Pygmalion Act III

Part I Vocabulary | Discussion | Enrichment Activities |Test |

1.chintz window: : a printed calico from India/a usually glazed printed cotton fabric

2. brocade cover:  : a rich oriental silk fabric with raised patterns in gold and silver/  a fabric characterized by raised designs
3. Rubens: Peter Paul 1577-1640 Flemish painter; painted in Baroque style landscapes, portraits, and especially historical and sacred subjects; known for his masterly use of color and the sensuous exuberance especially of his female nudes
4. Burne Jones: Sir Edward Co.ley-1833-1898 originally surname Jones English painter & designer; painted in late Pre-Raphaelite style; pioneered in Arts and Crafts movement

5. estheticism: : a doctrine that the principles of beauty are basic to other and especially moral principles
2 : devotion to or emphasis on beauty or the cultivation of the arts

6. Chippendale chair: of or relating to an 18th century English furniture style characterized by graceful outline and often ornate rococo ornamentation

7. Elizabethan Chair:

8. Inigo Jones

9.  Morris chintz/

10. bravado : blustering swaggering conduct b : a pretense of bravery/ : the quality or state of being foolhardy

Part II Responding to the act

Recalling

  1. How does Higgins explain Eliza's language to the Eynsford Hills?
  2. Who does Nepommuck declare Eliza to be?
  3. Explain the outcome of Pickering's bet with Higgins.

Interpreting

What humor arises out of Higgins telling Eliza to limit her conversation to two topics?

Analyzing Literature

  1. What is satire?
  2. In what ways does Shaw use satire to show his scorn in this play?

Locate and describe the places in Act III where Shaw pokes fun at each of these human feelings.

Comparing and Contrasting the characters' Attitudes on a number of topics:

  1. Good manners: Higgins, Mrs. Higgins
  2. Love: Higgins, Mrs. Higgins, Freddy
  3. Slang: Mrs. Eynsford Hill, her daughter
  4. The fate of Eliza: Mrs. Higgins, Higgins, Pickering

Enrichment Activities:

Satire is a difficult form of comedy to write. A well-conceived satire will neither be so light as to lack punch nor so biting as to lack humor. In a short essay, explain whether or not you find the humor and criticism of Shaw's satire in Act 3 well balanced. To get started, answer questions such as the following. What is funny and why? What is being criticized? How clear are Shaw's intensions? When you revise, make sure you have included examples from Act 3 to support your thesis.