Question

question 3 of 10
how are the original myth of pygmalion and its interpretations, the musical my fair lady and the play pygmalion, similar?
a. both use a gloomy tone to appeal to the emotions of the audience.
b. both use the same choice of medium to produce their original work.
c. both focus on the idea that one person is trying to create or shape another.
d. both contain characters that sing their thoughts and emotions.

Explanation:

The original Pygmalion myth centers on a sculptor who creates and shapes an ideal woman (Galatea) who comes to life. George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion and its musical adaptation My Fair Lady follow Henry Higgins, a linguist who attempts to shape working-class Eliza Doolittle into a refined, upper-class lady. Option A is incorrect because none of these works have a primarily gloomy tone. Option B is wrong: the myth is a literary folktale, the play is a dramatic script, and the musical is a musical theater work, so they use different mediums. Option D is only true of My Fair Lady, the musical, not the original myth or the straight play.

Answer:

C. Both focus on the idea that one person is trying to create or shape another.