Pygmalion is a play by Bernard Shaw that explores this theme. It shows how women were oppressed in Victorian times under the influence and morality of Victorian men. Shaw satirizes Victorian morality as well as the unjust expectations of women and their beliefs. In a similar way, this poster uses a collection of images and symbols that represent key themes in the play to visually portray the oppression faced by women.
The identity of the main characters in the play is a way to express the theme of oppression, which is exemplified through their beliefs, contexts, and experiences. Victorian class distinctions are used to illustrate the oppression faced by women. Characters of different social classes and genders have different morals and roles. The poster also represents the themes of the play in a comprehensive manner. The poster’s most prominent image is the birdcage. It represents oppression. The birdcage represents Eliza as she is trapped by society in Pygmalion. In Act 1, Eliza is caught by her class and poverty. In Act 4, Higgins is the one who has trapped her.
In a similar way, the poster I created shows Eliza being oppressed by Henry Higgins. The man shown in the top-left corner is a privileged upper class man. The birdcage was used to highlight its original meaning, which is the oppression of women under Victorian morality. Higgins is shown to be the oppressor of Eliza by the vector from the birdcage. Eliza has been trapped under Higgins’ superiority and the broken stairs show that. In Act 2 of my play, Higgins transforms Eliza into a Duchess instead of a woman capable to work in a flowershop as Eliza has clearly stated at the beginning of the Act. Higgins’ place at the top of poster also shows his authority, as he represents the upper class. The Victorian social order is dominated by men who oppress the lower classes. His dissociation with this oppression also indicates his superior intellect. Eliza’s suffering is not shared by Higgins, who instead uses Eliza for his entertainment, education, and enjoyment. Higgins’ misogyny appears in Act 2. He says that “women disrupt everything”. He refers to Victorian marriages, where women relied on men’s financial stability. Eliza is also forced to adopt an upper-class persona by his position and link.
Eliza’s convincing persona as a duchess, shown in Act 3, is a good example of this idea. Higgins teaches Eliza through Act 2 and Act 4 the “manners” and “habits” that disqualify an elegant lady from being able to earn her own income. He does this solely to test his hypothesis, which is a clear example of misogyny. On the poster as well, the oppression of women is shown by the two bodies that fade to the sides of the woman. Eliza is shown to be trapped between her two personas – a middle and lower class persona. Her independence has been taken away. Higgins’ treatment of Eliza is shown in this quote. This illustrates the oppressive nature Victorian class distinction. Eliza’s cage and the vector pointing at her dreams symbolise the oppression that women suffered in Victorian England. The cruel men who surround her (Higgins) prevent her from achieving her dreams. The theme of oppression is evident throughout the play, especially Acts 2-5. We see Eliza, a woman representative of the Victorian era, being trapped by Higgins – an privileged male – and her Victorian society. The poster I created effectively portrays this idea by displaying key components of it.
Pygmalion explores themes such as oppression, immorality in society, and reality for women through characterisation and change. Eliza Doolittle’s character is depicted in the drama as an independent, strong girl of lower class. Through the play, she experiences a lot of change. Her character effectively represents the oppression Victorian upper class morality. This theme is captured in my visual representation by highlighting key aspects. Eliza’s character is established at the bottom of this poster by her position. She is a girl from a lower class in a sexist world. She is expressing that she has to work hard in order to rise from her lowly position. This contrasts with Higgins who occupies the top half of the page and highlights the fact that she’s inferior. Eliza is shown to be at the bottom because of both her social status and gender. The play is clearly portrayed in this way, with her character being constantly depicted as inferior. She is also surrounded by male figures who oppress her, like Higgins and Pickering. They strip her of all her independence as she transforms through the various Acts. Eliza’s gaze is the main vector in the poster. It represents her struggles as a lower-class woman living in a high-class society. The nature of Eliza’s ambitions and her dreams expresses the oppression theme in this case. Eliza’s ambitions and dreams are contrary to the expectation that ‘the rise of successful’ is a normal thing. In the vector above, Eliza is not interested in losing her independence by marriage.
Eliza represents women of all ages who, in the Victorian era, wanted to be treated with the rights, privileges, prosperity and basic benefits they deserved. They did not need a masculine figure. The Victorians were a very oppressive society, and this is why they did not allow for such a thing to happen. Higgins treats Eliza the same way in Act 4 when he assumes she is only interested in making men love her. Eliza’s inability to lead an independent life is shown further by the staircase. The stairs that break off represent Eliza’s road to success and happiness being blocked by her society. The staircase represents Eliza’s inability to live her life independently, as her society has prevented her from achieving her goals. Eliza’s identity is also stripped away by Henry Higgins’ oppressive influence. Eliza’s hopes of becoming a successful, independent woman are destroyed as she goes from flowers into petals. Eliza, while she lives within her society, is constantly under attack from oppression. Unrealistic ideals are also present, along with her dependency on men.
The poster depicts the oppression women face in Pygmalion by illustrating the aspirations and dreams of Eliza, which are crushed under the weight of Victorian class distinction. It is a true representation of themes such as oppression, immorality and reality in life as it is explored in Pygmalion.
Pygmalion is a play that explores the oppression women suffered in Victorian times. Shaw conveys his theme in a perfect way through language and technique. This visual representation explores the theme in a comprehensive way, using a series of symbolically linked images.
