This is a clever first line. She addresses the audience with humour. Willy Russell has tried to make the audience find this funny and try and force the audience to like her.
Rita being a 26year old hairdresser, she took a huge risk of studying English Literature course at an open university. By the risk I mean risking her marriage to study at a further level. She has been forced to depart from her husband whilst on the course. She has been court in crossfire, while wanting to stay with her husband, but on the other hand she wants this opportunity so bad that she is willing to risk everything to go to the Open University. Willey Russell has created sympathy for Rita in this, this is mainly because she is so determined to fulfil her goal, and she will risk everything. This also makes the audience admire her for this.
Rita is a great character who is eager to learn. For example frank asks Rita “What do you want to learn?” Rita replies quickly with “everything.” This shows that she is cocky on one hand, but on the other she is eager to learn and enthusiastic. She appears to Frank as a challenge, and for once he has a student willing to learn and take the course seriously.
Rita doesn’t have a good relationship with her husband, going to the university could break it up, but this gives more excitement between Frank and Rita. Willy Russell has created this so it is a love story as well as a play. This gives extra dimension to the play because the audience are intrigued and want to know if they get together or stay just as friends.
Rita thinks she is a lot different to the people she will be socialising with soon. This is because she doesn’t think herself as being sophisticated and as intelligent as the people she will meet. An example being “I didn’t want to come to your house party and play court jester.” This is evidence of her not thinking a lot of herself. Thinking she is down classed by others.
As the play progresses she meets a girl called Trish. Trish is somewhat an eccentric lady and Rita changes all her clothes she wears and even the way she speaks. This is so she can be a little bit closer to how Trish is. In comparison with them both, Rita is a less educated Trish. The play moves on and Rita walks into Frank’s office and twirls right in front of Frank, and Frank realises straight away that this is very unusual for her, and thinks Trish has changed her into a completely different lady. Willey Russell does this to create sympathy and more tension to the audience. It also shows that she is willing to do anything to change and adapt to the Open University. Rita says in a posh voice “I have merely decided to talk properly. As Trish says there is not a lot of point in discussing beautiful literature in an ugly voice.” Frank does not agree in any aspect of this statement. She clearly states that she is better off the way she has always been. Be her self.
The university insists that frank should take a two-year break off to Australia. Rita being very upset she wants to give him a present. Whilst her being lower class she can’t afford much so she decides to give him a haircut with her being a hairdresser. Frank also presents her with a gift, as a leaving present. After all this Rita decides to change her name back to Susan. This shows that she will do things in life that she wants.
I think Willy Russell presents Rita in a strong way, which will either make the audience love her or hate her. I think I’m more occasions people will love her.
