What is the Pygmalion myth?

The myth of Pygmalion is from ancient classical times, the most well-known version being that of the Latin writer Ovid. Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with the beautiful statue of a woman that he carved, and which came to life. The myth has been the subject of several literary adaptations but Shaw's play remains the most famous. In this play the role of Pygmalion is assumed by Professor Henry Higgins. He does not create a statue but he does attempt to create an idealised figure of womanhood in Eliza Doolittle, as he sets out to transfer her from a bedraggled Cockney flower girl into a perfectly-spoken lady. It is questionable whether he entirely succeeds in this, but he does change her life, giving her higher social prospects than she would otherwise have had. There is also a hint that he starts to be attracted to her, as Pygmalion was attracted to his creation, but this romantic element is not developed in the play (however it was added in later film adaptations of Shaw's work). Eliza, unlike the statue in the original myth, is not a static, passive figure; she has a mind of her own from beginning to end.

What is the meaning of Pygmalion?

Pygmalion is a Greek name. In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a sculpture who carved a statue of a beautiful woman out of ivory. The statue was so beautiful, that Pygmalion fell in love with it. The symbolism in the play has to do with Henry Higgins falling in love with his own creation. Liza Doolittle was an uneducated cockney whom nobody could really understand when she spoke. Higgins, a professor of linguistics, believed he could train her to talk and act like a lady and he then fell in love with his creation. The theme of the play has to do with social status, relations between men and women, the nature of beauty, the nature of reality. You can read about the play here on eNotes.

What is the myth behind Pygmalion?

Another myth that exists in Pygmalion, in the figurative sense, at least, is Professor Higgins belief that appearance can create a reality.  That is, he is convinced that he can "make a duchess of this draggle-tailed guttersnipe," he can transform Eliza Dootlittle into a lady.  Unfortunately, Higgins does not realize what another Englishman, W. Somerset Maugham did,

....men and women are not only themselves, they are also the region in which they are born, ...the games they played as children, the old wives' tales they overheard,...and the God in Whom they believe.

For, once the transformation of appearance has been made in Eliza and she can speak well and has the necessary manners for higher society, she is yet displaced. Being not clearly a part of any particular class, Eliza no longer knows who she truly is.  Therefore, despite the belief of one of the characters of Dean Koontz, who declares, "Perception is reality," Eliza finds no reality in her reflection that presents her with what appears to be a lady--only myth.

What is the myth behind Pygmalion?

In classical mythology, particularly in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Pygmalion was a sculptor who, viewing most women as corrupt and insufficiently pure, crafted a statue of a woman out of ivory. The statue was so beautiful that he fell in love with it, and prayed to the goddess of love, Venus, that the statue might become a real woman. This prayer came true, and Pygmalion married the woman, with whom he had several children. In George Bernard Shaw's play entitled Pygmalion, Henry Higgins, a linguistics scholar, "gives life" to Eliza Doolittle by teaching her to act and speak in a manner consistent with refined society. The theme of Pygmalion was actually a common one in Victorian society, as well as Western literature as a whole, with Shaw's version being a particularly enduring and famous variant.