Pygmalion takes place in London in the early 20th century. The play’s setting is dominated by the hierarchies that exist within each location. The first scene takes place in Covent Garden, a neighborhood and public space in the West End, where many of the play’s characters gather. The play’s opening in a public gathering space is significant. On the street, characters of different classes can interact, and the first scene is dominated by the class politics of those involved. The introduction of Mr. Higgins and Eliza can only take place publicly, because a woman of Eliza’s class doesn’t have access to most of the places Mr. Higgins frequents. This public space, where large crowds of people are present or moving through, is therefore a vital meeting place for the play’s central characters.
After the first scene, however, the play takes place largely within the houses of the elite. Significantly, these are spaces where classes don’t mix, unless through employer-employee relationships like that of Mrs. Pearce and Mr. Higgins. Therefore, as Eliza is learning how to assimilate into wealthy society, she is kept within pockets of wealthy people, interacting with them in their homes or at dinner parties. The play’s setting therefore greatly informs the class dynamics of each scene. Because Eliza passes from one class to another during Pickering and Mr. Higgins’s experiment, the play’s settings follow her rise by moving from public to private.
