Educating Rita :: English Literature

Educating Rita Question How does the play write show the audience the differences between the two characters by the way that they behave according to the stage directions and the way that they use language? What comments is he making by showing us these two very different characters. I will be writing about two scenes from a play called Educating Rita. The play is about two completely different characters from two completely different backgrounds, brought together by education. The two characters are Frank and Rita; Frank is a middle class university professor, who has been very well educated and has a partner called Julia. Rita is a married working class woman who has had little education little education throughout her life, so wanting two change this, by taking an open University course in English literature. Written by Willy Russell. The playwright shows the audience the differences between Frank and Rita even at the start of scene six by showing how professional, neat and tidy frank is, he writes, â€Å"Frank enters carrying a brief case and a pile of essays. He goes to the filing cabinet, takes his lecture notes from his brief case and puts them in his drawer. This also shows Franks life is run according to a timetable in the way everything is done calmly and in time. Like a very well established daily routine and that nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. The playwright shows that due to his education he can relax and enjoy him self calmly by reading and doesn’t need television to entertain him. â€Å"He picks up the packet of sandwiches, takes a bite and picks up a book and starts reading. And this seems to reflect the way he lives his life in general. Franks moment of relaxation is quickly shattered when Rita bursts through the door in a state of intense excitement, after visiting a profession theatre the night before for the first time. This shows Rita like a child because she is so excited about what she saw she cant contain her self and has to express her ideas and feelings. And because of her little education she finds it hard to say her ideas: â€Å"wasn’t his wife a cow, eh?† Frank is shocked at Rita’s dramatic entry because it doesn’t fit into his timetable like day. When Rita explains that she went to the theatre and then Frank sighs this shows he doesn’t think its anything big because he probably goes a lot of the time and also shows his greater experience of culture compared to Rita. Then he smiles and this is when he realises that this is a