1st+Period+Pygmalion+Themes

Themes:
P.112 “I have to live for others and not for myself: that middle class morality.” - Doolittle speaking to Pickering and Higgins and Mrs. Higgin’s house. P. 100 “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now you’ve made a lady out of me. I’m not fit to sell anything else.” - Eliza talking to Higgins P. 111 “Done to me! Ruined me. Destroyed my happiness. Tied me up and delivered me into the hands of middle class morality.” - Eliza to Doolittle P.38 “Well, the matter is, sir, that you can’t take a girl up like that as if you were picking up a pebble on the beach.” - Pearce to Higgins P. 390 “I got my feelings same as anyone else.” - Eliza to Higgins P.119 “You never took off your boots in the dining room when I was there.” - Liza to Pickering P.120 “I know. I am not blaming him. It is his way, isn’t it? -Eliza to Pearce
 * //Morals and Religion//** (Elise, Mary Alice, Tony,Matthew)

Two characters that represent the theme would be Higgins and Mrs. Higgins, who are foils. They portray a difference in personalities. Higgins has close to no morals when it comes to their people. He is very self absorbed. Mrs. Higgins is morally acceptable in her treatment to Eliza.

-Mr. Doolittle’s accusation that “middle class morality” has destroyed his life. Now he is forced to live for others, unlike before, when he was able to live off others. The idea that the middle class has more morality is exclaimed as a façade.

-Eliza realizes that when she was poor and she sold flowers she was able do as she pleased. Now, that she is middles class it would be unacceptable to sell flowers, so she is forced to sell herself in aspects of marriage. The question of morality is brought up because even though lower class is thought of as immoral, it is truly the upper classes that question their morality.

-Higgins and Pickering have different morals. Higgins believes in doing what is best to better himself. Even taking in Eliza was to win a bet and further his studies in language. Pickering, on the other hand, is very gentlemanly, treating Eliza like a lady, even when she was a flower girl.


 * //Money/Social Class//** (Ginger, Eleanor, Allie)

Characters: Mr. Doolittle-In the beginning of the play, he is the epitome of lower class status. “I can’t afford morals” (95). “I have to live for others and not for myself; that’s middle class morality” (87).

The Eysenford Hills (Clara and the Mother)-These two women make contact with Liza throughout the play. They interact with her in the beginning as she is a flower girl and in the end when she is a lady. Due to her speech, they do not realize that she is the flower girl from the town square. (good speech=high social class)

Themes: 1. Never taken a bath before exhibits low social standing (p.32) 2. Mr. Doolittle receives money, doesn’t offer to help support Eliza, feels as if he has more responsibility 3. The governor’s ball; because of her speech, Eliza fools everyone and they think she is a Hungarian princess (social class)

Quotes: 1. “You’re going to let yourself down to marry that low common woman”-Liza p.95 2. “Have you no morals, man?”-Pickering “Can’t afford them, Governor. Neither could you if you was as poor as me…”-Doolittle p.42 3. “Oh nonsense! She speaks English perfectly.” –Hostess “Too perfectly….only foreigners who have been taught to speak it speak it well.”-Nepommuck p.70 4. “Ruined me. Destroyed my happiness. Tied me up and delivered me into the hands of middle class morality.” –Doolittle p.86 5. “It’s not natural it would kill me. I have never had a bath in my life, not what you would call a proper one.” –Liza p. 32 6. “I can’t afford morals.” –Doolittle p.95 7. “I have to live for others and not for myself; that’s middle class morality” (87).


 * //Love and marriage//** (John Michael, Jason, Lake, Richard)

1. Quotes a. Liza: I don’t matter, I suppose b. Freddy: Oh no,no,no,no darling: how can you imagine such a thing? You are the loveliest, dearest- c. Liza: I wouldn’t marry you if you asked me d. Liza: Every girl has the right to be loved e. Liza: Freddy wants me, may be he’d make me happier than my betters who bully me and don’t want me f. Liza: Freddy loves me; that makes him king enough for me g. Liza: I’ll marry Freddy, I will, as soon as I’m able to support him.

2. Characters: a. Liza Doolittle and Freddy i. Freddy loves Liza for who she is not because she could win a bet. They got married and open a flower shop together and had a great life together, not because they were rich, but because they are in love.

3. Scenerios: a. Freddy and Liza end of Act IV -meet in street, appreciate each other’s company

b. Liza and Higgins end of Act V -liza wants to be accepted but Higgins is only concerned with winning the bet c. Freddy and Liza cab ride (last thing in act IV) -they both enjoy being with each other and Liza feels like Freddy actually accepts her into his life.


 * //Appearance vs. reality//** (Tyler, St. Clair, Lee, Bailey)

Dolittle – “Done to me! Ruined me, Destroyed myhappiness. Tied me up and delivered me into the hands of middle class morality.” P.111

Dolittle – “Yes, ma’am: I’m expected to provide for everyone now, out of 4000 a year.” P. 114

Liza – “I’m sorry. I’m only a common ignorant girl; and in my station I have to be careful. There cant be any feelings between the like of you and the like of me. Please will you tell me what belongs to me and what doesn’t?” p. 101

Liza – “I shall always be a flower to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will.” P120

Higgins – “Oh, lots of things. What about your old idea of a florist’s shop? Pickeing could set you up in one: he has lots of money. He’ll have to pay for all those togs you have been wearing today; and that, with the higher of the jewellery, will make a big hole in two hundred pounds. Why, six months ago you would have thought it the millennium to have a flower shop of your own.” P 100

Creation Quotes

Higgins – “ By Jupiter, she’s done it, the first shot. Pickering : we shall make a duchess out of her.” P 64

Liza – “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell my self. Now you’ve made a lady of me Im not fit to sell anything else. I wish youd left me where you found me.” P.100

Appearance vs. Reality Scenarios

Doolittle was given some money by higines and he movedup to the middle class but inside he is not a middle class man.

Eliza looks like a lady, but she still doesn’t have any money or anything.

Creation Scenario

Mrs. Pearce giving Eliza a bath

Characters

Liza Doolittle


 * //Education//** (Mary Katherine, Guerry, Mary Rob)

“Ive come to have lessons, I am.” Pg. 33 Eliza comes to Higgins to ask for phonetic lessons.

“Do what he tells you; and let him teach you in his own way.” Pg. 64 Pickering tells Eliza to mind Higgins so she can learn.

“This is what we pay for as elementary education.” Pg. 64 Higgins is commenting on Eliza’s speech and how bad it is.

“Ive taught her to speak properly.” Pg. 70 Higgins tells his mother what he has done with Eliza.

“She’s easier to teach than my middle-class pupils because she’s had to learn a complete new language. She talks English almost as you talk French.” Pg. 70 Higgins is explaining how easy it is to teach Eliza to his mother.

“But you have no idea how frightfully interesting it is to take a human being and change her into a quite different human being by creating a new speech for her. It’s filling up the deepest gulf that separates class from class and soul from soul.” Pg. 82 Higgins describes why he enjoys teaching phonetics.

“What you taught me. I’ll teach phonetics.” Pg. 131 Eliza tells Higgins she wants to teach phonetics.

Higgins represents education because he is a scholar of phonetics and teaches Eliza.

Colonel Pickering represents education because he is also a scholar of phonetics and aides Higgins in teaching Eliza.

The Bet: The education Higgins gave Eliza enabled them to win the bet.

The Rain Scene: Higgins and Pickering compare abilities to place a person by their speech and discuss each other’s discoveries in phonetics.

The Lessons: The education lessons Higgins gave Eliza taught her to speak and act like a lady.