🟢 1. Why does Eliza Doolittle visit Professor Higgins? How does the meeting lead to the beginning of Higgins' experiment?
The next morning, Eliza Doolittle visits Professor Higgins at his laboratory in Wimpole Street. She wishes to improve her pronunciation so that she can get a respectable job in a flower shop at Tottenham Court Road. She reminds Higgins that he had claimed he could teach her to speak like a lady. Though she is poor, she offers to pay him a shilling for the lessons. Higgins is impressed by her determination, while Colonel Pickering sees it as an opportunity to test Higgins' abilities. Pickering challenges Higgins to transform Eliza into a lady who can pass as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party and promises to pay all the expenses. Higgins eagerly accepts the challenge, and thus the famous experiment begins.
🟢 2. Describe Higgins' attitude towards Eliza and explain how Mrs. Pearce and Colonel Pickering respond to his behaviour.
Professor Higgins treats Eliza more as an object for scientific experimentation than as a human being. He orders Mrs. Pearce to bathe her, burn her old clothes, and buy new ones without considering her feelings. His rude behaviour frightens and humiliates Eliza. Mrs. Pearce repeatedly reminds Higgins that Eliza has feelings and deserves respect. She also asks practical questions about Eliza's future after the experiment and advises Higgins to behave politely, avoid using bad language, and set a good example. Colonel Pickering also supports Eliza and insists that she should clearly understand the purpose of the experiment. Through Mrs. Pearce and Pickering, Shaw contrasts Higgins' arrogance with kindness, responsibility, and human concern.
🟢 3. Describe the character of Alfred Doolittle and explain the purpose of his visit to Higgins' house.
Alfred Doolittle, Eliza's father, visits Professor Higgins after learning that his daughter is staying there. At first, Higgins believes that Doolittle has come to take Eliza home. However, Doolittle surprises everyone by admitting that he is not interested in taking her back. Instead, he asks Higgins to give him five pounds because Eliza may benefit from the arrangement, and he believes he too deserves something. Doolittle openly admits that he is not a moral man and does not pretend to be respectable. His unusual honesty, humour, and practical outlook amuse Higgins. Although Higgins initially accuses him of trying to sell his daughter, he finally gives him the money. Through Doolittle, Shaw satirises conventional ideas about morality, poverty, and social respectability.
🟢 4. Describe Eliza's transformation in Act II. What changes take place in her appearance and attitude?
After taking a bath and wearing clean clothes, Eliza undergoes a remarkable physical transformation. She appears fresh, neat, and attractive, making even her father fail to recognise her at first. Higgins, Pickering, and Mrs. Pearce are pleased by her new appearance. Eliza herself feels happier and more confident. She enjoys being treated respectfully and wishes to be addressed as "Miss Doolittle." She dreams of becoming a real lady, wearing fashionable clothes, and leading a better life. However, although her appearance has changed dramatically, her Cockney speech remains unchanged. Shaw shows that changing outward appearance is easy, but changing language, manners, and behaviour requires much greater effort.
🟢 5. Discuss the major themes presented in Act II of Pygmalion.
Act II develops several important themes that form the foundation of the play. The most important theme is transformation, as Higgins begins his experiment to change Eliza from a poor flower girl into a refined lady. The act also explores social class, showing how speech and manners determine a person's social position. Education is presented as a powerful means of changing one's life. At the same time, Shaw raises questions about human dignity and responsibility, as Higgins often ignores Eliza's feelings while Mrs. Pearce and Pickering defend her rights. The character of Alfred Doolittle introduces the themes of morality, poverty, and social hypocrisy through his humorous but honest attitude towards life. The act ends by showing that while changing a person's appearance is simple, achieving true personal transformation is a much more difficult task.
