English 12 / Unit 2: Shakespeare and the Renaissance
2.4 Soliloquy, Aside and Dramatic Irony
Notes
Shakespeare uses special conventions to let the audience know what characters think.
- Soliloquy: a character alone on stage speaks his thoughts aloud. Example: Macbeth's "Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?"
- Aside: a brief remark to the audience, or to oneself, that other characters on stage do not hear. Macbeth says, "Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires."
- Monologue: a long speech to other characters.
- Dramatic irony: the audience knows something the characters do not. King Duncan praises the pleasant air around Macbeth's castle while the audience knows Macbeth is planning to kill him there.
Practice
A character is alone on stage and speaks his private doubts aloud. This is a:
A soliloquy shows inner thoughts when a character is alone.
While other characters chat, a character turns to the audience and mutters, "I smile, but I plan his ruin." This is:
An aside is a brief remark the other characters cannot hear.
A king warmly welcomes a guest into his castle, and the audience knows the host plans to murder him. Which device is this?
The audience knows the danger that the king does not.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 2 test.