One rainy, London night, phonetics professor Henry Higgins takes in a flower girl named Eliza Doolittle in an effort to win a bet with Colonel Pickering, an expert in Indian dialects. He bets Pickering that he can teach Eliza elocution and pass her off as a lady to all of London society. Despite many reservations and objections Eliza ultimately agrees to their experiment. Over the course of her education, Eliza’s father, Alfred Doolittle takes his chances with Higgins for money, but this backfires when he unwillingly becomes a well-off, middle-class gentleman thanks to Higgin’s connections with a rich philanthropist. Eliza turns out to be an apt student and easily convinces the ladies at a garden party that she is a mysterious duchess. Despite her success, Higgins is pompous about his efforts and never truly thinks of Eliza as a lady or his social equal after her stunning transformation. With a proposal from the besotted Freddy Eynsford-Hill lingering in the air, Eliza leaves Higgins to seek her own future.
Pygmalion guide sections
