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elemandoline 's review for:
Pygmalion
by George Bernard Shaw
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The play in itself is very good. It is well written, the characters are diverse and multidimensional. It was fun to read.
The ending, however... totally lost me. It was infuriating. I don't believe that the story was at all about whether or not Eliza would marry Higgins (and she didn't as she should, because he's a horrible man). And I don't think that who Eliza chooses to marry should matter all that much. But somehow it does. And the last section of the play is an analysis of her choice, seemingly bold, to refuse Higgins.
Alright, maybe this is a very twenty-first-century point of view on the matter. But I have read plenty of books where women are depicted as lesser than men. But in this play, it was to a whole new level, and this does not sit well with me, no matter how much I try to place myself in an early-twentieth-century London.
Also, I think that the premise (that a strong accent is a sign of lesser education or lesser qualities in a person) is very touchy. I can understand where the author comes from, and for the sake of a play, I can get on board with it if it serves a purpose later on. However, where I live, in Québec, Canada, the accent of the people speaking French is often snubbed. There is a long history of shame towards this accent, and of belittling anyone speaking this way. Therefore the whole argument does not convince me at all, due to my personal experience.
Therefore the play is enjoyable, but it was difficult for me to detach myself from my own experience to enjoy it to the fullest.
Alright, maybe this is a very twenty-first-century point of view on the matter. But I have read plenty of books where women are depicted as lesser than men. But in this play, it was to a whole new level, and this does not sit well with me, no matter how much I try to place myself in an early-twentieth-century London.
Also, I think that the premise (that a strong accent is a sign of lesser education or lesser qualities in a person) is very touchy. I can understand where the author comes from, and for the sake of a play, I can get on board with it if it serves a purpose later on. However, where I live, in Québec, Canada, the accent of the people speaking French is often snubbed. There is a long history of shame towards this accent, and of belittling anyone speaking this way. Therefore the whole argument does not convince me at all, due to my personal experience.
Therefore the play is enjoyable, but it was difficult for me to detach myself from my own experience to enjoy it to the fullest.