The name Pygmalion is itself an allusion to a Greek myth, which creates context for the play’s plot and adds meaning to the interactions between characters. The myth is from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the work of a Roman poet, published in 8 C.E. In the myth, Pygmalion is a sculptor who creates his ideal of womanhood out of ivory. He then falls in love with his own creation, and as a generous answer to his prayers, the goddess Venus brings the statue—named Galatea—to life. Shaw’s play takes its name after the central character of the myth, the sculptor who is foolish enough to fall for his own creation. This is most likely a reference to Higgins, whose relationship with Eliza is volatile and controlling. The title’s allusion draws a parallel between Galatea and Eliza, who are both under a sculptor’s hand, being transformed and aiming to epitomize grace and femininity.
The context of Ovid’s myth introduces ideas of creation and destruction; a young woman is created and brought to life, her livelihood in the hands of her sculptor. However, in the play, the literal sculpting is replaced by a more complicated relationship and situation, in which the "creation" happens within a context of class and social norms. Eliza is not being literally created; instead she is being handed access to a higher-class world if she can properly transform herself. The original Pygmalion story also brings Eliza’s agency into question. Her comparison to a statue made of ivory strips her of the work she puts into her own transformation, a complaint that she voices near the end of the play. Therefore, the allusion to the original myth is adapted and transformed as it is applied to a new context, raising vital questions about the role of Eliza’s gender in her self-actualization.
