学案二Get to know some necessary background knowledge:Background: About Pygmalion In ancient Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a gifted a sculptor from Cyprus, who showed no interest in the local women at all, for he found them immoral and frivolous. Instead Pygmalion concentrated on his art until one day he ran across a large, flawless piece of ivory and decided to carve a beautiful woman from it. When he finished the statue, Pygmalion found the image of his ideal woman so lovely that he dressed the figure and covered her in jewels. He gave the statue a name: Galatea, which meant sleeping love. He found himself falling in love with his ideal woman, so he went to the temple of Aphrodite(the goddess of love, beauty and fertility) to ask for forgiveness for all the years he had shunned her and beg for a wife who would be as perfect as his statue. Aphrodite was curious, so she visited the studio of the sculptor while he was away and was charmed by his creation. Galatea was the image of herself. Flattered, Aphrodite brought the statue to life. When Pygmalion returned to his home, he found Galatea alive, and humbled himself at her feet. Pygmalion and Galatea got married and Pygmalion never forgot to thank Aphrodite for the gift she had given him. He and Galatea brought gifts to her temple throughout their life, and Aphrodite blessed them with happiness and love in return. Based on the classical myth mentioned above, Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion plays on the complex business of human relationships in a social world. Phonetics Professor Henry Higgins tutors Cockney Eliza Doolittle, not only in the refinements of speech, but also in the refinements of her manners. The end result produces a ve...
