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Dramatic Irony
Definition of Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved directly or indirectly, by making... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story. Foreshadowing can be achieved... read full definition
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the... read full definition
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Higgins's Boast:
In Act 1, Mr. Higgins meets Eliza and foreshadows the nature of their relationship as he boasts of his talent as a linguist. Though he doesn’t yet intend to follow through with the experiment he describes, his statement becomes a frame for his future relationship with Eliza. In front of the assembled crowd, Mr. Higgins defends the relevancy of linguists. He boasts that he could transform Eliza’s life using his talents, and says:
You see this creature with her kerbstone English… in three months I could pass that girl off as a duchess at an ambassador’s garden party. I could even get her a place as a lady's maid or shop assistant, which requires better English.
Though the audience might take Mr. Higgins's words as nothing more than a boast, they directly anticipate the plot. He is unknowingly describing the events of the rest of the play. He will in fact pass Eliza off as a wealthy woman by improving her communication skills and manners. When these events come about, the audience can understand them in the context of Higgins’s initial boast. His explanation of how useful he could be is also a hint to the audience that he will perform this function for one of the other characters. His ego leads him to describe Eliza’s eventual transformation as the result of his prowess and talent, but by that point, the audience can see that the experiment’s success is also due to Eliza’s hard work as his pupil. Therefore, this initial hint at the play’s plot is deeply affected by Higgins’s overblown perception of himself, which gives the audience clues of the eventual clash between Eliza and Higgins.
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