ForeshadowingForeshadowing is a literary device in which a reader is able to develop their own expectations as to what will occur in the story using hints strategically given by the author. Though we cannot quote specific quotes that serve as foreshadowing because it usually a few lines or a scene that will cause readers to foreshadow, we can cite some examples. For example, when Henry Higgins so confidently makes the bet that he can teach Eliza to speak like a lady, readers can foreshadow this occurring at some point during the play. But, at the same time, Henry Higgins’ harsh treatment of Eliza and rough teaching methods serves as a foreshadowing that Eliza will soon be sick of his harshness and will speak out against him.
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BurlesqueA burlesque can be best described as the literary version of one child mimics the words of another’s in a comical or absurd way. In Pygmalion, Higgins is the child that mimics Eliza. Though the readers understand the absurdity of Eliza’s Cockney accent, it is further expounded when Higgins imitates her accent to show her just how lowly it sounds.
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CacaphonyCacophonies are sudden, harsh, and harmonious sounds. These sounds prevail in Eliza’s Cockney accent. Examples include when she first sees her father and screams out in her Cockney accent “Ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-oo (32)” and is further exemplified when Henry Higgins tells Eliza to “Live where you like; but stop that noise (18)” in reference to the harsh sounds that came across in Eliza’s accent. These sounds, when said aloud, are harsh sounds that are not consistent with the proper English of the other characters.
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EffectThe effect of a play is the description of the setup of the stage and setting that the narrator usually gives in a literary work or the lights and set-up on stage give away in a play. In Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw begins each act with a description of what the surroundings of the scene or stage should look like. Shaw has included comments including “The double doors are in the middle of the back wall…(Act II)” or “... in the corner stands a flat-writing table (Act II)”.
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sarcasmShaw uses ironic remarks to mock a person or a section of society. This literary rhetorical device is known as sarcasm and is a type of verbal irony. Shaw uses this device through Henry Higgins as his character fits well with one that is satirical and sarcastic. Throughout the play, Higgins makes comments such as “...shall we throw her out of the window?” when Eliza first enters Higgins’ home. Obviously Higgins will not throw Eliza out of the window but he is making a satirical remark for someone not inviting her in or asking her to sit. Another sarcastic comment made by Henry Higgins was “...If the King finds out you’re not a lady, you will be taken by the police to the Tower of London, where your head will be cut off as a warning to other presumptions flower girls.” Higgins says this as if to say that there are other flower girls that have done this before which is unlikely at best.
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SimileA simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two objects using the words “like” or “as”. Shaw uses this tool to express ideas and draw comparisons. For example in Act 1, Higgins tells Eliza not to “sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon” which gives the readers better context of her character as well as the obnoxious Higgins’ character. Another example would be Higgins’ line describing the garden party. He states “...I felt like a bear in a cage. hanging about doing nothing” which conveys to a reader how useless he actually felt using a comparison lay people could understand.
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MetaphorA metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two contrasting objects that have a few common characteristics. An examples of Shaw’s use of this literary device is shown in Act II when Eliza calls Higgins “a great brute” comparing Higgins’ inhumane treatment of her to that of a great beast.
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