George Bernard Shaw, born in Dublin in 1856, was a renowned playwright and talented lecturer. He is best known for his hit play "Pygmalion", which was widely accepted as one of the most noted comedies of the era. It was written two years before World War I, at a time when society was divided and the poor were severely disadvantaged while the rich were idle and lived blindly, indifferent to the affairs of others. At the time, Britain had a thriving economy. and it was a prosperous country thanks to its industry, its commerce and its empire. The poor lived without basic facilities such as electricity and water. George Bernard Shaw was a strong supporter of equal rights for women, he attended the meeting of suffragettes and campaigned on their behalf. Suffragettes helped women gain the right to vote, and Shaw raised public awareness of the issue by revealing her views in the press. Shaw was also part of a movement that believed that individuals could achieve a higher social status than that into which they were born and that this could be accomplished by people becoming educated and that this transformation would be a true reflection of class social of the person. This concept is outlined and explored in Pygmalion, in which Eliza Doolittle poses as a duchess at the end of the play. This contrasted with the belief of the Victorians who felt that classes could not be alternated in a person's life. Shaw also believed that education was very important and that educating people would lead to a more sophisticated and just society. As in "Pygmalion", Eliza transforms from a simple flower girl and by the end of the play she is able to transform into a duchess herself. ...... middle of paper ......class from a flower girl to a middle class woman, despite this she failed to become a lady as it would require marrying a lord or better and she would have to act properly like a lady in the way she behaves and in her speech. However, Mr. Higgins believes that Eliza became a woman through the improvement of her speech. Eliza also tricked everyone at the ball into thinking she was a princess and she adjusted her behavior, speech, and conduct with others, so that 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 date of consultation: 11/28/093. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-articles/199909.html date accessed: 28/11/09