The plot is a reworking of the old Pygmalion motif: As time goes by, Frank gradually overcomes his initial repulsion to teach English literature to an utterly uneducated person. Eventually, his rising ambition to turn Rita into a respectable and educated member of society gets the better of him, and when he sees how quickly Rita learns he falls in love with his own creation. Failing to see that Rita is no longer dependent on him, he asks her to spend the rest of his life with him, but Rita -- or rather Susan, as she calls herself now again -- politely refuses.
Educating Rita is a play for two characters and set entirely in Frank's office at the university, whereas the filmed version includes a number of minor characters who are only talked about in the stage play.
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