Can someone help me with the theme of nature vs nurture in Pygmalion?
Well, think about the story. Henry Higgins says that he can take a common flower girl, and turn her into a middle class “lady” in a flower shop simply by teaching her to speak well. That’s nurture — he claims he can change Eliza’s entire life and social status with speech lessons. But, Eliza has been brought up in the poorest part of London by a drunken, disreputable father and mostly absent mother. She has no education, no manners, and has witnessed what the upper classes would consider shocking things. That’s her nature. She is instinctively clever, honest, and hardworking, although she’s a bit rough. You need to decide if “nurture” can change her basic nature and turn her into a more genteel person. Perhaps Eliza was somehow born with some natural qualities that would help her succeed if she had advantages. Shaw was once asked what he thought Eliza would do after the time of the play. He said he thought she’d marry Freddie, who would never do a day’s work, and end up working to sup
