GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

George Bernard Shaw, a prominent playwright and political activist, overcame humble beginnings to become a leading figure in literature. Shaw's dedication to reformative socialism and his critical approach to the arts set him apart as a key influencer in his time. His notable works, including the iconic play "Pygmalion," showcased his wit, irony, and profound societal commentary. Shaw's legacy lives on through his extensive body of plays and his lasting impact on the world of theater.

• Playwright
• Social Activist
• Pygmalion
• Literature
• Reformative Socialism

granberry_a Follow

Uploaded on Feb 16, 2025 | 0 Views

Download Presentation

Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.

The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.

You are allowed to download the files provided on this website for personal or commercial use, subject to the condition that they are used lawfully. All files are the property of their respective owners.

The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author.

Presentation Transcript

1. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW Pygmalion

2. George Bernard Shaw Playwright, essayist, novelist and political activist Born on 26 July 1856, Dublin He was from a poor, protestant family, his father was an unsuccessful grain merchant, mother was a professional singer, he had two sisters He had to care about himself since he was 15, he worked as a clerk in estate office In 1873 his mother moved to London, he followed her in 1876 and he never came back He wrote articles about music to The Hornet magazine He educated himself in publics libraries and in the British Museum reading room

3. He became a promoter of Henrick Ibsen He attened a political lectures, which leaded him to reformative socialism, in 1884 he founded the Fabian Society which spread a fabian socialism its members refused violence, ideas by Karl Marx and prepared defeat of capitalism using parliamentary way In this age he broke through as a critic of the arts, he wrote reviews to The World magazine and The Star magazine which came out in Ireland In 1898 he married Charlotte Payne-Townsend, they were together until she died and they didn t have childer He died in 1950 in a small village Ayot St. Lawrence in age of 94 at home. Today his house is called Shaw s Corner

5. Shaw's Corner is a National Trust property open to the public The Malvern Theatre Festival has been organized since 1929 in his honour Adjective Shavian in English = My way of joking is to tell the truth. The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada - an annual theatre festival with over 800 performances a year, dedicated to producing the works of Shaw and his contemporaries

7. His work: At the beginning he wrote five novels, which weren t very succesful He was more succesful in writing plays where he could put his irony and capability of criticism into effect, he became a founder of modern English drama and he is the most significant dramatist after William Shakespeare In 1925 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature His plays comical, historical, socially critical plays from the present and the past, some of them were banned He wrote about 70 plays Mrs. Warren's Profession, Caesar and Cleopatra, Saint Joan, Major Barbara, Pygmalion etc.

9. It is named after a Greek mythological character Pygmalion, who fell in love with one of his sculptures which then came to life It was first presented on stage to the public in Vienna in 1912 Comedy, satire, social critism Praface, 5 acts and epilogue which tells us about fate of some characters The story is told in chronological order Shaw wanted to point out the differences between social classes He also points out that a person of the lower class can equal with people of the higher class author criticizes the bad traits of people, social conventions and prejudices using irony The setting begins in Covent Garden, London in the early 20th century

10. Main characters: Eliza Doolittle: Cockney flower-seller, lower class girl transformed into a higher class woman Henry Higgins: A professor of phonetics. He is an impatient man who is dismissive of the traditions of high society. Colonel Pickering: friend of Higgins and an equal to Higgins in a passion for language

11. Plot summary: Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering meet on a rainy night in Covent Garden. Both are expert linguists, and immediately develop a friendship. They are confronted by Eliza, a lower class young flower girl with a detestable accent. In jest, Higgins bets Pickering that he could transform this flower girl into a well spoken woman, one that could be passed off as a duchess. The next morning, Eliza surprises Higgins and Pickering by showing up in Higgins laboratory. She offers a shilling for speech lessons, but is not turned down by the two men. Pickering tells Higgins that he will cover the cost of the speech lessons if Higgins can in fact transform Eliza into a likeness of a duchess, and pass her off as so at a high society party. Higgins accepts, and asks Eliza to bathe. While Eliza is bathing, her father appears, asking for money in exchange for his daughter. Higgins obliges, and Mr. Doolittle leaves. Lessons begin, and Eliza shows a keenness for language. She quickly improves, and is placed in situations in which she can test her new learning. When the party arrives, Eliza is ready, and performs perfectly. Higgins has won his bet, but shows no appreciation for Eliza after the party. In frustration, Eliza throws a pair of slippers at Henry, confronts him about his lack of heart, and leaves the house. The next morning, Pickering and Higgins visit Mrs. Higgins apartment, in a frantic search for Eliza. She is in the apartment, and thanks Pickering for always treating her like a lady, but threatens Higgins that she will go work with his rival phonetician, Nepommuck. This makes Higgins angry, but he cannot help but to respect her. Eliza announces her plans to marry Freddy, and by doing so, finalized her independence from Higgins.

12. Film adaptation of Pygmalion: Pygmalion, Germany 1935 Pygmalion, the Netherlands 1936, Pygmalion, Great Britain 1938, Anthony Asquith My Fair Lady, USA 1964, George Cukor Higgins - Rex Harrison Liza - Audrey Hepburn