One of many dramatic devices Willy Russell uses in this play is flashbacks. In the play the flashbacks help the audience to learn about what Shirley’s life was like and how she is now and how she feels they also give us a way we can empathise with Shirley’s character as we see her past experiences and we compare it to her life currently. We can tell by the flashbacks that Shirley is dissatisfied with her life and wants to go back to being “Shirley Valentine” not the women she is now “Shirley Bradshaw”. She remembers whilst she was “Shirley Valentine” how she was not scared of anything and believed she was invincible “when I was a girl, I used to jump off our roof”, this denotes that when she was young she had great confidence and self esteem. Yet through the years of her marriage to Joe her confidence has decreased and has reached rock bottom and she is now hungry for self assurance. The flashback of Joe and Shirley painting and having a paint fight shows us the man Shirley fell in love with and what they were both once like. It also shows the humour they used to share each other “this is for you moaning Lisa” and “you’re a nutcase”. She called Joe a “nutcase” at an early stage in the marriage but in this context she said it as a joke but we water learn that she is saying it literally. Shirley’s relationship with Joe deteriorated, so that she now feels lonely as she has no relationship at all with Joe. Because of this Shirley ends up talking to the wall showing that she is lonely and feels she is only there to cook and clean for Joe “get on with gettin’ me tea”. The flashbacks help the audience view changes in Shirley. The images of the past remind us of the dreams she once had which have faded away now. Shirley regained her dreams and confidence whilst she was in Greece without her children, without Jane and most of all without she became Shirley Valentine again. This suggests that when Shirley is not surrounded discouraging people her confidence can be found again and she can be on cloud nine. Furthermore even her school “friend” also realises the lack of self belief in Shirley as when she bumped into Marjorie Majors and she says “didn’t you used to be Shirley Valentine” Marjorie realises a lack of confidence instantly. Shirley Bradshaw notices it herself when she says “Goodbye Shirley Valentine” this is the moment where she realises the change and recognized what she has become. Shirley has had to put up her whole life with people underestimating her we learn this from the flashback of her school days when the head teacher asked a question and she says “Oh Shirley do put your hand down. You couldn’t possibly know the answer”. The head teacher discourages Shirley as she is overlooked and some the feelings she felt as a child is mirrored in her as an adult as Joe is like her head teacher. This experience led to another flashback because as she was overlooked she did not care about school and became a rebel. She didn’t care what the rules were, but she did whatever she wanted “I used to wear my school skirt so high you would’ve thought it was a serviette”. This is another portrayal of Shirley’s confidence as a young girl, from this we can see how much Shirley has changed. All these flashbacks help us to understand why Shirley is disgruntled with her life as Shirley Bradshaw.
Encounters with minor characters help the audience to establish Shirley’s character and reveal changes in her life it also makes the audience sympathise with Shirley as we see the way she is treated by her so called family and friends. The first minor character I am going to put under the microscope is Gillian. Shirley and Gillian are not the best of friends, but Willy Russell shows us the effect Gillian has on Shirley. Gillian helps the audience to see Shirley’s rebellious, crafty and audacious side. Gillian boosts Shirley’s confidence both directly and indirectly, “Greedy guts that Joe’s tea you’re guzzling” this is portraying Shirley’s sudden surge of confidence and riotous side of Shirley Valentine. She is not afraid of the consequences when she feeds Gillian’s dog Claymore Joe’s supper. However Gillian does not always bring out the confident old Shirley valentine as you read above but you also feel sorry for Shirley as Gillian rubs it in Shirley’s face about her travelling abroad and that is Shirley’s dream for example when she is complaining about travelling abroad “Bloody Brussels” , “Brussels such a bore” that is Shirley’s dream and she feels jealous. But Shirley humorously adds, “Yeah it must be. All those sprouts”. Shirley is also very sarcastic towards as she exclaims Gillian always has something bigger or better than everybody else “if you’ve got a headache then she’s got a brain tumour” through comments like this we can see Shirley’s witty humour. Also, Gillian is very affluent and she’s very posh and she is a typical woman in the 1980’s who is dependent on her husband. In addition Gillian makes the audience sympathise with Shirley as Gillian uses Shirley as Gillian made Shirley look after Claymore and even though Shirley helps her Gillian still makes Shirley feel inferior. Another minor character I am going to examine is the Greek man Costas. He also builds up Shirley’s confidence by often complimenting her “You are beautiful woman” this made Shirley feel good as this was something that Joe never did as her relationship with Joe was not solid and they did not show a lot of affection for each other.. The appearance is comical as he is stereotypically seen to be a Greek man with a moustache, the Greek accent and the chat up lines. “I give word of honour, I don’t try make fuck with you” this is Costas promising Shirley that he won’t try anything with her. Shirley is reassured and goes on the boat with Costas and she puts her trust in him instantly after she met him. Costas is a caricature of a Greek man he tries his lines on all foreign middle-aged women. However, Shirley is not bothered if he uses his chat up lines on every middle-aged woman because she is not in love with Costas she just likes having someone compliment her so she feels good about herself unlike when she’s back home in Liverpool. Plus she has “fallen in love with the idea of living”. Costas helped Shirley to recover from the life she was leading in Liverpool, and he has helped her to realise her full potential in life as she did not have a complete life in Liverpool she wanted to do more in her life and grow as a person. Shirley is a changed women compared to what she was before. A character who helped Shirley to change is Jane. Jane left Shirley by herself and ran off with a man in the plane which shows she is fickle as she is an extreme feminist but quickly changes her thoughts when a man is interested. But Jane uses Shirley and is disgusted when Shirley demonstrates independence. This leaves Shirley alone in Greece and she learns to survive by herself, and to deal with people. At first she was lonely and spoke to the rock she was used to this as she is lonely in Liverpool and spoke to the wall this made the audience feel sorry for Shirley “That’s rock we met the first day I got here” this makes us sympathise with Shirley because wherever she goes she still feels lonely and does not have the confidence in life to go and make real friends instead of virtual ones. However, later on in the play she talks to people, not objects. That helps Shirley rebuild herself and makes her more positive. When Jane left Shirley by herself Shirley became self reliant and more independent. Her time in Greece has changed her perception of life as when she was back home in Liverpool there was nothing worth living for. She had changed from being a boring housewife afraid to stick up for herself into a confident woman that can express her views it shows what can happen if there is nobody putting you down. “But who invented it? The Greeks”. This is Shirley Valentine telling the holidaymakers the truth; she had the confidence to do so. The holidaymakers were stereotypical English tourists who didn’t enjoy change and this reminds us of Joe back in Liverpool who also didn’t like change and would rebel against it like when Shirley made chips and egg on the day they are meant to have steak. Joe has a very basic routine and Shirley’s job is to cook and clean for him which is not an interesting lifestyle for Shirley. Joe is a chauvinist and treats Shirley like a piece of rubbish and makes her feel guilty. He is also a stereotypical working class husband. This reminds the audience of what Shirley has run away from. The scene with the holiday makers is droll as Shirley wanted a peaceful dinner by herself but then was forced to sit with the other Manchester Guests. She doesn’t enjoy her meal and ends up having an argument with them about Greece. This portrays visual and situational comedy. The next minor character is going to examine is Marjorie Majors during their school days together Shirley envied her as teachers always overlooked Shirley in favour of Marjorie“Oh Shirley, do put your hand down. You couldn’t possibly know the answer” also she felt second-rate as Marjorie was more academically successful and due to this she became a rebel in school and left with poor grades. But when Shirley and Marjorie bump into each other again she feels inferior. Conversely when Marjorie says “I’m a hooker, I’m a whore” she feels better as though Marjorie is no longer better than her. When they met up they realised the grass is greener syndrome as Marjorie would rather be at home with a close friend instead of escorting men. Whilst Shirley would like to be travelling the world instead of staying at home cooking Joe’s supper.
Russell's use of dramatic monologues creates an intimate relationship between the audience and Shirley this makes us empathise and sympathise with Shirley. The audience see how Shirley’s character develops through her time in Liverpool and Greece. Shirley confides in the wall and rock but by talking to these objects she is letting the audience have an insight into her thoughts and feelings through monologues it shows that Shirley is lonely as she does not have a close friend to express her feelings to that is why she articulates her feelings to an object. Shirley has formed a trusting relationship with the audience and often confides her deepest secrets and feelings. Monologues reveal Shirley’s loneliness, but it helps Shirley to see her inner self and examine how much her relationship with Joe has degraded. Shirley feels isolated, and so discusses her relationship with the wall, “He used to laugh, Joe. We both did. Hey, wall you remember when we first moved in here?” She is looking back to the past with the wall as those were the only fun and enjoyable times she had with Joe. She is personifying the wall because she wants to have someone to listen to her problems as nobody else does. Another example of a monologue is when Shirley is in the kitchen when the she tells the wall “I think chips n’ egg is nice for a change don’t you?” This is her complaining to the wall about how unappreciative Joe is. Shirley thinks that Joe will complain about having the wrong meal on the wrong day. This makes us thing there’s a lack of excitement in their life as both Shirley and Joe have a set routine which makes us sympathise with Shirley as she has to live Joe’s way of life meaning she has the same routine hence her life would lack the fun she is wanting. Another talk Shirley has with the wall is about whether Joe loved her or not, “he says he still loves me” “and if you complain he’ll say what’s wrong? You know I love you”. Shirley believes that Joe just says that he loves her, but he feels no affection towards this makes the audience give her pity as she believes she is not loved which is probably true in this case. Voiceovers is another dramatic device used in the play, voiceovers allow the audience to hear the story form Shirley’s point of view. When Shirley used voiceovers at the beginning of the play this how she communicated her emotions as she no longer speaks her mind, as she has no confidence. Monologues and voiceovers allow the audience to understand the story from Shirley’s standpoint.
Russell uses the contrast of setting to represent the changes from Shirley Bradshaw to Shirley Valentine. In Liverpool the weather was always “pouring rain” while in Greece we see “the midday sun on a calm sea”. The setting is representing pathetic fallacy as Shirley's mood and attitude is conveyed through the weather. The scenes in Liverpool are mostly indoor scenes in Shirley’s kitchen, this depicts her sense of imprisonment and the control that Joe has over her. In Liverpool Shirley Bradshaw mostly wore dark blue or black clothing indicating depression and boredom. Nevertheless, on the other hand in Greece the weather is warm and sunny and she is mostly outdoors implying that she has freedom. She also wears colourful and bright clothing which signifies happiness and excitement. In Liverpool Shirley had no confidence within herself as she wasn’t brave enough to wear bright colours as she did not want to stand out and she would rather be unknown. In Greece Shirley is a changed woman in all aspects of life. Through the clothes and colours she wears to the way she acts. The weather is used to render this. In Greece it is vibrant and electrifying showing Shirley Valentine’s mood. The yellow and orange colours conjure up on an image of a daring free spirit. Russell uses setting to reveal to the audience the change in Shirley. She has changed back into Shirley Valentine “the girl that used to be me that used to fly and be free” as there is nobody to discourage her or control her.
The play Shirley Valentine is split into 132 scenes, 57 scenes are set in Liverpool while 75 scenes are set in Greece. The change in scene help to keep the readers interested, as there is a new setting and changes of subject, readers are kept alert by this. The focus of the play is not her life in Liverpool but her reinvention of character in Greece as there are more scenes in Greece compared to Liverpool. This is because Shirley Valentine is happier and has a more interesting life in Mykonos, Greece and the audience would prefer to see Shirley enjoying herself rather than at home with a frown on her face. In Greece there are no flashbacks as Shirley is now more focused on the future , and how she’s going to carry on with her life instead of looking back on her life and wishing that she did things differently and this is how she’s been living in Liverpool she has still been living in the future. Shirley no longer needs flashbacks as she is now confident enough to speak her mind rather than through voiceovers. The pace of the scenes in Greece is more upbeat than in Liverpool along with Shirley’s life. In Greece there are many more things happening in the scenes then in Liverpool, as Shirley is involved in many more things. This shows the audience the development in Shirley’s character as she is now enjoying herself and is different the old Liverpudlian Shirley Bradshaw. In Liverpool Shirley conveyed to the audience that she was unhappy with her life as she said “But I didn’t really hate anything. The only thing I hated was me” she had hated herself in England. She has had this feeling for many years, however when she was in Greece she had, “fallen in love with the idea of living” Shirley had learnt to like living and not to complain about things and be dissatisfied with. Some of the climatic moments in the play are when Joe throws his chips n’ egg over Shirley as he was given the wrong meal on the wrong day, “I am not eatin Shite!” This is Joe referring to Shirley’s food and she gets this treatment most days. This is when Shirley one of the most crucial decisions of her life which is going to Greece, and not consider what Joe is going to do. This makes the audience empathise with Shirley as we know what she wants to get away from. We realise how inconsiderate, unreasonable and immature Joe really is. When Gillian gives Shirley the silk robe is another climatic moment in the play. At this point in the play Shirley was again unsure of whether or not to go to Greece as she had just had the confrontation with Milandra. Milandra destroyed all the confidence Shirley had. When Gillian comes over admiring Shirley’s bravery as Gillian says to Shirley “I think you’re marvellous”. Shirley is astonished that Gillian thought she was brave as nobody has ever told her that and “her eyes light up”. This is what finally persuades Shirley to follow her dream and go to Greece with Jane. When in Greece we know that Shirley has changed with the help of Costas. he has made Shirley feel perfect, even her stretch marks were “lovely because they are a part of you” these compliments boost her confidence which help Shirley to feel independent and free it also makes her confidence sky high. In Liverpool Shirley felt trapped but with the sense of space and that she is free reminds us of the change that she made from “the girl that used to be me that used to be free” Shirley has gone back to what she was previously loved for. During her short two weeks stay in Greece Shirley Bradshaw transformed back into Shirley Valentine.
Finally to conclude Willy Russell uses such as (social, historical and literary) context, dramatic devices (voiceovers, monologues and flashbacks), minor characters, setting, scenes to make the audience sympathise with Shirley Valentine. Firstly he involves his own personal experience in Shirley Valentine’s lifestyle as they both left school with poor academic grades. He also made Shirley Bradshaw a stereotypical wife in those times and he made Joe a stereotypical chauvinist housewife. Another way Russell makes us sympathise with Shirley is the uses of dramatic devices as he makes the audience connect with Shirley and step into her shoes and see how she really lives her life. In addition to that Russell uses minor characters to make us sympathise with Shirley as he shows how all the minor characters use her such as Joe and Milandra plus he showed without all the discouraging characters around her she is a completely different person and has great confidence. Russell also uses setting as when Shirley is very bored and depressed he conveys this in the weather as in Liverpool the weather was always cloudy or rainy however when she is having loads of fun in Greece the weather is warm and sunny. Finally Russell uses scenes to sympathise with Shirley as Russell made the focus of the play not her life in Liverpool but her reinvention of Shirley's character in Greece. As the purpose of the play is to show Shirley’s transformation.
