Returning to Wimpole Street
What does Higgins offer Eliza when he realizes how upset she is?
Champagne
What is the effect of Eliza's prolonged silence at the beginning of Act IV?
Shaw clearly wants Higgins to sound more callous, allowing Eliza's rage to grow to overwhelming proportions
Why does Pickering say he quite enjoys socializing with "vain" people, even while Higgins complains?
It makes him feel young again.
What are the three types of irony? Bonus 50pts for each one you can define properly.
Dramatic- audience knows something that the characters do not
Situational- instead of what is expected, the exact opposite outcome occurs
Verbal- character says the exact opposite of what they truly mean
When Higgins, Pickering, and Eliza return to Wimpole Street, how do the men treat Eliza?
They ignore her and her contribution to the evening
Why does Eliza seem angry and exhausted at the beginning of Act IV?
Eliza has spent all of her energy doing what Higgins has asked of her, and he has shown her no appreciation
At the end of the act,
"Eliza smiles for the first time; expresses her feelings by a wild pantomime in which an imitation of Higgins’s exit is confused with her own triumph."
What does this state direction literally mean, AND what does it reveal about her?
Eliza moves around the room, physically acting out the scene with Higgins. It is unclear whether she is acting out how he left, or if she is physically expressing her feelings of excitement for having him admit she is beautiful.
In the midst of their argument, Liza exclaims, "I don't understand. I'm too ignorant." What kind of irony is this, and why?
Verbal, because she is mocking Higgins. She knows she is not ignorant, but they are treating her as such. She is pretending she doesn't get it, so they will have to work harder.
What happens in Liza's stage directions when Higgins wonders aloud where his slippers might be? What does she do?
Eliza looks at him darkly, which indicates she is angry with him, and gets the slippers for him without being asked
Why do Pickering and Higgins treat Eliza the way they do when they return to Wimpole Street in Act IV?
Higgins and Pickering are feeling responsible for their own success
Why does it seem that Eliza is so upset when Higgins suggests his mother could find Eliza a husband?
She seems to be in love with Higgins, but despairs because she has learned to dress and behave like a lady with no money or prospects to live that way
Higgins returns from the party and says there will be "no more artificial duchesses. The whole thing has been simple purgatory." What kind of irony is this, and why?
Situational, because based on what Higgins does for a living, you would expect him to come home saying he had a great time. In exact contrast, he is fed up from his experience.
What finally lets Higgins know that Eliza is angry with him?
She throws his slippers at him
When Higgins looks at the slippers "as if they had appeared there of their own accord," what does this reveal about his relationship with Eliza?
She does everything for him, even when angry, and he takes her for granted
What do we learn about the relationship between Eliza and Higgins during the slipper scene?
Eliza wants to have a human relationship with him at least, but there's an indication that she's in love with him
Higgins tells Liza, "When you're all right and quite yourself, you're what I should call attractive." What kind of irony is this, and why?
Situational. He has spent the entire play training her to be different in every way. For him to compliment her here is shocking.
What is bothering Eliza when she throws the slippers at Higgins?
She is upset because he gives her no credit and doesn't consider what will happen to her next
When Higgins tells Eliza that she has "wounded me [him] to the heart," why is Eliza suddenly thrilled?
It seems clear to the audience in this moment that Eliza is in love with Higgins
When Higgins discusses how Eliza might marry while he eats an apple loudly, why does he seem to be full of "left-handed" compliments?
It's most likely that he is well-aware of her attractiveness, but is not comfortable acknowledging that to her
When Liza gets upset at the idea of being set up with a husband, Higgins scolds her, saying, "Tosh, Eliza. Don’t you insult human relations by dragging all this cant about buying and selling into it." What kind of irony is this, and why?
Dramatic. We know, as the audience that Higgins has made a life of doing just that-- "fixing" people for money. However, he has not yet realized the hypocritical nature of his ways, so his disgust with Liza is ironic.