Soliloquy | Creative Writing, Definition & Examples
A soliloquy is a type of monologue in which a character expresses their private thoughts and feelings aloud. Usually the character is alone on stage. It gives the audience direct access to information that other characters may not know.
Soliloquies are most commonly associated with drama, particularly Shakespearean plays. However, the technique can also appear in modern theater, film, television, and other forms of storytelling.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, and Othello contain some of the best-known examples of soliloquy in English literature.
Key takeaways
- A soliloquy is a type of monologue in which a character reveals their private thoughts and feelings aloud, usually when alone.
- Soliloquies give the audience direct access to a character’s inner world, helping develop characterization, reveal conflicts, and advance the plot.
- There are several ways soliloquies can be structured, including plain, attended, with props, and dialogical soliloquies.
- Famous examples from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and other plays show how soliloquies can create dramatic irony and deepen a story.
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What is a soliloquy?
A soliloquy is a type of monologue in which a character speaks at length, usually while alone. The character’s speech is not intended to be heard by the other characters in the scene, giving the audience access to thoughts and feelings that might otherwise remain private.
Soliloquies are especially useful in plays because drama generally does not have a narrator who can directly explain what a character is thinking. A soliloquy allows the playwright to reveal this information through the character’s own words.
For example, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet “To be, or not to be” explores questions about suffering, death, and uncertainty. The speech reveals his internal conflict to the audience even though he is not discussing these thoughts with another character.
- Single speaker: A soliloquy is delivered by one character without another character participating in the speech.
- Private thoughts: The character reveals thoughts, emotions, motivations, or decisions that are not being shared through dialogue.
- Audience access: The audience hears information that other characters may not know.
- Dramatic purpose: Soliloquies can develop characterization, reveal important information, explore internal conflict, or advance the plot.
Types of soliloquy
There is no single universally accepted classification of soliloquies. Literary scholars have proposed different systems, including classifications based on who the character addresses and what is present on stage. The following types describe some common ways soliloquies are structured.
Plain soliloquy
A plain soliloquy is the simplest form. It involves a single character speaking while no other characters are present on stage. The character may use the speech to express their thoughts, emotions, plans, or reactions to recent events.
Although the character appears to be speaking to themselves, the audience also gains access to their private thoughts. Many of Shakespeare’s soliloquies, including several of Hamlet’s speeches, use this basic structure.
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Hamlet’s “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt” soliloquy (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 129–159) reveals his distress following his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage.
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Hamlet’s “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I” soliloquy (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 550–606) explores his doubts about avenging his father and ends.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Juliet’s “Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds” soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 2, lines 1–35) expresses her anticipation of her wedding night with Romeo.
Attended soliloquy
An attended soliloquy occurs when other characters are present on stage, but they cannot hear or are not meant to hear the speaker. The speaker may be talking to themselves, the audience, or communicating thoughts that remain outside the other characters’ awareness.
This type can create dramatic irony because the audience knows what the speaker is thinking while the other characters remain unaware. It can also create tension when another character is physically close enough to discover what is being said.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Juliet’s “My only love sprung from my only hate” soliloquy (Act 1, Scene 5, lines 137–140) reveals her feelings for Romeo while a nurse is present.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Juliet’s “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” soliloquy (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 33–49) is spoken while Romeo is secretly hiding beneath her balcony.
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Hamlet’s “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying” soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 3, lines 73–88) takes place while Claudius is praying, unaware that Hamlet is watching him.
Soliloquy with props
A soliloquy with props involves a character directly addressing an object on stage. The prop effectively becomes a temporary addressee, giving the character something physical to speak to while still revealing their private thoughts.
The object might be a letter, weapon, photograph, or another item that has significance to the character. For example, Macbeth addresses an imaginary dagger before murdering Duncan, using the object as a focus for his thoughts and uncertainty.
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Macbeth’s “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” soliloquy (Act 2, Scene 1, lines 33–64) addresses the imagined dagger he sees before carrying out Duncan’s murder.
- Henry IV, Part 2 by William Shakespeare: Prince Hal’s “O polished perturbation! Golden care!” soliloquy (Act 4, Scene 5, lines 23–46) addresses the crown while he believes his father is dead.
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Juliet’s “My dismal scene I needs must act alone” soliloquy (Act 4, Scene 3, lines 14–23 and 55–58) involves the vial and dagger as she prepares to fake her death.
Dialogical soliloquy
A dialogical soliloquy gives the impression of a dialogue even though only one character is speaking aloud. It often involves a letter or another object connected to an absent character. The speaker can respond to the absent person as though they were participating in a conversation.
This creates a more complex dramatic situation because the absent character is represented through the object or through the speaker’s responses. The audience can therefore experience an implied conversation without hearing both speakers directly.
- Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare: Hotspur’s letter-reading soliloquy beginning “But for mine own part, my lord, I could be well contented to be there” (Act 2, Scene 3, lines 1–35) has Hotspur read and argue with a letter from a nobleman.
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Lady Macbeth’s “Yet do I fear thy nature” soliloquy (Act 1, Scene 5, lines 15–27) is spoken while reading Macbeth’s letter about the witches’ prophecies.
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare: Malvolio’s letter-reading soliloquy beginning “’Tis but fortune; all is fortune” (Act 2, Scene 5, lines 15–175) develops into an interaction with Maria’s forged letter.
Related terms
Soliloquy is often confused with other forms of dramatic speech. While these terms overlap, they have important differences.
| A monologue is a long speech delivered by a single character.
A soliloquy is a type of monologue in which a character speaks their thoughts out loud, usually while alone. |
| An aside is a brief comment made by a character that is not heard by the other characters on stage. It is usually short and often directly acknowledges the audience.
A soliloquy is a longer speech in which a character expresses their private thoughts and feelings. It gives the audience deeper insight into the character’s emotions. |
Frequently asked questions about soliloquies
- What is the famous soliloquy from Hamlet?
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The most famous soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is “To be, or not to be” (Act 3, Scene 1).
Hamlet reflects on life, suffering, and death as he considers whether it is better to endure hardship or end his life.
The opening lines are:
“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.”Rephrase a soliloquy in a simpler style with Quillbot’s free Paraphraser.
- What is the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
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A soliloquy is a speech in which a character expresses their private thoughts and feelings, usually while alone or unaware that another character can hear them.
A monologue is any extended speech by one character, whether or not other characters are present. A soliloquy is therefore a type of monologue.
Do you have more questions about the differences between soliloquies and monologues? Ask Quillbot’s AI Chat.
- What are examples of a soliloquy?
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There are many types and examples of soliloquies. Some works that include famous soliloquies are:
- “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt” (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 129–159) from Shakespeare’s Hamlet
- “My only love sprung from my only hate” (Act 1, Scene 5, lines 137–140) from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet
- “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” (Act 2, Scene 1, lines 33–64) from Shakespeare’s Macbeth
- “But for mine own part, my lord, I could be well contented to be there” (Act 2, Scene 3, lines 1–35) from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, part 1
Ask Quillbot’s AI Chat to “generate more examples of Soliloquies in different styles.”
- What is the famous soliloquy from Macbeth?
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One of the most famous soliloquies in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” (Act 2, Scene 1).
Macbeth imagines a dagger leading him toward King Duncan’s chamber and reveals his conflict before committing the murder.
The opening lines of the soliloquy are:
“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?”Want to write your own soliloquy? Use Quillbot’s AI Writer to get started.
