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CliffsNotes on Shaw's Pygmalion and Arms and The Man

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Marilynn O. Harper's Cliffs Notes for George Bernard Shaw's two plays "Pygmalion" and "Arms and the Man" begins with a rather lengthy Life of the Author. After relating the legend of Pygmalion and Galatea, Harper covers Shaw's Preface to "Pygmalion," wherein he proudly declares his play to be didactic, and then offers the traditional Brief Plot Summary and List of Characters. The Summaries and Commentaries are a bit cumbersome since they break down each play by acts; you might want to come up with your own scene divisions to make these a bit more manageable. Harper also deals with Shaw's "Sequel," wherein he explains what happens after the play ends. Character Analyses look at Professor Higgins along with Eliza and Alfred Doolittle. Less time is devoted to looking at "Arms and the Man," which follows the same format as above with Character Analyses of Raina Petkoff, Captain Bluntschli and Sergius Saranoff. Unlike most of the yellow books with the black stripes, this volume does not develop specific themes or other literary devices independent of the provided commentary. "Pygamlion" might be the better known Shavian drama, but the farce "Arms and the Man" might be the more useful one to teachers.