Rita’s family and Frank attempt to escape from their problems through alcohol abuse. In a sense this crosses the class divide which is one of the main themes of the play. Even in their approach to alcohol there is a class distinction. Frank drinks whiskey in a solitary setting, which is emblematic of his personal decline. His drunkard misdemeanours provide a comedic aspect to the play. This is seen when he enters his study drunk in Act two scene three and comments that he is “glorious. Fell off the rostrum twice!” The working class approach to alcohol is centred on the pub and a sense of community. There is laughter and song, which builds a comedic picture in one’s minds eye. However, the audience and Rita are aware that the jollity is a just a thin veil which covers up the knowledge that their lives are unfulfilled and incomplete. Rita’s Mother provides one of the most telling metaphors when drunk crying she declares, “We could sing better songs than those” (Act one, scene seven). The rest of the family laugh this off and say she is just drunk and talking crazy but to Rita the better songs can only be learned through education and escape from her restricted existence as a hairdresser and Denny’s wife.
Rita’s quest for education represents a complete change in her character. Initially her approach to literature is emotional and descriptive but at least it is sincere. The point is made humorously when she gives a short and glib response to an essay question on Peer Gynt: “Do it on the radio” So, Frank teaches her that to pass her exam she must suppress or abandon her “uniqueness” and approach textual analysis with cool and objective critical skill. Just as Rita conformed to expectations at school by not trying to succeed, she now has to conform to the expectations of examiners by adapting her style of language.
Rita does not receive support from home in her pursuit for education. Her husband Denny realises that education will take Rita away from him. He sees literature as a barrier which prevents Rita from lying down dead with him, he accuses her of “rocking the coffin” (Act One, scene 5) by seeking an education. This being the case, it is somewhat ironic that, in not supporting his wife studies, Denny creates an even bigger division between the two of them.
In Act one scene eight Rita tells of how Denny had given her the ultimatum resulting in her taking the option to leave. Rita uses the end of her marriage to spur her onto success with her studies. The dissolution of her marriage is the last tie with her former life and Rita is now free to develop as she pleases. Frank recognises that Rita needing to abandon her uniqueness is not entirely positive. Having witnessed the destruction of Rita’s marriage as direct result of her education, Frank is concerned that she may in fact be losing her true identity. Furthermore, it is apparent to rank that in training Rita to quell her vibrant character and write from the head rather than the heart, he is actually negating those features, which attracted him to Rita in the first place. This scene encapsulates Rita’s personality, aims and desires and is a dramatic way of bringing the first act to an end.
At first Frank drives the changes in Rita. He remarks that he is “going to change you” but later he regrets the metamorphosis and compares himself to Mary Shelley as he has created a monster in Rita. In developing her objectivity and academic detachment the old Rita has disappeared as well as the breath of fresh air. In Act two scene five Rita describes Frank’s poetry as “brilliant”, “witty” and “full of style”. Frank, however sees this as only confirmation of his creation of Rita as a monster. In describing his poems as “pretentious, characterless and without style” he is suggesting that the new Rita who admires them so much most possess these same qualities.
The cycle of Rita’s transformation is tracked humorously through Rita’s use of language and from verbal interplay between Frank and Rita. Rita’s accent and dialect places her firmly in the working class and this clashes markedly with Frank’s middle class accent and use of educated language. All of Frank’s academic training has taught him to approach literature in a balanced and objective way and this is the learning he passes on to his students. When Rita first comes into his life she is full of wild enthusiasm and passion but her language is untutored. She describes Lady Macbeth as a “cow” and assonance as getting the rhyme wrong.
She is not just seeking learning but also social advancement and strives to rid herself of her regional class accent. The contrast between her raw language and caustic wit and Frank’s more refined use of the Queen’s English gives the play much of its humour. As she grows a little in confidence and develops her skills the from coursework.info n the accent goes and to Frank’s dismay, along with it much of her charm.
Act one, scene seven is a crucial scene in Rita’s development. Having been unable to pluck up the confidence or courage to cross over the threshold to Frank’s dinner party, she comes to Frank to justify herself. Rita explains that one of her main concerns was that she might have brought the wrong type of wine. Here again, Russell undercuts the seriousness of his humour. “It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d walked in with a bottle of Spanish plonk,” says Frank. “It was Spanish” comes the reply. The invitation to dinner is partly a symbolic act. To attend the function would signify acceptance in Frank’s social circle, and yet Rita knows that she is not ready for the transition. She fails to do it at this stage because she knows in her heart that she does not possess the language, the knowledge or the style of the middle-class academics to which she aspires. Frank describes Rita’s character as “funny, delightful, and charming” but Rita herself rejects his attempts to compliment her as being patronising. She does not want to be funny but wants to “talk seriously with the rest of you”. Spurred on by this desire, Rita’s metamorphosis gathers momentum.
In Act two, scene two Rita begins speaking with an affected voice, which she sees as talking “properly”. She remarks that Trish has told her “there is not a lot of point in discussing beautiful literature in an ugly voice”. This marks the point at which Rita has lost her uniqueness to the reverence of others and to pressure from examiners expectations. It represents a shift in her attitude and confidence. Rita is now able to hold her own in academic circles. Russell handles this pivotal point with humour, as such dramatic change and emphasised clarity serves as humour to an surprised audience.
The change process is painful for Rita and she likens herself to a “half-caste”(Act one, scene seven) out of place in her own society but not able to fit into that of Frank. We see that Rita is has made it, and is no longer out of place when Frank places her essay on the top of a pile of essays by his “proper” students. Rita is taken in by the vitality of Tiger, and treats her flatmate Trish with reverence. Later Rita sees Trish as neurotic and fragile and Tiger is “a bit of a wanker really”. Rita’s uniqueness in her outlook on people, she sees them for who they are, and not for their class or knowledge of literature
Eventually Rita emerges as a whole, more rounded character. She no longer speaks with affected language, and her natural speech returns. This re-establishes her vibrant sense of humour. Finally she realises that the true value of her education is that it offers her freedom to make her own choices in life. She does not have to pretend to be like Frank and his friends. This is underlined by the repetition of the word choice in act two, scene seven.
The present of the dress from Frank is symbolic for how Rita has matured. At the beginning of the play Rita tells Frank of how she has vowed not to buy another dress until she has passed her exam. Frank presents her with a dress, showing that he is proud of her achievements and to mark the end of their tutorials together. This seals Rita’s metamorphosis. Again Russell introduces this concept with humour: “An educated woman Frank? An’ is this what you call a scholarly neckline?”
Rita has changed her name from Susan after Rita Mae Brown author of “Rubyfruit Jungle”. This at first is comedic as Rita thinks that by naming herself after this author she is making herself sound more classy an literate but in reality she has chosen herself a soft porn author to model herself on. This identity change, however also is a trademark for Rita’s ambitions. She wants to change herself and is keen to acquire total detachment from the world in which she was raised. So, from the outset the audience are aware of Rita’s desire for change. In act two, scene five she informs Frank that she “dropped” the name when she realised it was “pretentious crap”. Frank is unable to accept Rita’s reversion to her birth name of Susan as it represents her change of character.
Rita’s situation at home is unstable. Her husband sees her role as that of wife and potentially the mother of his children. He does not support her decision to seek an education and she is forced to write her essays at the hair salon where she works as a hairdresser. Denny obviously sees her studies as a distraction from and competitor to his desire to have a baby. The linkage is made humorously when Denny burns books after discovering that she is still taking the pill. To Denny Rita’s neglect of home and family for an education is a betrayal. He regards an education as being for children not mature married women who should be getting on with raising a family. He does not understand her need for more in life and therefore understands only that Rita is turning away from him. As Rita says it was as though studying was akin to being unfaithful “why can’t he just let me get on with me learnin’? You’d think I was having a bloody affair the way he behaves” This haphazard approach to her studies is a cause of much comic frustration in Frank who obviously is used to a more business like approach from his other students. (Act one Scene five)
Rita’s studies conflict with the traditional role of women in working class society. Her mother is aware of her own lack of fulfilment as evidenced by her crying in the pub during the singing. The general reaction of the family is not to take this seriously, but to put her sadness down to the effects of drink. Denny is quick to win her round and have her laughing again and she is willing to cover up and go on as though nothing had happened. Rita though sees through to the underlying regret in her mother’s lack of fulfilment and this redoubles her resolve to press on with her own advancement.
There is clearly an attraction between Frank and Rita, but Rita does her best to play it down. For example in Act one scene two, both characters open their souls and there is tension when Frank says “Rita, why didn’t you walk in here twenty years ago?” but Rita extricates herself from an uncomfortable situation with the humorous retort, “Cos I don’t think they would have accepted me at the age of six.”
‘Educating Rita’ deals with a wide range of contemporary issues including class division and mobility, the role of women in society and the importance of education. It also deals with narrower but no less important issues at the level of individual suffering and emotions. Frank hides his despair and cynicism and alcohol; Rita seeks to escape from her own identity through education and a change of name. Even the minor characters whom we never meet, including Rita’s mum, her husband Denny and friends Trish and Tiger have their own personal off-stage tragedies.
In that sense this is a very serious play with a lot to say and without humour it would be very dark and difficult for the audience to accept. In many ways the humour comes naturally out of the situation. Rita’s attempts to recreate herself have a natural element of absurdity as she tries to compete in the academic world without the right background or knowledge. She is bound to make mistakes and it is better that we, the audience laugh with her than at her. We recognise that all of us make mistakes when we are learning and something new and we know to laugh at ourselves is the best response. Frank’s tragedy is equally familiar. He represents those who once had high hopes of a brilliant career but eventually have to come to terms with their mediocrity.
Although the play is hilarious the seriousness is never lost. The humour is mainly at a verbal level and slapstick situation comedy is avoided. The humour helps the author to bring out an essentially optimistic flavour despite all the tragedy. Rita completes her transition and ends the play as a well-rounded individual feeling herself to be in full control of her destiny. She has learned a key lesson on the way that she does not have to change her personality and be like other people to become more mature. As Rita rises, Frank falls as the drama unfolds. The play ends with his carrer at its lowest point after students complain about his drunkenness. However, even for Frank there is the hope of a new start and renewal with his sabbatical to Australia a country which for him symbolises new beginnings.
