Pygmalion starts on a rainy night in London, when Professor Henry Higgins, an expert in phonetics, meets Eliza Doolittle, a poor flower seller with a strong Cockney accent. Higgins bets he can train Eliza to speak “proper” English so well she could pass for a duchess at an embassy ball.
Cue months of intense, hilarious, and sometimes exasperating lessons. Eliza transforms, but along the way, she gains more than just a refined accent. She finds her own independence and refuses to be anyone’s creation.
Shaw’s play is a sharp take on class, identity, and who really gets to define you. And yes, it’s the inspiration for the musical My Fair Lady, but with a very different ending.