POETRY FIRST TERM FIRST YEAR www.elsaidhafiz126@yahoo.

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Plot Summary Act I

The action begins at 11:15 p.m. in a heavy summer rainstorm. An after-theatre crowd takes shelter in the
portico of St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden. A young girl, Clara Eynsford Hill, and her mother are waiting
for Clara’s brother Freddy, who looks in vain for an available cab. Colliding into flower peddler Liza
Doolittle, Freddy scatters her flowers. After he departs to continue looking for a cab, Liza convinces Mrs.
Eynsford Hill to pay for the damaged flowers; she then cons three halfpence from Colonel Pickering. Liza
is made aware of the presence of Henry Higgins, who has been writing down every word she has said.
Thinking Higgins is a policeman who is going to arrest her for scamming people, Liza becomes hysterical.
Higgins turns out, however, to be making a record of her speech for scientific ends. Higgins is an expert in
phonetics who claims: “I can place any man within six miles. I can place him within two miles in London.
Sometimes within two streets.” Upbraiding Liza for her speech, Higgins boasts that “in three months I
could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassador’s garden party.” Higgins and Pickering eventually
trade names and realize they have long wanted to meet each other. They go off to dine together and
discuss phonetics. Liza picks up the money Higgins had flung down upon exiting and for once treats
herself to a taxi ride home.

Act II

The next morning at 11 a.m. in Higgins’s laboratory, which is full of instruments. Higgins and Pickering
receive Liza, who has presented herself at the door. Higgins is taken aback by Liza’s request for lessons
from him. She wants to learn to “talk more genteel” so she can be employed in a flower shop instead of
selling flowers on the street. Liza can only offer to pay a shilling per lesson, but Pickering, intrigued by
Higgins’s claims the previous night, offers to pay for Liza’s lessons and says of the experiment: “I’ll say
you’re the greatest teacher alive if you make that good.” Higgins enthusiastically accepts the bet, though
his housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce, pleads with him to consider what will become of Liza after the experiment.
Liza agrees to move into Higgins’s home and goes upstairs for a bath. Meanwhile, Higgins and Pickering
are visited by Liza’s father, Doolittle, “an elderly but vigorous dustman.” Rather than demanding to take
Liza away, Doolittle instead offers to “let her go” for the sum of five pounds. Higgins is shocked by this
offer at first, asking whether Doolittle has any morals, but he is persuaded by Doolittle’s response, that the
latter is too poor to afford them. Exiting quickly with his booty, Doolittle does not at first recognize his
daughter, who has re-entered, cleaned up and dressed in a Japanese kimono.

Act III

The setting is the flat of Mrs. Higgins, Henry’s mother. Henry bursts in with a flurry of excitement, much to
the distress of his mother, who finds him lacking in social graces (she observes that her friends “stop
coming whenever they meet you”). Henry explains that he has invited Liza, taking the opportunity for an
early test of his progress with Liza’s speech. The Eynsford Hills, guests of Mrs. Higgins, arrive. The
discussion is awkward and Henry, true to his mother’s observations, does appear very uncomfortable in
company. Liza arrives and, while she speaks with perfect pronunciation and tone, she confuses the guests
with many of her topics of conversation and peculiar turns of phrase. Higgins convinces the guests that
these, including Liza’s famous exclamation “not bloody likely!” are the latest trend in small talk. After all
the guests (including Liza) have left, Mrs. Higgins challenges Henry and Pickering regarding their plans;
she is shocked that they have given no thought to Liza’s well-being, for after the conclusion of the
experiment she will have no income, only “the manners and habits that disqualify a fine lady from earning
her own living.” Henry is characteristically flip, stating “there’s no good bothering now. The thing’s done.”
Pickering is no more thoughtful than Higgins, and as the two men exit, Mrs. Higgins expresses her
exasperation.

A following scene, the most important of the “optional” scenes Shaw wrote for the film version of
Pygmalion — and included in later editions of the play — takes place at an Embassy party in London.
Higgins is nervous that Nepommuck, a Hungarian interpreter and his former student, will discover his ruse
and expose Liza as an aristocratic imposter. Nepommuck, ironically, accuses Liza not of faking her social
class, but her nationality. He is convinced Liza must be Hungarian and of noble blood, for she speaks
English “too perfectly,” and “only foreigners who have been taught to speak it speak it well.” Higgins is
victorious, but finds little pleasure in having outwitted such foolish guests.

Act IV

Midnight, in Henry’s laboratory. Higgins, Pickering, and Liza return from the party. Higgins loudly bemoans
the evening:“What a crew! What a silly tomfoolery!” Liza grows more and more frustrated as he continues
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POETRY FIRST TERM FIRST YEAR [email protected] 0124527307
to complain (“Thank God it’s over!”), not paying attention to her or acknowledging her role in his triumph.
Complaining about not being able to find his slippers, Higgins does not observe Liza retrieving them and
placing them directly by him. She controls her anger as Higgins and Pickering exit, but when Higgins
storms back in, still wrathfully looking for his slippers, Liza hurls them at him with all her might. She
derides Higgins for his selfishness and demands of him, “What’s to become of me?” Higgins tries to
convince her that her irritation is “only imagination,” that she should “go to bed like a good girl and sleep
it off.” Higgins gradually understands Liza’s economic concern (that she cannot go back to selling flowers,
but has no other future), but he can only awkwardly suggest marriage to a rich man as a solution. Liza
criticizes the subjugation that Higgins’s suggestion implies: “I sold flowers. I didn’t sell myself. Now
you’ve made a lady of me I’m not fit to sell anything else.” Liza infuriates Higgins by rejecting him, giving
him back the rented jewels she wears, and a ring he had bought for her. He angrily throws the ring in the
fireplace and storms out.

In the next important “optional scene,” Liza has left Higgins’s home and comes upon Freddy, who,
infatuated with the former flower girl, has recently been spending most of his nights gazing up at Liza’s
window. They fall into each other’s arms, but their passionate kisses are interrupted first by one constable,
then another, and another. Liza suggests they jump in a taxi,“and drive about all night; and in the morning
I’ll call on old Mrs Higgins and ask her what I ought to do.”

Act V

Mrs. Higgins’s drawing room, the next day. Henry and Pickering arrive and while they are downstairs
phoning the police about Liza’s disappearance, Mrs. Higgins asks the chambermaid to warn Liza, taking
shelter upstairs, not to come down. Mrs. Higgins scolds Henry and Pickering for their childishness and the
careless manner in which they treated another human. The arrival of Alfred Doolittle is announced; he
enters dressed fashionably as a bridegroom, but in an agitated state, casting accusations at Higgins.
Doolittle explains at length how by a deed of Henry’s he has come into a regular pension. His lady
companion will now marry him, but still he is miserable. Where he once could “put the touch” on anyone
for drinking money, now everyone comes to him, demanding favors and monetary support. At this point,
Mrs. Higgins reveals that Liza is upstairs, again criticizing Henry for his unthoughtful behavior towards the
girl. Mrs. Higgins calls Liza down, asking Doolittle to step out for a moment to delay the shock of the news
he brings. Liza enters, politely cool towards Henry. She thanks Pickering for all the respect he has shown
her since their first meeting: calling her Miss Doolittle, removing his hat, opening doors. “The difference,”
Liza concludes,“between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she’s treated.”

At this point, Doolittle returns. He and Liza are re-united, and all the characters (excepting Henry) prepare
to leave to see Doolittle married. Liza and Higgins are left alone. Higgins argues that he didn’t treat Liza
poorly because she was a flower girl but because he treats everyone the same. He defends his behavior by
attacking traditional social graces as absurd: “You call me a brute because you couldn’t buy a claim on me
by fetching my slippers,” he says. Liza declares that since Higgins gave no thought to her future, she will
marry Freddy and support herself by teaching phonetics, perhaps assisting Nepommuck. Higgins grows
furious at Liza and “lays his hands on her.” He quickly regrets doing so and expresses appreciation of
Liza’s newfound independence. At the play’s curtain he remains incorrigible, however, cheerfully assuming
that Liza will continue to manage his household details as she had done during her days of instruction with
him.