Explore the dramatic qualities of 1.1 of Willy Russell(TM)s Educating Rita giving careful consideration to how they establish the character of Frank and Rita and how an audience might respond.

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Hanan Ali D10         Educating Rita

Task: Explore the dramatic qualities of 1.1 of Willy Russell’s Educating Rita giving careful consideration to how they establish the character of Frank and Rita and how an audience might respond.

Willy Russell’s play, Educating Rita is set in the 1980’s in the North of England. A young woman in her late twenties called Rita is very determined to get an education and sets out to find one. She seeks help from Frank, a middle-aged university lecturer who relies on drink to get through his life. During the play, we face many dramatic devices which help us establish the characters.

        Act 1 Scene 1 is filled with dramatic devices such as alcohol, the study door, Rita’s cigarettes, the nude painting on Frank’s wall and language.

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Alcohol plays a huge part in Frank’s life and is used as a dramatic device. He takes the Open University job so he can pay for the drinks-“Yes, I suppose I did it to pay for the drink” meaning he only took the job for that reason. He “pulls out a pile of books to reveal a bottle of whisky”. Books are a symbol of disguise; Frank uses this to hide the drink. He does this because he doesn’t want anyone to know that he still drinks. Frank also drinks because he seems to be unhappy and even depressed. ...

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