After distributing copies of Pygmalion, place the names of the major characters on the board. Beneath each name give a brief summary, making a short characterization chart. The characters to elaborate on are:
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1. Henry Higgins, Professor Phonetics
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2. Eliza Doolitle, poor flower girl
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3. Colonel Pickering, friend of Higgins
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4. Freddy Eynsford Hill, idiotic young man from a long line of nobility
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5. Alfred Doolitle, Eliza’s father
Under each name give a short summary of the character as seen in both the play and the musical. For example: Colonel Pickering in both versions is an opposite of Henry Higgins. Their only mutual agreement is their interest in phonetics. Pickering is courteous while Higgins is rude. He is patient and even tempered, unlike the explosive Higgins. Pickering is kindly towards Eliza and gives her financial help as well as human consideration. Pickering is sanity and stability in the play.
Have students read aloud and again to themselves each character synopsis. On a piece of paper have them list the character’s name and then write one word (only) that best describes the character. Example—
Higgins: Explosive
Eliza: poor
Read each student’s finished assignment aloud, and tally on the board how many times each word was used for each character.
Another version of this exercise goes like this:
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1. Place names of characters on individual index cards folded in half so nothing shows.
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2. Place in a large bowl.
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3. Go over each character’s significant points brought up in either the musical or the play.
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4. Pass the bowl around having each student select a folded index card.
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5. Student must then role play the character that they pick.
Rather than rely upon the students to create the situations the teacher can create a number of scenarios that can be told to the child after picking the character. Example: child picks Eliza, teacher instructs that student is to be Eliza trying to get served at a slow McDonald’s Restaurant. The same scenario can be offered to different characters to compare and contrast them.
This is very effective and students blossom through this type of action exercise. Improvisions fit well into classroom dynamics.
