Examples of monologues:
Spilled Milk by Kellie Powell Background Info: Joan returns from a year away at college and confronts an old friend at her homecoming party. Just before Joan departed, her friend Helen did something Joan considers unforgivable - she failed to protect Joan from a possible threat of sexual assault.
JOAN: It happened right here, you know. Almost a year ago. Right before I left. He came to the party with Kevin and his friends. And he liked you right away. Like they always do. Oh, I got used to being invisible, whenever you were around a long time ago. I mean, just look at you. And look at me. If I were a guy, I wouldn't look twice at me, either. The point is, he wanted you. No surprise. He saw you, he wanted you. And you definitely didn't want him. And he could tell. And that was when I moved in for the kill.
Everyone was drinking. People were starting to leave. We were sitting on the floor in the living room, and I kissed him. You saw us, and you watched me bring him up here. And then you went to sleep on the couch. Like you had a dozen other nights, after a dozen other parties. And then... everyone else left. I brought him here. We were kissing... and he was a good kisser. And he... he started... and I didn't stop him. And then, he went downstairs, to the bathroom. And he was gone a long time. And when he came back, he brought a condom.
I woke up the next morning, and he was gone. And I put on my clothes, and I came downstairs, and you were there, sleeping. And I woke you up, and I told you what had happened. I told you that I had slept with him. And you know what you told me? You said, "I woke up, in the middle of the night, and he was on top of me."
He was feeling you up, in your sleep. He was groping you, basically molesting you... while you were passed out. I mean, that's what you said, right? It was... strange, how it didn't really seem to bother you. But I guess you've had guys do worse. You told me all this... so calmly. Like, it meant so little... You said, "I woke up, and I made him stop, and I kept telling him, 'Go back to Joan. Go back upstairs with Joan.'" You said, "I gave him a condom from my purse." Why? Why would you do that? I mean, what is wrong with you? A guy tries to assault you while you're passed out, and you think, "I know. I'll send him upstairs to my best friend. "Why?
Why didn't you kick him out of my house? You could have screamed bloody murder and woken up my parents. You could have threatened to press charges. What he did was assault. What do you think would have happened if you hadn't woken up? He could have raped you. And you... you sent him back to me. How generous. How benevolent. Why didn't you warn me? Why did you wait until the next morning to tell me what he did? Why didn't you tell me right then? God, Helen. I mean, think about it. You send this guy, this guy... who has just violated you... up to my attic. What do you think would have happened if I had said no?
It never occurred to you... that I might say no? Well, sure. That makes sense. I mean, I had certainly brought enough guys up to the attic that summer, hadn't I? Yeah. I mean, I kissed this guy this guy, who I barely knew. So, I guess I deserved whatever I got. And you were right. I mean, I didn't say no. But I would have. If I had known what he had done to you, I would have. But you didn't know that? Oh, right. Because I'm such a slut. It's what you were thinking, though. It had to be. It's the only explanation. You had a chance to protect me, and you didn't. Because you never thought, not even for a second, that I would say no...
I was drowning! ...And you couldn't see it. You were my best friend. And you couldn't see it. All I wanted was for someone... to look at me the way they all looked at you. I just wanted someone... to want me. I did it to prove that I existed. That I wasn't invisible. And you... you were oblivious.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
ROB: What came first? The music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns or watching violent videos that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands, of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery, and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music? It would be nice to think that since I was 14, times have changed. Relationships have become more sophisticated. Females less cruel. Skins thicker. Instincts more developed. But there seems to be an element of that afternoon in everything that's happened to me since. All my romantic stories -- are a scrambled version of that first one.
Number two on the top five all-time breakup list...was Penny Hardwick. Penny was great looking, and her top five recording artists were Carly Simon, Carole King, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, and Elton John. (Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" plays over this flashback on a high school campus now) She was nice. Nice manners, nice grades, nice looking. She was so nice, in fact, that she wouldn't let me put my hand underneath on even on top of her bra. Attack and defense. Invasion and repulsion. It was as if breasts were little pieces of property that had been unlawfully annexed by the opposite sex. They were rightfully ours and we wanted them back. Sometimes I got so bored of trying to touch her breast that I would try to touch her between her legs. It was like trying to borrow a dollar, getting turned down, and asking for 50 grand instead. I wasn't interested in Penny's nice qualities, just breasts. And therefore, she was no good to me.
Number three in the top five all-time breakup list? Charlie Nicholson. Sophomore year of college. (Charlie, to our surprise, is played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.) As soon as I saw her, I realized she was the kind of girl I'd wanted to meet ever since I was old enough to want to meet girls. I mean, she was different. She was dramatic and she was exotic. And she talked a lot and when she talked she said remarkably interesting things about music, books, film and politics. And she talked a lot. And she liked me. She liked ME. She LIKED me. At least I think she did. (clears throat) We went out for two years. And I never got comfortable. Why would a girl, no, a woman, like Charlie go out with me? I felt like a fraud. I felt like one of those people who suddenly shave their heads and said they'd always been punks. I was sure I'd be discovered at any second. And I worried about my abilities as a lover. And I was intimidated by other men in her design department and became convinced she was gonna leave me for one of them. (beat) Then she left me for one of them. The dreaded Marco.
Funny by Christyna Belden Background Info: Young man who has had years of emotional and physical abuse, confronting his peers.
You don't know me, and you probably never will. No, please don't stop and stare, I don't like it when you get to close. For my entire life people pass me by, and now I am used to it. Anything else would confuse me. Ok, Ok, I actually have a lot of friends. You see, I make people laugh; I'm the 'Funny' guy. Because when people are busy laughing they are not thinking about what is going on in my life, they just think "Man is he funny"... and funny is good.
There are some people that say I'm too funny, that I need to grow up and take life serious. What they don't know is that my life is serious enough without their help. Sure it is easy to look at me and judge me at face value, but they don't know the real me on the inside. There are others that think I am bad, bad for myself, bad for those around me. I hope not, I never thought of myself as being bad, just funny. Look, I know I'm not anyone's idea of the perfect person but what's wrong with laughing? Isn't there enough misery in life... laugh it up that's what I say.
I am more comfortable when you ignore the real me, the one I never let you see; I keep him hidden where he is safe. Because if I let you meet him, you have the power to hurt him, and that isn't funny. I have been hurt before and I wanted to die, and maybe on the inside I did a little. Do you know what that is like? To find out that the world isn't safe like you thought it was? I found that out early in life. I wanted the world to be a safe place but it didn't work out that way. Do you think I wanted my life like this? Do you think I wanted to lose my innocence? Well it's not a safe world at all. So you are better off to just laugh at it... it's much safer.
Oh I know there are people that don't approve of me and that's ok, because if I don't have your approval you leave me alone and that's the way I want it. I don't like it when you are in my life trying to figure me out. It bothers me and I don't want you getting to close. Close isn't safe, you get to close and then you can see things I don't want you to see; secrets about my life that I have hidden from you. Now I know that you will assume what everyone else does, my secrets are bad things I've done. But what if I told you that my secrets were bad things that happened to me? Would it make a difference? Would you accept me then? But you see I don't want you do accept me because you feel sorry for me, I want you to accept me because you like me, for me.
So let me be funny, it's where I am safe, and if you can't let me be funny then just leave me alone. I am laughing through my tears and that isn't funny.
Your assignment: In order to get you thinking about and experimenting with the elements of good drama (character, setting, dialogue, action), you are going to create a monologue, a moderately lengthy speech spoken by one character to another character who is not speaking. You may also choose a soliloquy, a speech read only to the audience when no other characters are around. The monologue/soliloquy will be worth 20 points.
1. First, give a brief summary of the context for the monologue. Who is the character speaking? Where is he? Who is he talking to and why?
2. Then write the monologue itself. The character must be telling another character or the audience something particularly revealing. The monologue may be about:
• a dream that caused the character to rethink something
• something meaningful that happened as a child
• something that changed the character's life
• a decision that ended up being the wrong one
• a decision the character is trying to make now (Think Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy)
• something the character is angry or upset about
• anything else that reveals character through spoken words
Each student will present his/her monologue to the class.