Act III and IV of Pygmalion

Act IV of Pygmalion, by Bernard Shaw, begins with Eliza, Higgins, and Pickering returning home from Mrs. Higgins’ get together. At the party, which occurs in act III, Eliza goes out of her way to prove to the guests in attendance she has metamorphosed into a woman of sophistication. Though her transformation is not quite complete, Eliza does her best blending in with the aristocrats of the party. In fact, Eliza blends in well enough to dismay Mrs. Eynsford Hill, the mother of Clara and Freddy (introduced in act I). Nevertheless, upon their face-to-face meeting at Mrs. Higgins’ house, Mrs. Eynsford Hill has a difficult time remembering the previous encounter she had with Eliza during Eliza’s days as a poor flower girl working on the streets of London, England. “I feel sure we have met before, Miss Doolittle. I remember your eyes,” Mrs. Eynsford Hill expresses to Eliza (59).

I was surprised, nonetheless, when reading about the outcome of act IV of Pygmalion. It is typical for the audience to witness happy endings for the character that undergoes a positive change. Because Higgins and Pickering have already transformed Eliza into a refined young lady and taught her to communicate using proper English by act IV, I was expecting the rest of the story to continue to flourish for Eliza. Contrary to my previous beliefs, the story experiences a slight relapse when Eliza is a silent observer to Higgins and Pickering’s conversation, as they discuss how they could have peaceful rests knowing they have achieved “a great success: an immense success” with Eliza’s makeover (75).