Soliloquy

A Soliloquy (from Latin *solus* 'alone' and *loqui* 'to speak') is a dramatic monologue, a speech delivered by a character while alone on stage, typically revealing their innermost thoughts, feelings, and motivations to the audience. Unlike a dramatic monologue which is directed towards other characters, a Soliloquy is a private self-address. It serves to provide insight into a character's mind, advance the plot, and create dramatic irony, as the audience becomes privy to information not shared with other characters. Through this technique, playwrights often explore themes of introspection, moral conflict, and the complexities of human nature, making the character's inner world the stage.

Soliloquy meaning with examples

• In Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, the famous 'To be or not to be' speech is a soliloquy. Hamlet contemplates suicide and the afterlife, wrestling with his grief, anger, and indecision. This iconic moment reveals the character's deep internal turmoil and the agonizing choices he faces, effectively pulling the audience into his psyche and offering a window into his troubled soul.
• Lady Macbeth's soliloquies in Shakespeare's *Macbeth* highlight her ambition and ruthless nature. In one pivotal scene, she steels herself before Duncan's murder, expressing her resolve to commit the act. This internal debate showcases her descent into darkness, allowing the audience to understand her motivation and the moral transformation she undergoes.
• In Eugene O'Neill's *Long Day's Journey into Night*, each member of the Tyrone family delivers soliloquies, revealing their individual pain and dysfunction. These introspective moments expose the characters' vulnerabilities, secrets, and the underlying resentments that plague their relationships. This approach immerses the viewer into the very raw emotions of these broken individuals.
• The Wicked Witch of the West's frequent soliloquies in *The Wizard of Oz* often reveal her wicked nature, motives, and the plans she had to get Dorothy's ruby slippers. Through these pronouncements, the audience learns of her internal state and can better understand the depth of her depravity and thirst for power in ways never previously seen.