Monologues
Name:
Year 10 English
Mr Mac
Look at the following words. What do they all have in common?
Monocle Monobrow Monopoly
Now the next set.
Dialogue Biology Decalogue
Together this spells out what a monologue is: ______
There are two basic types of monologue; the internal monologue and the external monologue.
Internal
The internal monologue is perhaps the one we are most familiar with. It is when and actor reveals his/her thoughts to the audience, as though thinking or reasoning aloud. In Shakespeare these are often referred to as a soliloquy. Many of the most famous monologues are internal.
Consider Hamlet’s monologue: (first half)
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
What does the monologue reveal about Hamlet’s mental state?
What decision is he trying to make?
Why show this to an audience?
Often internal monologues show a character wrestling with how to respond to certain situation.
Consider Juliet’s soliloquy from Romeo and Juliet:
Here, even though the soliloquy is her thoughts alone, Romeo listens in.
Jul.O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.40
Rom.[Aside.] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
Jul.’Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself though, not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is not hand, nor foot,Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O! be some other name: What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name; And for that name, which is no part of thee,take all myself.
What thought is Juliet wrestling with?
How does she explain the problem?
What conclusion does she reach?
External
An external monologue is one directed towards another listener, either another character or directly to the audience. This gives rise to greater variety in the types of external monologues.
Aside: An aside is when a character will step out of a play in order to communicate with the audience. Sometimes this is as simple as a wink, other times it is more conspiratorial. Consider Iago’s aside from Othello:
I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,
Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb–
For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too–
Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me.
For making him egregiously an ass
And practising upon his peace and quiet
Even to madness. ’Tis here, but yet confused:
Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used
Dramatic: A Dramatic monologue is an external monologue delivered directly to another character. These tend to be either a narrative monologue or an active monologue.
Narrative: A narrative monologue is one where a character tells a story either to the audience or another character. This narrative monologue is from Doug, an insane asylum patient in Nowra’s ‘Cosi’
Cherry: [to Doug] Go burn a cat.
[she exits]
Lewis: Why are they always saying that?
Doug: That's what I did.
Lewis: Burned a cat?
Doug: No, CATS. See mum had five cats, and me and mum we'd been having some... differences. So one night I rounded 'em up, put 'em in a cage, doused 'em with petrol and put a match to 'em!
[Lewis chuckles, thinking it's a joke. Doug grins and laughs]
Heh-heh! Funny, eh?
[He sits next to Lewis]
Then, I opened up the cage door and I let 'em run loose. Welllll, what a racket. They were runnin' round the backyard, burnin' and howlin'.
[He gives a psychotic little laugh]
No such thing as grace under pressure for a burning cat, lemme tell ya. Then, me mum came outside to see what was happenin'? Darn near freaked out she did. See, I figured I'd wait a couple of hours till the cats were dead and mum was feeling a bit sorry for herself, and I'd go up to the front door and I'd knock on it and I'd say, "Hi, Mum! I'm here to talk about our unresolved conflicts."
But oh no, One of those BLOODY cats ran into the house; a couple of minutes the whole bloody house was on fire. Within half an hour there was no front door to knock on.
Notice how his monologue is more than just any story, it tells the reader something more about the character.
Active: Active monologues are where the character is actively trying to achieve something through their speech. It could be persuading someone, rallying troops, declaring their love, and a variety of other motivations. They almost always are addressed to another character. Below is a romantic speech from When Harry Met Sally:
Harry Burns: I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.
Can you identify his purpose in delivering this speech?
1. Read the passage in Lord of Flies when Ralph is trying to decide whether or not to use the conch to try and call back the boys. Write an internal monologue showing how he feels and what concerns him.
2. In Lord of the Flies, Jack seeks to take control of the group away from Ralph. Write an aside where he reveals his plot to the reader.
3. Write a narrative monologue for Simon about his encounter with the ‘beast’.
4. Write an active monologue for Ralph as he tries to convince the other boys to come back to his leadership and help look after the younger kids.
Motivation
Characters never act or speak without good reasons. They are motivated by internal and external factors. But these occur on different levels.
The first level is referred to as the super-objective. That is the thing in life that is most important to them. This could be power, acceptance, love, success etc. It is the core to everything they do.
The second level is referred to as their objective. That is what they want to achieve in a particular space or situation, this is usually impacted by the super objective, but is definitely distinct.
Consider both of these when examining the following quotes.
1. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.
What are the two things motivating Roger’s behaviour?
How does the author use these to make a point about humanity?
2. His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink.
What about killing the pig is exciting to Jack? (Write as a monologue)
How is this part of the novel significant to Jack’s journey as a character in the novel?
3. “What I mean is . . . maybe it’s only us”
Simon asks this question when speaking of the ‘beast’ the littluns are so afraid of.
What do you think he means by this statement? (write his thoughts as a monologue)
Who/what is the beast?
4. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy.
These lines from the end of Chapter 12 occur near the close of the novel, after the boys encounter the naval officer, who appears as if out of nowhere to save them. When Ralph sees the officer, his sudden realization that he is safe and will be returned to civilization plunges him into a reflective despair.
What do you think is going through Ralph’s mind at this time? (Write your answer as a monologue)
Knowing your character
Developing a monologue requires a strong understanding of the character you’re writing for. This involves considering their appearance, their speech patterns, their friends, their enemies, and their core motivations. Make notes on your chosen character to help prepare for your monologue.
My character: ______
Provide a picture of your character based on descriptions in the novel, remembering to include quotations.
How is your character thought of by others?
Others / Quotes from novelWhat are your character’s three main personal traits? Provide quotes to support your ideas.
Trait #1
Quote:
Trait #2
Quote:
Trait #3
Quote:
Select a key passage from the text that reveals a lot about your character.
Page numbers:
Read through the passage and highlight in different colours, descriptions of your character, your character’s thoughts and dialogue, your character’s actions, and how they are treated/spoken of by others.
Reading over the highlighted sections write two sentences on how your character is presented in the novel.
Using these notes and those previous, write a one page explaining:
· who your character is
· how they are treated
· what values they represent
· which techniques (SAAO, symbol, etc) are used to show these
Example Monologue
Ralph: Should never have let this happen. Should never have let this happen.
(Ralph shaking his head)
Jack’s an idiot, bloody idiot. Divide and rule. What does he think
he’s playing at? Does nobody want to go home? I miss my family. Don’t
they miss theirs? I just can’t understand (sighs). What’s wrong with
him?
It’s his fault we’re still here on this stupid island. He should have
watched the fire like we said, not disappear off into the jungle.
Showing off, “I cut the pig’s throat.” So what. Who cares! We can all
do that if we want to, anyone can be a hunter. It’s so pointless, he
did it on purpose we were nearly there. He did it on purpose, I know
he did.
(Ralph quietens down momentarily appearing thoughtful)
If only Jack had done as he was told we would never missed that ship.
Stupid face painting, do that at six not at his bloody age.
(Kicks the ground in exasperation, throws his hands around his head
grabbing his hair)