The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: George Ryga
- First Published: 1970
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: The late 1960’s
- Setting: An unnamed city
- Principal Characters: Rita Joe, Jaimie Paul, David Joe, The Magistrate, The Singer, Mr. Homer, Miss Donahue
- Genres: Social realism, Drama
- Subjects: Justice, 1960’s, United States or Americans, Memory, Racism, Prejudices or antipathies, Trials, Native Americans or American Indians, City life, Imagination
- Locales: United States
The Play
The Ecstasy of Rita Joe begins as a trial. Rita Joe is the defendant, alone and without representation, against a policeman, who acts as witness against her, and the Magistrate, who will decide her fate. As the Magistrate’s opening lines demonstrate, he is determined to be stern but fair. Rita Joe’s first words, however, undermine the Magistrate’s eloquent exposition: She was picked up by undercover policemen who offered her money and then arrested her for prostitution. The Magistrate continues his paean to justice while Rita Joe professes her innocence...
[The entire page is 2635 words long]
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