George Bernard Shaw, born in Dublin in 1856, was a renowned playwright and gifted orator. He is best known for his hit play "Pygmalion", widely accepted as one of the most famous comedies of the time. It was written two years before the First World War, in a time when society was divided and the poor were severely disadvantaged while the rich were idle and lived their lives blindly, indifferent to the affairs of others. At the time, Britain had a thriving economy. and it was a successful country thanks to its industry, trade and empire. The poor lived without basic services such as electricity and water. George Bernard Shaw was a staunch supporter of equal rights for women, attended the suffragettes' meeting and campaigned on their behalf. Suffragettes helped women get the vote, and Shaw raised public awareness of this issue by revealing her views to the press. Shaw was also part of a movement that believed that individuals could achieve a higher social status than they were born into and this could be achieved by people who educated themselves and this transformation would be a true reflection of the person's social class. This concept is outlined and explored in Pygmalion, in which Eliza Doolittle is passed off as a duchess at the end of the play. This was in contrast to the belief of the Victorians who were of the opinion that classes could not be alternated in a person's life. Shaw was also of the opinion that education was very important and that educating people would lead to a more sophisticated and equal society. As in "Pygmalion", Eliza transforms herself from a simple flower girl and by the end of the show manages to pass herself off as a duchess. ......middle of paper......class from flower girl to bourgeois woman, despite this she has not managed to become a lady because that would require her to marry a gentleman or better and she is required to behave properly like a lady in the manner in how he behaves and in the way he speaks. However, Mr. Higgins believes that Eliza has become a lady due to the improvement of her speech. Eliza also tricked everyone at the ball into thinking she was a princess and adjusted her behavior, speech, and conduct around other people, so in modern times she became a lady. Works Cited1. http://www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/514351/george-bernard-shaw/life-isnt-about-finding-yourself-life-is-about-creating date accessed: 11/28/092. http://www.lycos.com/info/george-bernard-shaw--fabian-society.html access date: 11/28/093. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-articles/199909.html access date: 28/11/09