Another theme shown in the play is that of the daily grind of everyday life and feeling trapped. This is shown when Shirley is sitting on the bus, soaking wet, talking to the camera about how she feels.
Shirley’s strong character stands out in a number of ways.
Voiceovers are used to show Shirley’s character. In these voiceovers Shirley says things out of the ordinary that at the beginning of the film you would never have thought Shirley would say. An example of these are; “I used to wear my skirt so high you would have thought it was a serviette” (p25 Scene 25) this shows the rebellious side of Shirley that is determined to do what she wants to do and won’t be told otherwise. “I used to pick on Marjorie somethin’ rotten” (p27 scene 26) this also shows the rebellious side of Marjorie but in both of these examples Shirley is talking about how she used to be rather than what she is now in the life that she now leads. Further on into the book Shirley’s old character begins to show through again “I’m Shirley the brave, Shirley the marvellous… Shirley Valentine” this shows that Shirley’s independence is coming back through into her life.
Flashbacks throughout the story show the way Shirley was before she met Joe and became just another ordinary person. When Shirley was at school she couldn’t care less about anyone else and lived her life the way she wanted it to be. As a school child Shirley was determined that should do what she wanted to and not what she was told to do. This is shown through a flashback on page 25 scene 25 where Shirley is smoking and when she gets caught she does not panic or even care the slightest. Page 8 Scene 11 is a good example of Shirley’s loud and strong character. In this scene her and her friends are joking about clitorises and Shirley is cracking jokes. On page 12 scene 15 Shirley and Joe are painting and they are fooling around. This shows Shirley’s rebellious streak at not being bothered about being covered in paint. The next scene is also a good example of the way Shirley is different from other people. Her and Joe are in the bath together and she talks about them being “darin’ young things”.
Close ups are used frequently in the film usually when Shirley is talking about her feelings in a soliloquy. These are used to show she is bold and strong. These also show that she is the main character.
Soliloquies are used to show the way Shirley is thinking and feeling at a particular moment. Most of these are directed to the wall or the rock that Shirley talks to about her feelings. Shirley’s independence is shown clearly threw these. Shirley knows herself that she is independent and can live without Joe. Shirley talks to the wall about leaving Joe and wanting to go to Greece. This shows that she is strong and knows she can do it.
Interior and Exterior setting are used throughout the play. These show the different ways in which people think and act in different situations. When Shirley is out of the house and away from Joe she is a much more confident person and begins to believe in herself. This is especially shown when she is in Greece and goes away with Costas for the day.
When Shirley is in the kitchen preparing meals for Joe and cleaning she is just like any other normal housewife that does as she’s told to keep her husband happy. When Shirley is outside the house shopping or having lunch with Jane she is independent and takes up her role as Shirley Valentine. She is much more confident in herself when she away from Joe. When she is out shopping, she sees Gillian and tells her the underwear she is buying is for her lover, Gillian believes her. This gives Shirley a real confidence boost and quirky Shirley becomes obvious again.
Role – reversals are a good way of showing Shirley’s rebellious streak because they are linked to how Shirley was as a child, Page 45 scene 50, Shirley tells Millandra that she is going to Greece and Millandra tells Shirley that she thinks it’s a disgrace. Shirley then argues back and uses sarcasm as a way of arguing with Millandra. This is a role reversal as Millandra is acting as if she is Shirley’s mother and Shirley argues back like a child.
When Shirley is given the silk robe, she is nervous at first about wearing it, but then her old “don’t care less” attitude comes back and she says to herself “From now on when I look in the mirror, I’m not goin’ to say ‘christ Shirley you’re forty- two’ – I’m goin’ to say, ‘Hey Shirley, you’re only forty – two.’ When Shirley is walking through town laden down with shopping bags, she talks about Joe telling her he loves her in a joking, quirky way which makes her strong character stand out again, against the normal day she is having.
A lot of Shirley’s strong independent character is shown through moments of comedy. Most of these are through the use of sarcasm, which can, at times make Shirley seem mad, but this adds to her strong character. When Shirley is sarcastic towards Joe at the dinner table she sounds more like her strong character as Shirley Valentine rather than the weak unconfident person Joe has made her. She says to him “Well it looks like Chips an’ egg to me - but maybe it’s a trick question,” this annoys Joe but instead of shutting up Shirley uses the rebellious side of her character to wind him up even more. Even when Joe throws his dinner over Shirley she doesn’t begin to cower or act as if she is scared of him she stands up to him and is strong.
Overall Shirley’s strong character is brought out a lot more when she is away from Joe living her own life the way she wants it.
Props are used in the play to show the way Shirley is feeling. In Liverpool when she Shirley is out shopping she has handfuls of shopping bags and is weighed down. When she is in Greece at the local market all Shirley is carrying is a small shopping bag. This shows the great weight that has been lifted from Shirley’s shoulders since she went to Greece. Wine is also used to show Shirley’s feelings when she is around different things. When Shirley has a glass in her she feels happy as if she has treated herself. It also shows the rebellious side of the old Shirley Valentine peeping through.
