Oppression of Women in The Victorian Age: Play Pygmallion

Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion explores the theme of oppression of women by demonstrating the poor position of women in Victorian society under the influence of oppressive men and Victorian morality. Shaw achieves this by satirising the oppressive nature of Victorian middle-class morality and the beliefs and unfair expectations ruled over women in society. Similarly, this poster visually represents the above themes through a collective depiction of key ideas and symbolic images linked to significant ideas in the play, to create an effective representation of the theme of oppression of women whilst explicitly referring to the text. 

In the play, the overarching theme of oppression is expressed by the identities of key characters, exemplified by their context, beliefs, and experiences. The oppression of women is characterized by Victorian class distinction, represented by the different roles, morals, and actions of prominent characters, based on their gender and social class. As with the play, this poster represents these themes comprehensively. The birdcage, being the salient image of the poster, is a key representation of oppression. In Pygmalion, the birdcage is a symbol of Eliza being trapped by her society. In Act 1, she is trapped by her social class and poverty, and in Act 4, she is trapped by Higgins.

Similarly, my poster indicates this oppression of Eliza, by depicting a girl, who, in representing Eliza, is physically trapped by the manipulation of a privileged upper-class man, Henry Higgins (who is shown on the top left of the page). The birdcage has been utilised to magnify its original meaning in the play, to effectively highlight the extent to which women were oppressed under upper-class Victorian morality, with their constant entrapment from men. The vector led from the birdcage to Higgins outlines his role in the oppression of Eliza. His body language shows that he has trapped Eliza under his superiority as an upper-classman, and, as suggested by the broken stairs, has disallowed her to progress to her dreams. This theme of oppression I have represented is also shown in Act 2 of the play when Higgins and Pickering transform Eliza into a duchess, rather than a woman capable of working at a flower shop the lifelong dream Eliza clearly establishes at the beginning of Act. Furthermore, Higgins’ position at the top of the poster shows that he is above everyone, symbolising the authority of the upper class. This indicates that oppressive men of the upper-class are at the top of the Victorian social hierarchy. Similarly, his dissociation from this oppression indicates his intellectual superiority. He does not sympathize for the oppression Eliza is suffering but has instead objectified her as a tool for his entertainment and education, whilst claiming to Amier Al-Azam that he has 'helped her become more appealing to men.' This, implying that he is 'playing a game of oppression' with Eliza as he has ignored her rights as a human for his enjoyment. This theme is evident in Higgins’ misogyny in Act 2 of the play, where he says, “women upset everything”. He alludes to the concept of middle-class marriages in the Victorian era, in which women depended on men for financial stability. Furthermore, his link to and position above Eliza expresses the upper-class identity he has unnaturally forced onto her, highlighting the unrealistic expectations of women in the era, with her language completely redefining her identity. 

An idea shown by the convincing duchess persona Eliza, represented in Act 3. Moreover, through Act 2 to Act 4 of the play, Higgins gives Eliza the “manners and habits that disqualify a fine lady from earning her own living” without the income to do so, solely for the interests of his experiment, a key example of his oppressive actions and misogyny. Similarly, this key example of oppression is represented in the poster through the two fading bodies on either side of the woman in the birdcage. This image indicates that Eliza is trapped in the middle of two identities — a middle-class and a lower-class persona — stripping her of her independence. As shown in the included quote, Higgins has essentially made Eliza useless, demonstrating the oppressive nature of Victorian social class distinction. The vector pointing to the dreams of Eliza, in contrast to her position in the cage, symbolizes the oppression of women in the Victorian age, by indicating that her dreams cannot be obtained due to the cruel actions of the men around her (Higgins in this case). This theme is clearly evident through the play (Acts 2-5 particularly), as we see the entrapment of Eliza - a representation of women during the period - under the influence of Higgins (a privileged male) and the construct of her Victorian society. Therefore, in displaying key elements of this idea, my poster effectively represents the theme of oppression of women by highlighting the poor structure of the Victorian social hierarchy, as expressed by the identities of Higgins and Eliza. 

In Pygmalion, themes of oppression, social immorality, and the reality of life for women are explored through characterization and change. The play depicts the character of Eliza Doolittle, a strong, independent, lower-class girl who experiences extreme change through the play. Her character, a strong representation of the position of women in Victorian society - particularly their inability to prosper and live independently - effectively demonstrates the oppression of Victorian upper-class morality. My visual representation captures the essence of this theme by reflecting key aspects of this overarching concept. At the bottom of the poster, Eliza’s position establishes her character as a low-class girl in a sexist society. Her expression indicates that she must work her way up from such a low position in society, which, in contrast to Higgins, positioned at the top of the page, highlights that she is an inferior. This expresses the Amier Al-Azam theme of oppression as Eliza is placed at the bottom of society, not for her intelligence, but for her social class and gender. This explicitly refers to the theme of the play, as her character is constantly represented as inferior, and is constantly surrounded by oppressive male figures, such as Higgins and Pickering, who strip her of her independence in her transformation through all Acts of the play. This is furthered by the vector led by Eliza’s gaze from the bottom left of the poster, which symbolizes her journey in life through the struggles of a low-class woman in a society dominated by the upper class. In this case, the theme of oppression is expressed by the nature of her ambitions and dreams. Eliza’s dreams challenge the normalized expectation of ‘the rise of success’. Rather than wishing to lose her independence through marriage, by essentially becoming the slave of a man, she wishes to work in a flower shop, as shown by the aforementioned vector. 

Eliza represents the wide demographic of women who, during the Victorian age, wished for the basic rights, privileges, and prosperity they deserved, without the need of a male figure. The disallowance of this to occur highlights the oppressive nature of Victorian society. Similarly, this theme is prevalent in Higgins' treatment of Eliza in Act 4 of the play, in which he ignores her independence and treats Eliza as an inferior by assuming that all she wants to do in life is make men love her. Her inability to live her own life independently is further shown by the staircase, in which the stairs breaking off symbolise Eliza's path to happiness and success as being cut off by the reality of her society. This implies that her society does not allow women like her to progress past their oppression, leaving her trapped under the influence of the upper class. Similarly, the flower's fading represents the loss of Eliza’s true identity as it is stripped by the influence of the oppressive male figure, Henry Higgins. The contrast from flowers to petals shows the disintegration of Eliza’s dreams of becoming an independent, successful woman. As long as Eliza lives in her society, she is attacked by oppression, unrealistic ideals, and dependence on men, an unfortunate reality clearly evident in her ill-fated transformation, as shown through Act 1 to Act 4 in the play, as well as in her infamous argument with Higgins in Act 5. 

Therefore, in representing the dreams and aspirations of Eliza being crushed by the reality of life under Victorian class distinction, an essential representation of the theme of oppression of women in Pygmalion, this poster is an accurate representation of themes of oppression, social immorality, and the reality of life for women as explored in the play Pygmalion.

The play, Pygmalion, exhibits the theme of oppression of women by exploring the harsh reality women faced in the Victorian age. Through language and technique, Shaw expresses this theme impeccably. Similarly, this visual representation comprehensively explores this theme, through a collection of symbolic images, effectively linked.