How the Key Characters change as the play progresses Essay Example

Rita considers Frank to be an educated man but her likening for him is increased by the fact that she perceives him to have a grasp on reality.Frank however, is not perfect. Frank seems to be a middle-aged alcoholic; he is like this pretty much throughout the whole play.

In one scene where he explains to his girlfriend why he has taken on Rita, he says:"Yes...Yes I suppose I did take it on to pay for the drink"However, before condemning Frank as pitiful alcoholic it is important to consider the circumstances surrounding his addiction. The reasons may not be dissimilar to Rita's, he is dissatisfied with his life, everything is the same day in and day out.

However, he is not completely like Rita as he is unwilling to change and instead drowns his sorrows in drink.This is one of the reasons that his wife has left him. When Rita asks him why they had spilt up, he tells her that they spilt up because of poetry and that his wife wanted him to have something to write about. His relationship with his girlfriend Julia is not going too well either because Frank does not believe he is good enough for her.One may automatically assume that Rita and Frank will be a social mismatch, but it could be suggested that it is these differences that draw them together.

They both come from two societies that are polar opposites. Their culture is entirely different inside and out.There are many examples of this; a memorable moment is when Rita refers to a television actor on ITV"..

.Y'know like Farrah Fawcett Majors""Who?""It's a telly programme on ITV""Ah""You wouldn't watch

ITV though would y'? It's all BBC with you, isn't it?"Differences like these add up to their unique lifestyle. Although a difference in television channels is hardly significant, all these small features add up to make totally different people. Another example is when Rita calls Frank a "Flora man", depicting her impression of middle-class life. Her perception of middle-class people is of them using no cholesterol margarine and pebble-dashed bread.The way they talk, their accent, speech and grammar is very different as well.

At the start, Frank is somewhat shocked by Rita's common accent and her dialogue as she barges through his door. Frank does however, become accustomed to her speech and dialogue but she still confuses Frank throughout the play with her slang:"What in the name of God is being off ones cake?""Soft. Y'know mental"Perhaps it is the fact that they both idolise each other's way of life, and the way they compose themselves that draws them to each other. One could say that; Frank has Rita portrayed as 'marvellous in her own way'.

They have an instant likeness for each other at the start of the play.In comparison to the typical student who Frank so often encounters and who he often has the 'urge to chuck through his window', Rita adds interest to his life. Rita is different to "the average student" as she is unlike other student and does not take education for granted."I think you're marvellous. Do you know, I think you're the first breath of air that's been in this room for years"She is certainly more grounded and knows more about the harsh realities of life. To Frank she has

a freshness of thought.

This is perhaps what makes her unafraid to speak her mind.Frank is attracted to her character and does not want to change her into an "average student". He does not want her to be another pompous intellect. This difference can be compared to the analogy of a ray of light turning into darkness. By undertaking his role as a lecturer he risks killing a pure and openhearted character into another "typical student".

While through the stage of learning, the relationship between Frank and Rita grows stronger and deeper. They both see each other's problems; Rita's work and Frank dissatisfaction and drink problem. Rita however, is still anxious and shy about herself and has problems in her life. There are those problems that can be seen and understood by others but most of Rita's problems lie deep within herself.

As a result, she is unwilling to believe Frank when he say's she is wonderful, as she believes that she is not good enough for either of the worlds she is caught up in.The way she is caught up in two worlds ties with her problems at home. At home her husband Denny is pressuring her into have a baby. Rita however wants to "discover herself".

During the course of the play the relationship between her and her husband leads to her continually reconsider whether she should do the course.Rita has a lot to learn at the start of the play and since she has not had an orthodox upbringing, she has a lot to learn such as writing essays. An example of this is when Rita had to do an essay on how

she would resolve the staging difficulties, on a production of Ibsen's "Peer Gynt". To Frank's shock she wrote "Do it on the radio", Frank was extremely shocked with this answer and told her that she would not get many if any marks for that in an exam. Rita then tried a second go and managed to expand it into a paragraph. Rita saw this as a huge accomplishment as Frank was lost for words.

She then changed her self a lot; for one she split up with Denny and didn't have to worry about what he thought. Her determination to continue the course came a little while before when she and Denny split up, when one night her confidence wavered when asked to join Frank at a dinner party with Denny.Preparing for the dinner party, she was extremely self-conscious, (especially portrayed in the film), where she spent time trying lots of different dresses and trying to persuade Denny to come too. Eventually she came to Frank's house alone and decided she didn't fit in there. She then went to join Denny at the pub, her will to succeed at the course and prove herself and differ her from the working class on the verge of shattering, when suddenly a song was being sung throughout the pub. She had a choice, join Denny and give up her course or stay firm and continue with it.

In the end she started to sing when she noticed her mother crying. Rita asked her why she was crying and her mother replied:"Because-Because we could sing better songs than those."That is what triggered it. From then on Rita was prepared to

do anything to give her life a meaning.Now that she was willing to do anything, then came the time when she decided she had to change.

After Rita sees a Macbeth play she is enlightened and is aware of the great pieces of literature. However now that she can recognise literature she had to learn the art of criticism and that her essays cannot be subjected to sentimentality. She performed an essay on Macbeth full of sentimentality and it was heart breaking for Frank to tell Rita that in an exam her essay is "worthless" but shouldn't be. This is probably the key turning point in the play for Rita.

She is told by Frank that if she wants to do well in the course she has to change, not her effort or her common personality, but she ha to change herself in its entirety. Frank is afraid of her changing and tries to persuade her not to do so."I don't know that I want a to teach you....

..What you already have is valuable"Yet Rita will not listen, she is now obsessed to becoming what she calls a "proper student". To Franks words she responds with:"Valuable? What's valuable?.

..But don't you realise I want to change!"Rita changes in that instance and shows no sign of changing back.While the learning stage, Frank undergoes some changes too. He has become more outgoing and sees there are better things to do than drink. He also turns to be more open and accepting with things.

For example when Rita gave in her meagre essays he may have before been very annoyed or not bothered, but instead he does his job

for a change and helps her in an understanding way.Another example is when Rita took him too an amateurs play which he would not have done ever before. Let alone going out to a place without drink, the play is done by amateurs is Frank's immediate thought. Reluctantly he is dragged at the start but than goes willing.

"Oh y' an awful snob, aren't y'?" -Rita"All right-come on" -FrankLater on it is him who is inviting Rita to go out, at a dinner party.Rita then goes to a summer school where she continues with her studies and her change. When she comes back it seem s that both the characters have changed.Rita has obviously changed but so has Frank.

At the start of Act 2 Scene 1 Rita comes in as new person with hardly a trace of Rita in Act 1. For one thing she comes in wearing new clothes, which are second hand, so she is keeping to her promise of not getting a new dress. Also when she gives a brief description of her holidays it is easy to tell that she had changed. Before she was scared of the other students who she deemed as "proper students", but now she is friends with them and sees herself as a "proper student".She has also learnt how to be serious when necessary.

Previously she would just mess around but later on she became self-conscious and didn't wish to meet people in fear of them seeing her still as clowning around. However she can now talk to people and know what to say. An example of this when she was asked about the poet Ferlinghetti by

a tutor:"It was right on the tip of my tongue to say, "Only when it's served with parmesan cheese" but, Frank, I didn't, I held it back...

"Her confidence, which before was hardly measurable, improved considerably. The previous quote in a way shows that her confidence has grown, by not running away later on and instead going into a conversation. But a fine example that her confidence has really improved is when during her first lecture at the end Rita stuck her hand up and asked a question."Honest to God, I stood up, an' everyone's lookin' at me...

...so I did it, I asked him the question"It is not too particularly clear after she just came back from summer school, but one could say that Rita has left behind the middle class completely and is not even a mixture of the two worlds anymore. Rita has now not only left in fact, it seems that she believes she is above the world she used to live in and looks down on it all. Rita seems to have become what Frank feared; another middle-classed stuck up intellect.

"I got around to reading it you know, Rubyfruit Jungle. It's excellent"" (Laughing) Oh go way, Frank. Of its type it's quite interesting. But it's hardly excellent"She has even turned her back on what was her favourite book, one that she even carried around with sometimes. This book may have even started her fondness of literature, but now as she enters another class she discards it.

She has changed her name back to Susan and is annoyed with Frank still calling her Rita. She now calls her changing her name was an

act of "pretentious crap"Along with her name her lifestyle has changed too. She lives in a flat with a person called Trish, a middle-class that is basically a representative of Frank's entire hated genre of people. Rita tries to copy her and in a way, Trish turns into a type of older sister for her. Rita tries for a little while to change her voice like Trish's to Frank's disapproval."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""Well will you kindly tell Trish that I'm not giving a tutorial to a Dalek?"She makes new friends at the Open University as well. Before Rita was scared to talk to the people she deemed proper students. But now as she views herself as a proper student, she regularly has conversations with them. Even more it seems she entered an inner circle with her friends. She regularly has debates with them as well.

She seems to create a unique bond with one of them:"Tiger they call him, he's the mad one"She now works at a new place. Instead of the hairdressers she works at a local bistro. Frank was upset when he wasn't informed and Rita just hastily replied that she has no time for irrelevant detail. Irrelevant detail was the product of working at the hairdressers and she has no time for that any more.She has literately changed her entire life now.

She has got a new job, new friends a new place to live with a new flatmate. Most of this is done without Frank's knowledge. Perhaps Frank's manner of

mood is due to both jealousy and him being upset about turning Rita into another tiresome student.Frank has now got a deep resentful felling towards Rita and her new shallow and callous lifestyle. No longer it seems that Frank views Rita as a breath of fresh air, but as a foul stench of the shallow middle class society.

Frank does not blame her transformation entirely on her however. He finds other people to blame on her change; people at her summer school, her new roommate Trish and namely himself. While mocking Rita about her changing names than seeing that like an act which is beneath her, he makes fun and gives a statement by saying that he should change his name to Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley is a writer who wrote the book Frankenstein, this is a about a scientist who creates a monster. He refers this too himself by implying that he created Rita into a monster.

However angry Frank is with Rita he never blames her for change, this implies his unique fondness for her. He acts like a protective parent.He summarises her change as if she hadn't done anything at all but change a class. (He refers to the night in the pub when her mother started crying)."Found a culture have you, Rita? Found a better song to sing have you? No-you've found a different song to song, that's all-and on your lips it's shrill and hollow and tuneless"Frank changes as well over the summer a bit, or one could say things changed around him. For instance his girlfriend Julia left and for another person in the movie, but in the play she

just leaves than comes back to him.

Frank then after the holidays turns back to how he use to be and starts drinking heavily. It seemed he was controlling his drinking habit before the holidays when Rita was the "breath of fresh air", but now he has reverted to worse than his old state. The effect of Rita turning into another student has taken its toll on Frank.Frank's condition even disconcerts Rita and she starts to try to avoid him. She ends up late says she been talking to friends than says there is no point continuing the lesson for that day. She still has feelings for him however, which stops her from stopping the lessons when approached by Frank.

"You really don't have to put in the odd appearance out of sentimentality; I'd rather you spared me that"Now their relationship is at an all time low. They are both disgruntled with each other. Frank is annoyed with Rita's new character and her pity, which he receives. Rita is upset with Frank for being upset with her change and saying that she doesn't even understand what is important anymore.

Also she does not like him drinking non-stop.Their relationship is on the verge of shattering when the biggest turning point in Act 2; Rita's Flatmate Trish tries to top herself. This spins Rita's head around, her friend who had so much going for her, tried to live a long healthy night, decided one night that life wasn't worth living. This is the same for Rita too and she has now just figured it.Shortly she takes her exams and does well, but when she goes back too Frank she

says he was right. There was nothing she learnt but some "empty quotes" and she had nearly lost her entire perspective on life.

Realising that Frank was right and that he was a good teacher who has perspective on life, she goes back to tell him that but then she finds out that he is moving to Australia for two years because of his drink problems. She is shocked about this and is left with options. Go and live with Frank in Australia, go with Tiger and his friends or go to her mothers and/or have a baby.During the whole ordeal the relationship between the two main characters fluctuate in friendship. Rita ends up in her same situation at the start of the play but is now educated.

She hasn't really made any new friends except for Frank, Trish one could say doesn't look up to no more and Tiger she said:"He's bit of a Wanker really"So she has not ended up with much. As for Frank he like Rita earned some life experience and learnt some skills in life like understanding, caring and persistence.What is significant about this play about a relationship between two characters did so well and received many awards. The key to this two-hander play without soliquys is that life experience was put in.

It wasn't just a play but also an autobiography in a way. Willy Russell who wrote it started off as a hairdresser seeking an education in English Literature. He became a student than a writer. One could say that he knew how hard it was to understand criticism well and keep in touch with life; this is how

the play of an epic struggle for Rita to seek an education was so detailed elegantly.The play ends with Frank giving Rita a new dress signifying a new educated woman.

As the two part their separate ways, it is applicable to say that they will never forget their time together. One could argue that they loved each other, but than one could say that they simply admired each other and only loved their different backgrounds. As Shakespeare wrote in a play