Shirley Valentine - How does Shirley change in the course of the play, and how is the play organised to show the importance of these changes?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Shirley Valentine- Coursework

How does Shirley change in the course of the play, and how is the play organised to show the importance of these changes?

The talented Liverpool play writer Willy Russell wrote Shirley Valentine the popular contemporary play. Shirley Valentine was originally a dramatic solo monologue performed by Pauline Collins and uses many of the devices form the solo version. This essay analyses the changes in the life of the central female character. You see a frustrated, stereo typical, middle-aged woman who is emancipated from the kitchen sink and determined to achieve the childhood dreams she didn't fulfil in the early part of her life. In this voyage we see Shirley's life as she sees it and follow her story as she tells it. The author focuses on her past, present and future and in doing so, explores her relationship with other characters and the situations using devices such as flashback, which ultimately lead to her changes.

Willy Russell's use of cinematic devices give the audience insight into Shirley's mind and her feelings. Other devices used are different types of comedy e.g. irony. Voice-overs are also types of devices Willy Russell