Pygmalion Gender Roles

Gender opinions play a role in how the differences, positions of power, and experiences between men and women are portrayed. Examining Henry Higgins from Pygmalion gives insight into how men take women for granted. Multiple times throughout the play, Higgins’ exhibits ignorance when it comes to women such as Eliza. When Higgins says something mean to Eliza, Colonel Pickerning remarks, “Does it occur to you, Higgins, that the girl has some feelings?” Demonstrating his obliviousness, Higgins responds, “Oh no, I don’t think so. Not any feelings that we need bother about…” (Shaw 18). Higgins’ opinion of women can be found in his treatment of Eliza. He has called her derogatory names such as “damned impudent slut” and “fool” countless times as the
Since her introduction, she is shown to be much more perceptive about how people are feeling. When ignorant Higgins fails to understand why Eliza is mad at him near the end of the play, it falls to his mother, a woman, to explain it all to him, despite the fact that it is easily discernable to the common reader. “She worked very hard to you, Henry!” she scolds. “I don’t think you quite realize what anything in the nature of brain work means to a girl like that…And then you were surprised because she threw your slippers at you! I should have thrown the fire-irons at you” (Shaw 60). This contributes to a trend seen throughout various literary works where the female characters are more perceptive than the male
When discussing Mrs. Cheveley with Robert Chiltern, Lord Goring says, “I should fancy Mrs. Cheveley is one of those very modern women of our time who find a new scandal as becoming as a new bonnet…I am sure she adores scandals…” Although he is referring to Mrs. Cheveley specifically in this quote, Lord Goring’s negative opinion on women can be clearly inferred. As he continues speaking about Mrs. Cheveley, he says, “Well, she wore far too much rouge last night, and not quite enough clothes. That’s always a sign of despair in a woman” (Wilde 379). Here, Lord Goring is judging a woman negatively by her appearance. Later in the play, Lord Goring’s father Lord Caversham makes an intriguing comment during one of their conversations. He remarks that, “No woman, plain or pretty, has any common sense at all, sir. Common sense is the privilege of our sex.” (Shaw 412). Here, Lord Caversham implies that only men have “common sense.” This is thoroughly false, as female characters throughout literature, such as Henry Higgins’ mother in Pygmalion, have common sense as