"Pygmalion" and "Major Barbara"

Paper Summary:

This paper compares the love depicted in the plays "Pygmalion" and "Major Barbara" written by George Bernard Shaw. The paper suggests that the final outcome of the analysis is an intermingling of the two perspectives on love and it notes that in both situations, the heroes attract each other in spite of the paradoxical opposition.

From the Paper:

"In opposition, their projections in the real world, Lisa and Cusins, trapped in reality, are only capable of projecting human love limited to the sole adulation of man, as the main actor of the reality they live in. Although Lisa loves her master, her passion, being deeply anchored in the every day life, she proves herself more powerful, succeeding in tearing down the wall her master had created around himself, by projecting her newly tailored personality upon her master. Thus, the creation becomes more powerful than its creator "But [with sudden humility] I shall miss you, Eliza"(Shaw, 1916, act V). On a similar note, Cusins represents the source of physical love whose subject becomes Barbara, as her own mother admits: "I have a very strong suspicion that you went to the Salvation Army to worship Barbara and nothing else" Shaw, 2000, act I). He loves her earthly existence, and the person her ideals embody."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "George Bernard Shaw". 2000. 10 Mar. 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/people/Shaw-Geo.html>
• Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion. New York: Brentano, 1916.
• "Major Barbara". 2000. 10 Mar. 2006. <http://www.online-literature.com/george_bernard_shaw/major_barbara/>

More papers on "Pygmalion" and "Major Barbara":

• Analytical Essay # 104765 : "George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara"
• Comparison Essay # 25399 : "Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" and Shaw's "Major Barbara"
• Comparison Essay # 44899 : "Major Barbara" and "The Importance of Being Earnest"

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