Shaw leaves
us hanging at the end of the play, with Eliza having walked out on Higgins but not having yet
agreed to marry Freddy. Shaw then goes on to explain in an afterword exactly what happened.
Eliza does not marry Higgins. He is too old for her, and more importantly, he would always put
his mother and his work ahead of her. Eliza, Shaw says, wants a companionate marriage in which
she is the primary object of her husband's attention and affection.
That
leaves Freddy, who is young, handsome, a gentleman, and adores her. He is weak and Eliza is
strong, which Shaw argues is a good basis for a marriage.
The Hollywood movie
version has Eliza and Doolittle falling into each other's arms at the end. I believe that is the
wrong ending. I would, however, have Eliza shown agreeing to
marry...
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