Eliza’s escape from her hopeless life as a flower girl could be described as a discovery, a ‘ray of light’ that gives her a chance. We must remember that woman did not have many rights in the time when the play was set, and even in Rita’s time, woman had little independence, and they normally lived under the ways of their husbands. Eliza’s turning point was when she had a choice, she did not have many choices in her life, she had a routine, and if she did not stick to it then she would have starved, or died. Higgins explains that by “creating a new speech for her he is filling up the deepest gulf that separates class from class, and soul form soul” (Ganz). You can compare both Eliza’s and Rita’s experiences as they both get choices, a privilege to both of them, particularly Eliza. There are also comparable motives for each of the characters to try and get an education.
The ending of both plays are very significant to the story lines. The relationship between student and teacher in both of the plays are in some ways similar. In Pygmalion, the relationship is a not very close between Eliza and Higgins, and although Higgins does not treat her very well they do have a certain bond. “Suggestions of a Frankenstein relation between creator and creature are also present in Pygmalion” (Gibbs) the relationship between Frank and Rita is much closer and friendlier then in Pygmalion. They do get on well and there are often hints of romance. Rita has found someone with the knowledge that she longs for, and she tries to learn very hard, despite her natural instincts to argue etc. The relationship is hard as they come from such different backgrounds, as we experience in Pygmalion. The ending of educating Rita is not a final ending, Rita comes back to see frank after an exam, and he is leaving to go to Australia. He goes as far as asking Rita to come with him, but she declines, and leaves the reader with a certain feeling of what happens next. Pygmalion is drawn to more of a conclusion, Eliza and most of the other characters go off to Doolittle’s wedding, leaving Higgins alone. It is not a happy ending, as Eliza also turns down an invitation, this time to live with Higgins. The end is not a happy one, as depicted in ‘My fair lady’ Shaw did this to prove wrong what people thought would happen.
Individuality also applies to the teachers. Both of them are very strong about their ideas, and their lives are very routine. They are both used to a life like this, and the arrival of new pupils into their lives seems to change their lifestyle dramatically. Because the teachers and pupils have such strong personalities, they can clash and therefore result in conflict. Frank is a middle aged man, who has been teaching for a long time. He loves to drink, and does so as much as he can. Higgins is a very rich man, he loves his work, and so does not have very much time for romance. He is a difficult character to analyze, as he is quite quiet and a deep character. His relationship with Eliza is refined, and they use Pickering as a sort of go between. Higgins somewhat relies on her in the end, and is a bit sad to see her go.
Shirley Valentine could be described as the Rita that never did carry on with her education. The plot involves a sad woman, who has brought up her children and wants to escape for a while. She goes on a holiday to Greece with her friend, and meets Costa’s; a Greek man and they have a romance. She decides to stay in Greece at the last minute, and runs off from the airport. The love affair with being free is what Rita craves, and she shows this in the story. Shirley asks herself questions in the play, as does Rita. “What if I … somehow … if … for some reason … I didn’t go … back home” The ideas start to pop up in her mind, and she starts to think, what would happen if I didn’t go home?
It is clearly shown in ‘Pygmalion’ that woman did not have many rights in the early 1900’s. The fact that you never see any woman with real wealth of their own shows this. Shaw though, was a great feminist. He wanted woman to have the vote. He used the impression of Galatea, (by the artist Pygmalion) to voice a pioneering discussion, and voiced questions like “who is she?” and “what is her relationship?” The idea of building a person is like in the play, where Higgins ‘builds’ Eliza, into what he wants. The same idea is also used in ‘educating Rita.’ Frank becomes worried when Rita starts learning from others and herself, because he can not shape and guide her anymore. Russell tries to put forward that he wants to try and establish individuality through knowledge, rather than Shaw’s rather more deep morals.
The end of the play should be similar in each book, but the characters really stand out, faced with the prospect of never seeing Eliza again, Higgins just states to buy some cheese and ham, and some gloves, This shows Higgins character well, and really explains how he tries to ignore the hard things, and how he deals with problems. The character of frank becomes quite sentimental at the end of the play, inviting her to Australia. This quote does not explain the character Frank so well, as he never seems to latch on to anything much during the play.
These continuing themes really make the two plays come together, and the more that you analyze them, the more bonds and patterns you see appear. The links between creator and creature, which you pick up in Frankenstein, follow along some of the paths Shaw and Russell experimented with. “Unfeeling, heartless creator! You had endowed me with the perceptions and passions, and then cast me abroad an object for the scorn and horror of mankind.” This quote really applies to Pygmalion; you can imagine Eliza saying something like this to Higgins, and she does say some things that amount to nearly as much, towards the end of the play. Perhaps Rita is luckier, and she and Frank leave on a better note at the end of the pay.
All these bonds are important, and they show the similarities, and difference between the plays, and show that individuality is important.
