Monologue

Takeaways

• It may persuade, confess, accuse, narrate, seduce, or delay.
• Length alone does not make it dramatic.
• The listener's presence or absence changes its function.

Overview

A monologue is an extended speech by a single character. In drama and prose, it works when the speech itself is an event with stakes.

Examples

• A witness's testimony becomes a self-indictment.
• A parent tells a family history to prevent a child leaving.