By comparing the Edwardian era - that is, the early 20th century - to the modern era, we can see that certain social constructs and distinct class systems are present in both. However, social and class barriers are significantly more porous in today's world. George Bernard Shaw's most famous play, Pygmalion, set in the Edwardian era, was perhaps a harbinger of this progressive change, in its vigorous attempts to discredit and expose the superficiality of class separations. The play's "heroine", Eliza Doolittle, undergoes a dramatic and severe transformation from a "drag-tailed guttersnipe" to an unrecognizable polite lady, but she ultimately fails to integrate smoothly into society whom she idolized so much at the beginning of the play. It is established and perpetuated throughout the play that Eliza is not exactly a predictable character: for a poor bridesmaid, she upholds moral decency and demonstrates self-respect to a degree perhaps not even be reflected by the upper class in which these values ​​were more commonly held. partner. Through the character of Eliza and the treatment of Eliza by the upper class, Shaw exposes the superficiality of a class system that he believes is supported by a very superficial preoccupation with appearance and language. While it is clear from the preface that Shaw places great value on the power of language and the respect it commands, through Pygmalion and his characters such as Doolittle we also learn that control and mastery of language is not the ultimate solution. of a person's character. However, high society does not seem to notice this, and it is this superficial judgment of others by members of the upper class that Shaw intends to condemn through Pygmalion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At first, Eliza is really a poor flower girl and street beggar who would have been a typical nuisance to upper-class theatergoers who were expected to see Pygmalion; However, Eliza's true self is anything but typical. Her complex character is gradually revealed through aspects of her speech such as her frequent proclamations that she is "a good girl", helping to convey her innate self-respect, and her later belief that she was "selling flowers.” [She] didn't sell [herself].' The upper class of Edwardian society generally had a decidedly negative view of poor people like Eliza: it was assumed that to make ends meet, someone like Eliza would have resorted to selling her body. Eliza breaks this mold, however, and the audience becomes aware of Eliza's seemingly unusual self-respect. This is partly due to the unorthodox length of Shaw's narrations, such as his description of Eliza being "as clean as she can allow herself to be". This morality and decency can easily be compared to the values ​​of the upper class, which are depicted throughout the play as a treasure trove of morality, conveyed through their horror at Eliza's carefree attitude towards her son's alcoholism. father and their disdain for his use of swear words. Additionally, a sense of Eliza's aspirations is conveyed through the catalog of fashion dresses, far beyond her means, that she keeps in her gloomy lodgings, and through the "American Awakening." These possessions show his idolization of high society culture. Combined with his morality, his aspirations present the audience with a character.