Pygmalion: An Abridged Text

Subject: English as an Additional Language
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 11-14 and 14-16
Order Number: 5276

In this abridged version of ‘Pygmalion’, the basic storyline has been kept and no important incidents left out. Everything, including the stage directions, has been downsized so the play is approximately one quarter of its original length. In the script that remains, most of Shaw’s words remain the same: changes have only been made when archaic or overly complex writing may interrupt the smooth flow. Prior to each act is a concise summary of events and following each act is a set of review questions. A character guide also features.

George Bernard Shaw believed everyone should have the same opportunities in life regardless of colour, class, age, or the way they spoke. 'Pygmalion' is the story of the flower girl from the gutter, Eliza Doolittle, who proves she can become as beautiful and well-spoken as a Duchess within six months with the help of speech expert Professor Henry Higgins.

There are potential problems in this project. What will happen to Eliza when six months are over? She will be different: will she be able to go back to her life on the street?

The play’s title is taken from a Greek myth. Pygmalion was a king who was also a sculptor of beautiful statues. He didn’t like the women in his city and he asked the goddess of love Aphrodite to bring his favourite statue to life. Pygmalion then married her. Higgins is like Pygmalion in that he creates a beautiful Eliza. (She is described as quite ugly and rude at the start of the play when she’s a flower girl, in addition to making awful noises.) When his work with Eliza is finished, he realizes he is very fond of her and doesn’t want her to go after all. A change, therefore, takes place in Higgins too: he goes from cold-hearted to warm-hearted.

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