shirley valentine

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Modern Drama Assignment

‘Shirley Valentine’ by Willy Russell

Focusing on the 3 extracts from Shirley Valentine, but referring to the play as a whole. Show how Willy Russell presents Shirley’s life.

The play of Shirley Valentine is about a middle aged women who was a rebel in her younger days, she goes on holiday to find a better life, she goes to find ‘Shirley valentine’ because she was bored and depressed just stuck in her house all the time. She feels that she is taken for granted and thinks there is a better lifestyle waiting for her.

        By the end of the play we see that Shirley and Joe are reunited just like they were when they were young. Willy Russell takes us into flashbacks through the whole story; this is one of many dramatic techniques used in the play to show Shirley’s past. Russell showed the couple as a loving young couple but they end up as an older couple feeling young again.

        In the first extract we are shown Shirley and Joe as a young happily married couple painting their kitchen. They are playful and loving. Willy sets the atmosphere as a happy one. Shirley has a high self a steam and she is enjoying herself with Joe. The language used in the first extract is in a rude manor but it’s playful as they are young and happy. He uses words like ‘you little bugger’ and ‘you’re a bloody head case’. Some people may find this offensive but I think it sets a joyful scene. The language is appropriate and funny. Russell uses the swear words to a good quantity, enough to not get too rude and enough to have a laugh about. There is a bit of word play used as well like when Shirley say’s ‘here, Van Gogh’ and Joe replies ‘this is for you moaning Lisa’ this shows that they are young, happy and free. Willy Russell also uses rude jokes to show they are happy like when they are in the bath together Shirley say’s ‘does this mean were perverted’.

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        The second extract is very different to the first one because they are a lot older and a lot more argumentative towards each other unlike the fist one where they enjoyed each others company, now all they want to do is be apart from each other. The scene stars with Shirley talking to the wall, whilst make the tea, this is a dramatic technique that’s shows us Shirley’s inner feelings. She is talking about why she is terrified about leaving Joe and how nobody would want her. We see Shirley’s self a steam has decreased. This extract comes across as ...

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