Pygmalion if one of the compositions that were written significantly ahead of their time. Like many other plays by George Bernard Shaw, it raises the problem of changing the role of the middle-class woman. Undoubtedly, besides being an extraordinarily entertaining drama, Pygmalion summarises the arguments of how the ‘new woman’ can live in a society where she can show her full potential and enjoy engaging her mental abilities.
The author named his composition the same as Ovid’s ancient story, suggesting that the myth and the play share common references and have some similarities. However, this is not the case, as, by writing Pygmalion, Shaw completely deconstructs and rebuilds the image of the perfect woman, who has an active social and political life. By showing that the flower-girl Elisa became ready to be an aristocratic woman just by changing the accent and clothing style, Shaw raises the question of womanhood, belonging, and self-actualization altogether.
Pygmalion is the play raising the questions on the same level or even better than does the short stories or poems. It is more challenging to compose a play rather than to write a short story, as the former is supposed to leave much food for thought for the readers, and allow them to make conclusions themselves. The writer should think about how to bring the reader to the problem and solution that he wants to represent, without affecting the reader directly. Shaw accomplishes this mission by careful choice of the words, reactions, and deals of his characters and successfully brings the reader to the desired conclusion. That is why the play was accepted critically at the beginning of the 20th century.
To conclude, Pygmalion made one of the first mentions of the feministic values. Shaw conclusively showed the possibility of women to lead an independent life by writing the play understandable by many.
Works Cited
Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. A Penn State Electronic Classics Series Publication, 2004. The Pennsylvania State University. Web.