Pygmalian and its appropriation Essay

Texts take a hop the mise en scene of the condemnation in which they atomic number 18 composed as well as the culture their respective ordination possess. This is evident in Pygmalion, a map by George Bernard Shaw and its appropriation Shes All that, a film enjoin by Robert Iscove. In these two texts, the same Pygmalion falsehood is approached from two contrary viewpoints to reflect distinctly the context of the time in which each was written. Shaw, finished the use of a wide range of dramatic techniques such as delivery, form, and setting, is suitable to appropriate the Pygmalion myth to reflect the set and cultural beliefs obtain by society in Victorian England. Similarly, Iscove uses cinematic techniques such as setting, dialogue and costume to appropriate the myth to reflect the casual determine and cultural beliefs possessed by 20th coke American society. after analysing the two texts, we are able to understand how determine build been changed or brinytained .Pygmalion derives its name from the famous story in Ovids Metamorphoses, in which Pygmalion, revolt by the loose and shameful lives of the women of his era, decides to create a beautiful statue much perfect than any living woman, named Ga easya. Pygmalion goes to the temple of the goddess Venus and prays that she give him a lover alike his statue Venus is touched by his love and brings Galatea to life. Pygmalion and Galatea marry.Shaw creates his have got version of the Pygmalion myth by translating this allegory to reflect society in Victorian England. In doing so, he exposes the inadequacy of myth and of romance in several ways. For ane, he deliberately twists the myth so that the play does non conclude as euphorically or conveniently, hanging instead in foreign ambiguity. Throughout the play, Shaw portrays the characters belabored by the trivial details of life like napkins and neckties, and of how one is going to find a taxi on a showery night. These details keep the st ory grounded and decidedly less romantic. confederation in Victorian England would not have agreed with the fairytale precedents that the Pygmalion myth implies, and so, Shaw reflects this disparity by questioning the values portrayed in the original myth.Robert Iscove, however, tries to reflect the values of modern day society by producing a flatboat hearted and slapstick version of the myth. This is through bysetting the play in an American noble train in the early 21st century, and showing relationships between teenagers instead of adults. The ideas of love and marriage have been appropriated into high school day flings and dating. This in itself produces a lighter version of the myth as the relationships shown are not as serious. To be popular and cool, teenagers must take in the upright clothes, and be seen with the right people at all times. sound grades and moral values have little to do with social acceptance. This is a huge contrast to what was shown in Pygmalion , and therefore helps the reader to understand that values have been changed due to technological advancements, media influence on adolescents and the feminist movement. unrivaled of the issues discussed in both texts is one of socioeconomic division, and this is shown through means of language (Pygmalion) and costume (Shes All that).Shaw believed that slope spelling did not have much reasonable relationships to its pronunciation. This difficulty helps to perpetuate the low dialects which immediately get a line the speakers as either humble ones or ones of poor statement. Such dialects are an important factor in the division of people into social course of studyes. each time an Englishman opens his mouth, some other Englishman despises him. Preface.This is shown in the first scene of the play, as Eliza (a poor flower seller) is immediately judged about her social signifier as soon as she speaks.THE NOTE TAKER A woman who utters such get down and disgusting sounds has no righ t to be anywhere no right to live. Remember that you are a human beingness with a spirit and the divine gift of articulate speech that your native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton and the Bible and dont sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon (Pygmalion p. 27)THE NOTE TAKER You see this creature with her kerbstone English the English that willing keep her in the gutter to the end of her geezerhood (Pygmalion p.27)It is also evident that social class determines whom a individual will date or consider marrying, and may only marry person who is in the same social class as them.In Shes All That, Iscove uses contrasting images of costume and setting to show the social class division and various stereotypical groups present in 21st century society. Social division is portrayed in a jocular and sidesplitting way as it is set in an American high school instead of the real world. As the movie is based on adolescents, social status is not determined by the amount of education or values a person possesses, but instead on their fashion sense or audaciousness. E.g. Laney Boggs is an intelligent, artistic and rational girl who is seen as being at the bottom of the social ladder due to her paint splattered overalls and baggy shirts, whereas Taylor, who is one of the most popular girls in high school, has only achieved this status due to her sexy appearance and brazen behavior. later on comparing the two texts, it was evident that values regarding social class have dramatically changed. During the early 1900s, language, etiquette, birth/family and wealth were what decided where a person fitted into the social ladder, whereas two hundred years later, this is no longer the case. Society in the early 21st century believed that appearances, character and social connections are what take you to the top.The two texts also look the meaning of the ideal woman. In Pygmalion, Henry Higgins picks up Eliza Doolittle to teach her phonetics and thereby make her into a lady. This shows what his idea of a real lady must be. Higgins convinces Eliza to let him substitute her into a proper aristocratic lady who speaks proper English, so that she is able to fit in with the upper class. Elizas growth involves increasing self-realization, an organic evolution from a lower to a higher state of being, and an important superior that is sometimes not innately there and must be developed. Pygmalion dog-tired great time and effort in creating his ideal woman. This gives hope to society, specially the lower classes, that one can change and succeed if they just extend hard enough. Eliza Doolittle would not have questioned her morals andboundaries set by society for a girl of no means. Hence the constant recitation of I am a good girl, I amRobert Iscove also transforms the main character, Laney so that she is able to fit into a higher social class in high school and become the ideal woman, yet this is done simply by applying makeup and wearing revea ling clothes and being seen to socialize with the right crowd. Iscove purposely shows a quick makeover to illustrate that late 20th century society believed that the ideal woman was not ineluctably one of etiquette and intelligence, but simply one which looked good, knew the right people and was heroical enough to challenge her boundaries.From the aforementioned it is clear that both texts reflect the time frame in which they were composed and provide insight into the way values have been maintained and changed. Both Bernard Shaws, Pygmalion and its modern appropriation by Robert Iscove, Shes All That convey the context and culture in which they were written and explore ideas of social division, the denotation of the ideal woman and debate the relevance of the Pygmalion myth in their respective societies.