Question

Who is mentioned as the primary inspiration for the character of Professor Henry Higgins?

• A. Alexander Melville Bell
• B. Alexander J. Ellis
• C. Henry Sweet
• D. Jacob Henle

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Henry Sweet

Professor Henry Higgins and His Inspiration

• Professor Henry Higgins is a central character in George Bernard Shaw's famous play, Pygmalion, first staged in 1913.
• He is depicted as an eccentric, arrogant, and brilliant professor of phonetics who makes a bet that he can transform a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a duchess by improving her speech.
• The character of Professor Henry Higgins was directly inspired by Henry Sweet (1845–1912), a distinguished English philologist, phonetician, and grammarian.
• Sweet was a pioneer in the scientific study of spoken language and contributed significantly to the understanding of English phonetics.
• George Bernard Shaw, being deeply interested in language and social reform, greatly admired Sweet's work and based Higgins's profession and some of his mannerisms on Sweet.
• Shaw himself was a proponent of phonetic reform and simplified spelling, aligning with Sweet's academic pursuits.

Key Facts about Pygmalion and Related Works

• The title Pygmalion is derived from Greek mythology, where Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he carved, which was then brought to life by Aphrodite.
• Shaw's play explores themes of social class, language, identity, and gender relations in early 20th-century Britain.
• Pygmalion was adapted into the hugely successful musical My Fair Lady, which premiered on Broadway in 1956.
• The musical, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, further popularized the story.
• The 1964 film adaptation of My Fair Lady starred Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
• George Bernard Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925, primarily for his idealism and his stimulating satire, which often explored social and political issues through his plays, including Pygmalion.