Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion is about a phonetics expert who bets he can pass off a Cockney flower girl as a duchess in a matter of months. This girl, Eliza, achieves transformation, but at the expense of a family life in the slums, and risks being cast out into the world with nowhere to turn. This play explores many themes, makes extensive use of symbolism, interesting tones, irony, and the play itself is an allusion to ancient Greek mythology. The main theme of Pygmalion is class. In Britain you are judged a lot on your social class. Your class is marked by your dress, your manners, and your accent. According to a phonetic expert like Higgins, a person can be placed within two streets of London based on his accent, and therefore can be classified under his social class and further judged according to it. Higgins takes on the challenge of transitioning a girl born into the lower social classes and moving her up the social classes by changing her accent, her clothes and her manners. Another theme in Pygmalion is imperfection and perfection. Before her transformation, Eliza is seen, by herself and by the world, as imperfect. Her Cockney accent keeps her in the slums, her manners disgust those of the upper classes, and she can barely earn enough money to survive. Then, her transformation perfects her, bringing her accent and mannerisms to that of an upper-class man. However, in her pursuit of perfection, she is left with an imperfect life. He doesn't know what to do with his perfect self and feels like a victim of the world. This play explores a variety of serious themes, yet the tone of Pygmalion is lighthearted. Higgins constantly throws out careless insults that actually come off as qu...... middle of paper ...... ted. Higgins' character is quite ironic. He believes he cannot be changed. He thinks his habit of running roughshod over everyone around him and being outrageously outspoken is too ingrained in him to change. However, who plays is about how he transforms Eliza. He believes he can change her so dramatically that she can pass for a duchess, but he doesn't believe even he can begin to act like a decent person. Shaw's depiction of Eliza's transformation from Cockney flower girl to duchess is quite interesting. Higgins' irony and comic relief add a lighthearted tone to the serious themes presented in the show. In this way, the symbolism provides a deeper meaning. Pygmalion is a fascinating work, demonstrating how gloriously it has been experienced over the years. Although the show ends without a resolution, Eliza's transformation is sure to win the hearts of many.