English 10 / Unit 6: Drama and Tragedy
6.2 Soliloquy, Aside and Monologue
Notes
Playwrights use special speeches to show what characters really think.
- Soliloquy: a character alone on stage speaks thoughts aloud. Hamlet's "To be, or not to be: that is the question" weighs life against death.
- Aside: a brief remark to the audience or to one character that others on stage do not hear.
- Monologue: a long speech by one character to other characters.
- These speeches create dramatic irony, because the audience learns secrets other characters do not know.
Practice
Hamlet, alone on stage, debates whether to go on living. This speech is a:
A character alone speaking private thoughts gives a soliloquy.
In the middle of a feast, a character turns to the audience and mutters, "If only they knew what I plan," while the guests keep talking. This is a(n):
A brief remark unheard by others on stage is an aside.
How do soliloquies and asides most often create dramatic irony?
The audience gains knowledge the other characters lack.
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