(TUI) Thematic Unit: Influences - Pygmalion: Act I Lesson

While waiting for the rain to stop, a group of people is crowded under the overhang of a building in London. A young and plain-looking flower girl tries to take advantage of this by trying to sell her paltry wares to the crowd. She meets with good success when a gentleman decides to give her some extra change, despite her poor manners and barely intelligible, heavy English accent. However, she soon begins to panic when she finds that someone is taking notes of her pleas from a distance. She doesn't want to be reported to the police because her activities are not entirely legal.

As the note-taking man explains himself, he's just interested in her peculiar speech because he's a linguistics professor and studies types of speech from different areas in London, and around the world. The note-taker reveals himself as Henry Higgins. The initially generous man reveals himself to Higgins as Colonel Pickering, who is also a professional linguist returning from India and was in London to meet with Higgins himself. The two men agree to get to work at Higgins's home. To ease the flower girl's whining, Higgins gives her some change from his pocket, which happens to be more than Higgins intended to give.

Please read the Preface and Act I of the play. Text and audio links are provided below. You may also listen to the play as you read.

Preface to Pygmalion Text Link Links to an external site.

Preface to Pygmalion Audio Link

Links to an external site.Pygmalion Act I Text Link Links to an external site.

Pygmalion Act I Audio Link

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