George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion A Modified Version of Charles Perrault’s Cinderella


Abstract in English

This study seeks to clarify how Bernard Shaw in his play, Pygmalion, modifies and modernizes Charles Perrault‘s Cinderella. In this play, Shaw presents his heroine not only as a romantic heroine, but also as an emerging feminist unwilling to settle for anything less than she deserves. Shaw modifies Charles Perrault‘s Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper to reflect the current aspirations of feminism. The inclusion of mythic romantic elements throughout the play set the stage for a classic fairy tale ending denied by Eliza Doolittle‘s ideals and Henry Higgins‘s selfishness. Shaw presents the character of Eliza with feminist ideals and shows a realistic interpretation of what happened after Cinderella‘s transformation when she no longer wished to submit to the Prince.

References used

Perrault, Charles. ―Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper.‖ Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know. Ed. Hamilton Wright Mabie. Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2010. 2233-2338. Kindle
Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. George Bernard Shaw’s Plays. Ed. Sandie Byrne. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002. 286-360. Print
Aston, E. An Introduction to Feminism and Theatre. New York: Routledge, 1995

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