My Fair Lady essays

My Fair Lady essays The Victorian period (Queen Victorian reign, 1837-1901) was a time of revolution and change. It saw great expansion of wealth, power and culture. The modern idea of 'invention' was invented. Religion was in doubt. Romantic emphasis was placed on self-emotion and imagination. Victorians created astonishing innovation and change in democracy, feminism, unionisation of workers, socialism and Marxism. Above all, it was an age of paradox and power (www.landow, 2000). This essay critically analyses 'My Fair Lady' in terms of power, class and gender relations, all of which were predominant features in the Victorian period, and other attitudes of this time. I will be considering the ways in which material culture is used to reinforce, undermine and negotiate these relations. Issues that will be discussed in the essay with regards to 'My Fair Lady' are: the class differences during the Victorian period, the power differences between the classes and genders, ie. the power Henry Higgins had over Eliza Doolittle, the gender relations between Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins and the gender relations between Eliza Doolittle and Colonel Pickering. Eight times Oscar winning movie 'My Fair Lady' (www.eusa, 2000) was made into a movie in 1964 after nine years of Theatre performances. The musical was adapted from George Bernard Shaw's 1914 book 'Pygmalion' by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Learner (www.imagi-nation, 2000). 'My Fair Lady' is based in the Victorian era of England. The story revolves around Eliza Doolittle, a cockney flower girl from Covent Garden, who agrees to take speech lessons from phonetician Henry Higgins in order to fulfil her dream of working in a flower shop and to increase her standard of life. Henry Higgins has other plans. He makes a bet with a fellow phonetic expert Colonel Pickering to see whether Eliza could pass as a Duchess at the Embassy Ball (www.flickfilosopher, 2000). Eliza's cockney mannerisms and uncouth manne...