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  • Essay / Pygmalion Vs. My Fair Lady

    Many times a piece of literature is made into a film or musical, its plot and/or theme changed to fit the director's thoughts of what would appeal to the audience. An example of this is Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion. In this play, Shaw's purpose and ideas were horribly misinterpreted to the point that he was forced to write an epilogue in an attempt to reconcile the injustice done to his masterpiece. In the epilogue, he bluntly expressed his arguments and goals so that the ignorant audience could no longer ignore the theme of Shaw's play and turn it into a love story with a happy ending. Shaw's outrage was sparked by the director's construction of characters and dialogue. Character roles were strengthened and demeaned according to the director's goal. This was accomplished by added scenes, altered songs and dialogue accompanied by omitted scenes and by downplaying the roles of other characters. The role of one such character that was altered and altered for Shaw's purpose was that of Henry Higgins. The two main things that were changed in Henry Higgins' character were his outlook on life and his profession, closely accompanied by his relationship with Eliza. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. Higgins' outlook on life and profession and overall character were improved and did little to change Shaw's overall focus. But nevertheless, multiple added and omitted scenes accompanied by songs explaining his thought process strengthened and changed his character. One such scene occurred on a street corner when Higgins explained to the crowd their origin and dialect. This was emphasized to show Higgins' profession and abilities. Dialogue is also added to express Higgins' extremist opinion of poor grammar and speech. It's best said in the quote, nowhere to be found in the play: "A woman who makes such disgusting and depressing noises has no right to be anywhere, no right to live." Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech. That your natural language is the language of Shakespeare, Milton and the Bible, don't stand there singing like a bilious pigeon. This quote is followed by the song Why Can't the English Teach Their Children to Talk. These elements combined greatly strengthen Higgins' views and opinion on language. Later, Higgins expresses his views on women with Colonel Pickering through the song Why Can a Woman Be More Like a Man. In the play, Higgins simply states that he is a confirmed old bachelor, but in the film this is overly dramatized in the song. The best contribution the film makes to the play is in the dialogue where he expresses his intention to take up the challenge. He says what's more rewarding than changing a person's social class and character just through words. It's a great line that perfectly captures Higgins' goal. The other aspect that was significantly changed and which enraged Shaw so much was the relationship between Higgins and Eliza. The movement goes from a condescending relationship to a love that will last. He adds the scenes and events from Eliza's teachings, which the play briefly touched on. This is where we see the change in their relationship. At the beginning of the exercises, Higgins has Eliza say a phrase every night and he says: You will go much further with the Lord if you learn not to offend His ears. Then later he.