Educating Rita Raises Serious Issues Essay -- Educating Rita Essays

Educating Rita Raises Serious IssuesEducating Rita was voted best comedy of the year when performed bythe royal Shakespeare Company in 1980 and by 1983 it had risen to bethe fourth virtually popular pretend on the British stage. Russell uses sense of humouras a tool to engage and entertain his audience whilst at the same sequencedealing with serious topics. Without the humour, the play would beless accessible and would probably have reached a much more limitedand elitist audience.The play is naturalistic with a fixed and simple staging, which firmlyreflects the real world. The entire play is set in one study room in ared brick university. The room is bluffs milieu - cluttered withbooks representing both the world of cognition and the disorderedstate of Franks mind and life. It is a far cry from the world towhich Rita is used, but one to which she aspires in her quest to findherself. By contrast Frank is disillusioned with his life as anacademic and the audience quickly gath ers the cast that Frankwould escape from his world if only he could.This theme is enshroudd hilariously from the opening of the play. Ritasbungled attempt to enter the room, fumbling with the door handle andcursing, is a metaphor for the apparent barriers between Ritasworking class environment and the middle class, educated world thatshe is trying to break into. The poor turf on the other side on theoutside wont be qualified to get in. An you wont be able to get out(Act one, scene one)The pair between Ritas language and academic setting provides agreat ejaculate of humour throughout the play. Ritas accent and dialectclearly sets her apart and so does the constant swearing and joking.At times however... ...ntually have to come to harm withtheir mediocrity.Although the play is hilarious the seriousness is never lost. Thehumour is mainly at a verbal level and slapstick situation comedy isavoided. The humour helps the author to bring out an essentiallyoptimistic flavour disdain all the tragedy. Rita completes hertransition and ends the play as a well-rounded several(prenominal) feelingherself to be in full control of her destiny. She has learned a keylesson on the way that she does not have to change her temper andbe like other people to become more mature. As Rita rises, Frank fallsas the drama unfolds. The play ends with his carrer at its last-placepoint after students complain about his drunkenness. However, even forFrank there is the hope of a new start and renewal with his sabbaticalto Australia a country which for him symbolises new beginnings.