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PYGMALION-TITLE OF THE PLAY
PYGMALION-TITLE OF THE PLAY....
IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY,PYGMALION WAS A KING OF CYPRUS WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH STATUE OF APHRODITE.PYGMALION HAD AN IMAGE OF BEAUTY IN HIS MIND,HE THEREFORE WORKED OVER HIS STATUE FROM DUSK TO DAWN IN SEARCH OF LOVLINESS BEYOND HIS POWERS OF EXPRESSION.FINALLY,IN HIS QUEST FOR IDEAL BEAUTY AND DUE TO DIVINE''S GRACE,STATUE GOT THE LIFE.IN COURSE OF TIME,THE TWO WERE HAPPILY MARRIED AND HE ALSO GAVE HER A NAME-GALATEA.
IN SHAW''S PLAY PYGMALION, HIGGINS THE SCHOLAR OF PHONETICS IS A PYGMALION AND A STREET FLOWERIST ELIZA IS GALATEA THE STATUE,WHO LATER ON TRANSFORMS BY HIGGINS INTO HIGH CLASS HONOURABLE PRINCESS.THUS HIGGINS IS A CREATOR OF NEW ELIZA BUT HE DOSENT MARRY HIS CREATION AS PYGMALION DOES IN THE GREEK LEGEND.NOW YOU HAVE ONE VERY INTERESTING QUERY:WHY HIGGINS-PYGMALION & GALATEA-ELIZA ARE NOT MARRIED TILL THE END OF THE PLAY?IT IS ACTUALLY THE OEDIPUS COMPLEX(MOTHER-CHILD FIXATION) WHICH COMES IN THE WAY OF HIGGINS'' MARRIAGE WITH ELIZA,HIS GALATEA,HIS OWN LOVELY CREATION.THUS PYGMALION IS APT,MYTHIC,SUGESTIVE AND ATTRACTIVE TITLE.
Published: January 26, 2008