Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (1916) has been effectively appropriated into the later film Pretty Woman (1990) to reflect the differing values, attitudes and beliefs of their respective time periods. Director Gary Marshall uses the medium of film, allowing him to contrast setting, language, costume and gender expectations which emphasises the change in context. Context is defined by the values, attitudes and beliefs of the time, which subsequently influence the themes of the text. The primary elements that have been appropriated into Marshall's Pretty Woman include context, the parallel between Higgins and Edward, and parallel between Eliza and Vivian.

The change in context between Pygmalion and Pretty Woman is clearly evident through consideration of both texts. During England in the 1910s, class divisions were defined by superficial characteristics such as birth, linguistics and to a lesser extent, economic standing. The high class were, in general, proud of their work, gossiped a...