Analyzing the Play Pygmalion by Shaw

A play is weaving -together of many elements, among them the plot, (story line), the setting (time and place of the action), the characters, the tone (playwright's attitudes towards the subject or audience), the symbols ( representative values attached to events, people or things), and the theme (main idea and the message). When these separate elements come together, a "chemical reaction" results. Create a checklist for the play ,Pygmalion.

Write a brief description for each of the play's elements, entering N/A when the element is not applicable. Then discuss how the various elements interact in Shaw's play (for example, how setting affects theme).

What Goes in the Pygmalion Portfolio?

1. Lit logs  based on Act II, III, IV, V & Epilogue following the format

For each scene/act, do the minimum of three of the following:

• Summarize the action of the scene.
• Comment in one sentence on what you think is the significance of this scene. What would be the play like without it?
• Ask questions about the scene. Has anything in the scene caused you confusion? Ask one of the characters in the scene a question- or ask me a question.
• Quote lines from the scene that you enjoyed and comment on them.
• Describe your reaction to a character, action, or ideas you confronted in the scene.
• Talk about the relationships characters have to one another, quoting specific words or phrases to give evidence for your opinion.
• Pretend you are an actor playing one of the characters in the scene. Get inside that character's mind. How the character feels about herself, about other characters, about the situation of the scene.
• Record the references in each scene that are relevant to your topic.

2. Homework 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 based on Pygmalion

3. Analysis of the play using the chart above

4. Summarizing the play

When a newspaper or magazine critic writes a review of a play, he or she includes a summary, or brief description of the action. A good summary captures a sense of the play as a whole, focusing  not only on what is said or done but on such details as setting. The amount of information that a summary provides depends, of course, on its overall length. List the details you find important to include in a one-page summary of Pygmalion.

5. Your final exam essays