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Separation Between Social Classes In Willy Russell's Play Educating Rita

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This Essay aims to look at the way in which Willy Russell‘s Play Educating Rita covers many serious themes whilst being a successful comedy. The main themes in the play; Separation between social classes, breakdown in relationships and personal growth will be analysed to show how Russell’s use of different techniques brings in comedy to lighten the seriousness of these issues.

One of the main serious issues highlighted in Educating Rita is the separation between social classes. Russell introduces Rita into the play with dialogue that makes her appear loud and overly confident. Rita uses common, slang language such as “I’m comin’ in, aren’t I? It’s that stupid bleedin’ handle on the door. You wanna get it fixed!” This use of language and her mannerisms suggests to the reader that Rita is from an uneducated, lower social class background. Frank however, speaks with a more complex dialogue and doesn’t use slang words. This makes the reader assume he is from an upper class, well educated background. Russell’s use of contrast in language gives an insight into the separation between social classes, as well as adds a comedic aspect. The pair often cannot understand each other’s choice of phrase or references to different things, the confusion between Yeats the poet and Yates the wine cellar is an example of how the class separation is shown in a humorous manner. Rita’s use of “degrees for dishwashers” to describe her university course shows both her sarcastic, funny side but also that she feels lower class or inferior compared to the other students. Rita is also clearly upset by the class separation when she does not turn up to Frank’s dinner party in fear she will be laughed at. Russell uses the hyperbole “I didn’t want to come to your house just to play the court jester” exaggerating the fact Rita felt she would be laughed at if she went. This reference also is quite witty and amusing for the reader.
Another of the serious topics highlighted in the play is breakdown in relationships. Russell clearly shows Rita is in an collapsing relationship from the use of the analogy about her husband, “Its like drug addicts, they hate it when one of them tries to break away”. This shows how unhealthy the relationship with

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