes that it would be better “if people knew how to be frank and say what they think,” Higgins protests with the exclamation “God forbid!” and the objection that “it would be indecent.” A person’s character is determined not directly by the environment, but through interhuman, emotionally charged relationships and connections through which he passes in the conditions of his environment. Man is a sensitive, receptive being, and not a passive object that can be molded into any shape, like a piece of wax. The importance Shaw attaches to this very issue is confirmed by its promotion to the center of the dramatic action.

In the beginning, Higgins sees Eliza as a piece of dirt that can be wrapped in newspaper and thrown into the trash can, or at least a “grimy, grimy little bastard” who is forced to wash herself like a dirty animal, despite her protests. Washed and dressed, Eliza becomes not a person, but an interesting experimental subject on which a scientific experiment can be performed. In three months, Higgins made a countess out of Eliza, he won his bet, as Pickering puts it, it cost him a lot of stress. The fact that Eliza herself is participating in this experiment and, as a person, was bound to the highest degree by obligation, does not reach his consciousness - as, indeed, also the consciousness of Pickering - until the onset of open conflict, which forms the dramatic climax of the play. To his great surprise, Higgins must conclude by stating that between himself and Pickering, on the one hand, and Eliza, on the other, human relations have arisen which have no longer anything to do with the relations of scientists to their objects and which can no longer be ignored, but can only be resolved with pain in the soul. “Distracting from linguistics, it should first of all be noted that Pygmalion was a cheerful, brilliant comedy, the last act of which contained an element of true drama: the little flower girl coped well with her role as a noble lady and is no longer needed - she can only return to the street or go out marry one of the three heroes."

The viewer understands that Eliza became a lady not because she was taught to dress and speak like a lady, but because she entered into human relationships with the ladies and gentlemen in their midst.

While the whole play suggests in countless details that the difference between a lady and a flower girl lies in their behavior, the text asserts the exact opposite: “A lady differs from a flower girl not in the way she carries herself, but in the way she is treated.” .

These words belong to Eliza. In her opinion, the credit for turning her into a lady belongs to Pickering, not Higgins. Higgins only trained her, taught her correct speech, etc. These are abilities that can be easily acquired without outside help. Pickering's polite address produced those inner changes that distinguish a flower girl from a lady. Obviously, Eliza’s assertion that only the manner in which a person is treated determines his essence is not the basis of the play’s problematics. If treatment of a person were the decisive factor, then Higgins would have to make all the ladies he met flower girls, and Pickering all the women he met would be flower ladies.

The fact that both of them are not endowed with such magical powers is quite obvious. Higgins does not show the sense of tact inherent in Pickering, either in relation to his mother, or in relation to Mrs. and Miss Eynsford Hill, without thereby causing any minor changes in their characters. Pickering treats the flower girl Eliza with not very refined politeness in the first and second acts. On the other hand, the play clearly shows that behavior alone does not determine the essence. If only behavior were the deciding factor, then Higgins would have ceased to be a gentleman long ago. But no one seriously disputes his honorary title of gentleman. Higgins also does not cease to be a gentleman because he behaves tactlessly with Eliza, just as Eliza cannot turn into a lady only thanks to behavior worthy of a lady. Eliza's thesis that only the treatment of a person is the decisive factor, and the antithesis that a person's behavior is decisive for the essence of the individual, are clearly refuted by the play.

The instructiveness of the play lies in the synthesis - the determining factor for a person’s being is his social attitude towards other people. But social attitude is something more than one-sided behavior of a person and one-sided treatment of him. Public attitude includes two sides: behavior and treatment. Eliza becomes a lady from a flower girl due to the fact that at the same time as her behavior, the treatment she felt in the world around her also changed. What is meant by social relations is clearly revealed only at the end of the play and at its climax. Eliza realizes that despite the successful completion of her language studies, despite the radical change in her environment, despite her constant and exclusive presence among recognized gentlemen and ladies, despite the exemplary treatment of her by the gentleman and despite her mastery of all forms of behavior , she has not yet turned into a real lady, but has become only a maid, secretary or interlocutor of two gentlemen. She makes an attempt to avoid this fate by running away.

When Higgins asks her to come back, a discussion ensues that reveals the meaning of social relations in principle. Eliza believes she faces a choice between returning to the streets and submitting to Higgins. This is symbolic for her: then she will have to give him shoes all her life. This was exactly what Mrs. Higgins had warned against when she pointed out to her son and Pickering that a girl who spoke the language and manners of a lady was not truly a lady unless she had a corresponding income. Mrs. Higgins saw from the very beginning that the main problem of turning a flower girl into a society lady could only be solved after her “re-education” was completed.

An essential attribute of a “noble lady” is her independence, which can only be guaranteed by an income independent of any personal labor. The interpretation of the ending of Pygmalion is obvious. It is not anthropological, like the previous theses, but of an ethical and aesthetic order: what is desirable is not the transformation of slum dwellers into ladies and gentlemen, like the transformation of Dolittle, but their transformation into ladies and gentlemen of a new type, whose self-esteem is based on their own work. Eliza, in her desire for work and independence, is the embodiment of the new ideal of a lady, which, in essence, has nothing in common with the old ideal of a lady of aristocratic society. She did not become a countess, as Higgins repeatedly said, but she became a woman whose strength and energy are admired.

It is significant that even Higgins cannot deny her attractiveness - disappointment and hostility soon turn into the opposite. He seems to have even forgotten about the initial desire for a different result and the desire to make Eliza a countess. “I want to boast that the play Pygmalion enjoyed great success in Europe, North America and here. Its instructiveness is so strong and deliberate that I enthusiastically throw it in the face of those self-righteous sages who parrot that art should not be didactic. This confirms my opinion that art cannot be anything else,” Shaw wrote. The author had to fight for the correct interpretation of all his plays, especially comedies, and oppose deliberately false interpretations of them. In the case of Pygmalion, the struggle centered around the question of whether Eliza would marry Higgins or Freddie. If Eliza is married off to Higgins, then a conventional comedic conclusion and an acceptable ending are created: Eliza’s re-education ends in this case with her “bourgeoisification.”

Anyone who passes Eliza off as the poor Freddie must at the same time recognize Shaw’s ethical and aesthetic theses. Of course, critics and the theater world unanimously spoke in favor of the “bourgeois solution.” So the ending of the play remains open. It seems that the playwright himself did not know what to expect from the transformed Eliza...

"Pygmalion"- one of Bernard Shaw's most famous plays, written in 1912

"Pygmalion" summary by chapters

First act

Summer showers gathered under the portico of Covent Garden's St. Pavel a motley company, including a poor street flower girl, an army colonel and a man with a notebook. The latter entertains himself and those around him by accurately guessing where someone is from and where else they have been. The colonel, becoming interested, finds out that in front of him is the famous phoneticist, Professor Henry Higgins - by the peculiarities of pronunciation, he is able to determine the origin of any Englishman.

It turns out that the colonel is himself a famous amateur linguist named Pickering, the author of the book “Spoken Sanskrit,” and he came to London specifically to meet the professor. Higgins has a very high opinion of Pickering's book, and the new friends are about to go to dinner at the Colonel's hotel when the flower girl asks to buy something from her. Satisfied Higgins, without looking, throws a handful of coins into her basket and leaves with the colonel. The girl is shocked - according to her ideas, she has never had such huge money.

Second act

Higgins's flat in Wimpole Street, the next morning. Higgins demonstrates his recording equipment (phonograph) to Colonel Pickering. Mrs. Pierce, Higgins's housekeeper, reports that a girl came to see the professor. Yesterday's flower girl appears, introduces herself as Eliza Dolittle and asks to teach her the correct accent in order to get a job in a flower shop.

Higgins treats the situation as an absurd, albeit funny incident, but Pickering is sincerely touched and offers Higgins a bet. Let Higgins prove that he is truly the greatest specialist (as he boasted before) and in six months he can turn a street flower girl into a lady, and at a reception at the embassy he will successfully pass her off as a duchess. Pickering is also ready, if Higgins wins the bet, to pay the cost of Eliza's education. Higgins is unable to resist the challenge and agrees. Eliza, accompanied by Mrs. Pierce, goes into the bathroom.

After some time, Eliza's father, a garbage man, a drinker and a completely immoral type, comes to Higgins. He demands five pounds for non-interference, but otherwise he does not care about Eliza’s fate. Dolittle amazes the professor with his innate eloquence and convincing justification for his dishonesty, for which he receives his compensation. When clean Eliza appears in a Japanese robe, no one recognizes her.

Third act

Several months have passed. Eliza turned out to be a diligent and capable student, her pronunciation became almost perfect. Higgins wants to find out whether it is already possible to introduce a girl into secular society. As a first test, he brought Eliza to his mother's house on her baby shower. She is strictly instructed to touch only two topics: weather and health.

At the same time, the family of Mrs. Higgins' friend appears there - Mrs. Eynsford Hill with her daughter and son Freddie. At first, Eliza behaves impeccably and speaks in memorized phrases, but then she becomes inspired and switches to stories from her life experience, using vulgar and common expressions. Higgins, saving the day, reports that this is a new secular slang.

After Eliza and the other guests leave, Higgins and Pickering enthusiastically tell Mrs. Higgins about how they work with Eliza, take her to the opera, to exhibitions, and what funny remarks she makes after visiting exhibitions. Eliza, it turns out, has a phenomenal ear for music. Mrs. Higgins indignantly remarks that they are treating the girl like a living doll.

As a result of Eliza’s first appearance “into society,” Mrs. Higgins informs the professor: “She is a masterpiece of your art and the art of her dressmaker. But if you really don’t notice that she’s giving herself away with every phrase, then you’re just crazy.” The linguist friends leave home somewhat disappointed. Eliza's training continues, taking into account the mistakes made. Freddie, in love, bombards Eliza with ten-page letters.

Act Four

Several more months passed, and the moment of the decisive experiment arrived. Eliza, in a luxurious dress and - this time - with impeccable manners, appears at a reception at the embassy, where she is a dizzying success. All the aristocrats present, without a shadow of a doubt, accept her as a duchess. Higgins won the bet.

Arriving home, Pickering congratulates Higgins on his success; none of them thinks to thank Eliza, who put in so much effort on her part. Eliza is irritated and worried. She can no longer lead her old life and doesn’t want to, and she doesn’t have the means for a new one. The contrast between the enchanting success at the reception and the neglect at home is too great.

When Higgins leaves and soon returns in search of slippers, Eliza explodes and throws her slippers at Higgins. She tries to explain the tragedy of her situation: “What am I good for? What have you prepared me for? Where will I go? What will happen next? What will happen to me? But Higgins is unable to understand someone else's soul. At night Eliza leaves Higgins' house

Fifth act

Mrs Higgins' house. Higgins and Pickering arrive and complain about Eliza's disappearance. Higgins admits that he feels like he has no hands without Eliza. He doesn’t know where his things are, or what he has scheduled for that day.

The servant reports the arrival of Eliza's father. Dolittle has changed a lot, now he looks like a wealthy bourgeois. He indignantly attacks Higgins for the fact that, through his fault, he had to change his usual way of life and, because of this, became much less free than before. It turns out that several months ago Higgins wrote to America to a millionaire philanthropist, the founder of the Moral Reform League, that the most original moralist in all of England was Alfred Dolittle, a simple scavenger. The millionaire had recently died, and in his will he left Dolittle three thousand pounds of annual income on the condition that Dolittle lecture at his League. Now he is a wealthy bourgeois and is forced, contrary to his convictions, to observe the canons of traditional morality. Today, for example, he officially marries his long-term partner.

Mrs. Higgins expresses relief that the father can now take care of his daughter and that Eliza's future is not in danger. She admits that Eliza is here in the upper room. Higgins, however, does not want to hear about “returning” Eliza to Dolittle.

Eliza appears. Everyone leaves her alone with Higgins, and a decisive explanation takes place between them. Higgins does not repent of anything, demands that Eliza return, and defends his right to unceremonious behavior. Eliza is not happy with this: “I want a kind word, attention. I know, I am a simple, dark girl, and you are a gentleman and a scientist; but still, I’m a person, and not an empty place.” Eliza reports that she has found a way to gain independence from Higgins: she will go to Professor Nepean, Higgins’ colleague, become his assistant and reveal to him the teaching method developed by Higgins.

Mrs. Higgins and the guests return. Higgins ostentatiously cheerfully instructs Eliza to buy cheese, gloves and a tie on the way home. Eliza contemptuously replies, “Buy it yourself,” and goes to her father’s wedding. The play ends with an open ending