Character of Henry Higgins

 

Henry Higgins is a professor of phonetics and the main male character in Pygmalion. He is highly intelligent, confident, and passionate about language and speech. Higgins firmly believes that a person’s social status can be changed by correcting pronunciation, and he treats language as a scientific subject.

However, Higgins is arrogant, insensitive, and emotionally careless. He views Eliza not as a human being but as an experiment to prove his theory. Though he successfully transforms her speech and manners, he fails to understand her emotional needs. His rude behaviour and lack of empathy cause Eliza deep distress.

Despite his flaws, Higgins is honest and straightforward. He does not pretend to be polite or kind, and his blunt nature exposes social hypocrisy. Shaw uses Higgins to criticise intellectual pride and male dominance. Higgins represents knowledge without compassion, showing that intelligence alone does not make a person truly civilized.

Henry Higgins – Key Traits

• Professor of phonetics and language expert

• Highly intelligent and confident in his abilities

• Believes speech determines social class

• Arrogant and self-centred in behaviour

• Treats Eliza as an experiment, not a person

• Emotionally insensitive and rude

• Honest but blunt in speech

• Represents intellectual pride without compassion

• Fails to understand human emotions and dignity